CBS teased a “shocking” tell-all interview and that’s exactly what Oprah Winfrey delivered Sunday night during her sit-down with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The two-hour broadcast included several light moments, including a baby reveal by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who announced they are expecting a girl this summer.
The royal couple also expressed admiration for Queen Elizabeth II, with Harry saying he speaks often with his grandmother. And they praised filmmaker Tyler Perry for allowing them to live in one of his mansions and providing them with security after they moved to Southern California.
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But between the moments of levity, the couple unleashed a barrage of bombshells about the royal family, palace courtiers, and the relentless British tabloid press. Meghan said her life as a royal may have looked like a fairytale from the outside, but “the perception and the reality are two different things.”
Below are five bombshells from the interview.
1. Meghan Says She Didn’t Make Kate Middleton Cry
Meghan, 39, told Winfrey those tabloid stories about her making Kate Middleton cry ahead of her May 2018 wedding were not true. In fact, Meghan said “the reverse happened” with her sister-in-law.
“A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something — the subject really was flower girl dresses — she made me cry and hurt my feelings,” Meghan said. She told Winfrey Middleton later “owned it and she apologized.”
Meghan said she let it go, but somehow lies were fed to the tabloids several months later. She said the palace refused to set the record straight.
2. The Royals Worried About “How Dark” Baby Archie’s Skin Would Be
Markle, who is biracial, said there were concerns among the royals that her unborn son would be darker than the rest of the (white) royals. She told Winfrey unidentified members of the royal family shared “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
The former Suits actress admitted she never heard the comments directly, but they were “relayed to me from Harry.” Markle noted that the conversations about her unborn child’s skin color emerged around the same time she was told — in a break with protocol — that her son would not receive a royal title or a security detail.
“This went on for the last few months of our pregnancy, where I’m going, ‘hold on a second,'” she said. Markle noted the directive about Archie’s title made no sense, considering he would be the grandson of the future king. “There’s no explanation,” she said.
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3. Meghan Markle Considered Suicide But Was Refused Help
At another point in the interview, Meghan said her life as a royal became so unbearable that she began having suicidal thoughts.
“Look, I was really ashamed to have to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, because I know how much loss he’s suffered,” she stated. “But I knew that if I didn’t say that I would do it… I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought.”
She said she went to “one of the most senior people” to try to seek mental health treatment. “I said that I’ve never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere. And I was told that I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
“They said, ‘My heart goes out to you because I see how bad it is, but there’s nothing we can do to protect you because you’re not a paid employee of the institution,’” she said.
4. Prince Harry Felt Trapped
Winfrey spent much of the interview speaking with Markle. But once Prince Harry, 36, joined the conversation, he was just as forthcoming. Harry told Oprah he felt “trapped” in his life as a senior member of the royal family.
“I was trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are,” he explained. “My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave, and I have huge compassion for that.”
Oprah appeared stunned by what she was hearing, and asked Harry if he would have left the family eventually. “The answer to your question is no. I wouldn’t have been able to, because I myself was trapped as well,” he replied. “I didn’t see a way out. I was trapped but I didn’t know I was trapped.”
5. Prince Charles Stopped Taking His Son’s Calls
Harry said his father, Prince Charles, has stopped speaking to him since he and Meghan stepped back from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020, and eventually moved to the U.S.
Despite tabloid reports, Harry said the Queen wasn’t blindsided by the couple’s decision because they had three conversations on the subject. But after he spoke with his father, Prince Charles stopped answering the phone.
“You just said your dad stopped taking your calls,” Oprah said. “Why?”
“Because I took matters into my own hands,” Harry replied. “It was like I need to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody, it’s really sad that it’s got to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my own mental health, for my wife’s, because I could see where this is headed.”
Harry added, “I feel really let down.” Asked about his relationship with his brother, Prince William, Harry told Oprah: “The relationship is space at the moment.” But he sounded hopeful and added, “Time heals all things, hopefully.”
He also spoke of his late mother, Princess Diana, and said he’s relieved his wife no longer has to endure the sadness and scrutiny his mother faced.
“I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you with my wife by my side. Because I can’t begin to imagine what it must’ve been like for her going through this process by herself all those years ago,” he said.
To watch more of the interview, head over to CBS.com.
