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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s much-anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey aired in the United States. The couple share their side of the story about life in the royal family.
The couple spoke about their relationships with other kings, racism, and how their mental health was suffering.
Meghan spoke to Oprah for most of the interview before joining Prince Harry.
The interview will air on Monday at 9:00 p.m. GMT and on ITV Hub on ITV.
1. ‘Discussions about how dark Meghan’s baby could be’
One of the biggest allegations from the interview was that there had been “multiple conversations” within the royal family about how dark Meghan and Harry’s baby could be.
“In those months when I was pregnant [there were] Concerns and talks about how dark his skin might be when he was born, “Meghan said.
She said the conversations were with Harry, who passed them on to her. Both she and Harry refused to say which king said it.
“I’ll never share that conversation,” said Harry. “It was uncomfortable at the time, I was a bit shocked.”
Harry also said that it hurt him that his family never spoke about the “colonial undertones” of headlines and articles.
Media signature“There were discussions about skin color”
2. Kate made Meghan cry – not the other way around
A story it was in the papers a few years ago was that the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate, was in tears by Meghan in the run-up to the wedding in a row over flower girl dresses.
But Meghan told Oprah the opposite was the case.
“A few days before the wedding [Kate] was upset with the flower girl dresses and it made me cry, “Meghan said. She said Kate later apologized and brought flowers and a note to make amends.
“I’m not sharing this piece about Kate to belittle her,” Meghan said. She said Kate was “a good person” and hoped that she would have wanted the wrong stories to be corrected.
Image rightsGetty ImagesImage descriptionThe media “really seemed to want a hero and a villain tale,” Meghan said
3. Meghan said she was on the verge of suicide but was denied help
Meghan spoke about how lonely she felt after joining the royal family and how she lost her freedom. “When I came to this family, it was the last time we came here that I saw my passport, driver’s license, keys and anything that is turned over,” she said.
She said her mental health had gotten so bad that she “no longer wanted to be alive”.
“I went to the facility and said I had to go somewhere for help, I had never felt this way and I had to go somewhere, and I was told that I couldn’t, that it wasn’t good for the institution.”
She said she went to “one of the oldest people” within the royal family and then to the palace’s human resources department. “Nothing was ever done,” she added.
Media signatureMeghan Markle says she was “suicidal”
4. Meghan spoke to a friend of Diana’s
Princess Diana’s name appeared many times throughout the interview – with similarities between her experiences in the royal family.
“I didn’t even know who to turn to,” Meghan said at the time she was struggling. “One of the people I contacted who continues to be a friend and confidante was one of my husband’s mother’s best friends.
“Because it’s like who else could understand what it’s actually like inside?”
5.Harry feels ‘disappointed’ in Charles
Oprah asked Harry about his relationships with his family and in particular his father, the Prince of Wales, and his brother, the Duke of Cambridge.
Once, after resigning as governing king, Harry said that Charles had “stopped taking my calls”.
“I feel really disappointed because he’s been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like and Archies is his grandson.
“But at the same time, of course, I’ll always love him, but a lot of damage has happened and I will continue to make healing this relationship one of my priorities.”
In response to William, Harry said that he loved him down to the last detail and that they went through hell together. “But we were on different paths.”
Media signaturePrince Harry: “I feel really disappointed.”
6. But the couple’s relationship with the queen is good
Harry said he had a “really good” relationship with his grandmother and that he’d spoken to her more – including video calls with Archie – in the last year than in many years.
“She’s my colonel, right? She always will be.”
Meghan also praised the queen, saying she gave her lovely jewelry for the couple’s first engagement together and shared a blanket with her to keep warm while traveling together.
Image rightsGetty ImagesImage descriptionHarry denied ever “blinding” the Queen when he stepped down as a high-ranking king
7. Harry ‘financially cut off’
In the first quarter of 2020, Harry said his family had “literally cut me off financially”.
He said the Netflix and Spotify deals he and Meghan struck to do shows and podcasts were never part of the plan, but “I had to afford security.”
“But I have what my mother left me and we couldn’t have done it without that.”
The couple reveal that American billionaire and media mogul Tyler Perry gave Harry and Meghan a home and safety when they moved to Southern California from Canada last year.
8. The truth behind a photo
Meghan said she had to attend an official event at the Royal Albert Hall the night after telling Harry that she felt suicidal.
Meghan spoke about a photo that followed her because it reminded her of it.
She said a friend commented on how good the couple looked, but she added, “This picture, if you zoom in, I can see how tight his ankles are wrapped around mine,” she told Oprah as she got emotional.
“We smile and do our jobs, but we’re both just trying to hold on.” Every time those lights in that royal box go out, I just cried. “
Image rightsGetty ImagesImage description“You have no idea what kind of person is going on behind closed doors,” said the Duchess
9.Meghan did not do any research on the royal family
When Meghan spoke about the first time she met the queen, she said she was surprised to learn she had to curtsy.
She said she thought it was just “part of the fanfare” and didn’t happen within the royal family
She described that she had to curtsy quickly before having an impromptu lunch with the queen. “I said, ‘It’s your grandmother,” said Meghan. “He said, ‘It’s the queen.'”
Meghan added that she hadn’t done any research on the family prior to joining – and insisted that she had never looked up her husband online during their relationship.
10. You actually got married three days before the wedding
Millions of people watched Harry and Meghan tie the knot at Windsor Castle in 2018. But the couple announced that they had married three days earlier in a simple ceremony by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
“We called the archbishop and just said, ‘Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us … just the two of us in our backyard’.”
11. Archie’s favorite phrase is “drive safely”
Harry talked about Archie and the joy he gets when he takes him on bike rides. The interview included a clip of the toddler playing on the beach with his parents.
The couple joked that their favorite word for the past few weeks has been “hydrate” and Harry said if someone leaves the house Archie tells them to “drive safely”.
Image rightsGetty ImagesImage descriptionArchie – who will be two years old in May – is now saying words like palm and house, said Harry
12. And … it’s a girl
The couple confirm that they are expecting a little girl this summer.
Harry said it was “amazing” and added, “What more can you ask for?” – but said they would be ready after baby number two arrived.
Towards the end of the interview, Oprah asked if Meghan had gotten her happy ending with Prince Harry. “Bigger than any fairy tale you’ve ever read,” she said.
