In an emotional and candid interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have opened up about their lives and the difficulties they faced. Some are already calling the interview ‘devastating’ for the British Royal Family, as Harry and Meghan held nothing back during the two-hour CBS primetime special.
There was bombshell after bombshell in the interview, aired on Sunday. Meghan Markle revealed that she had suicidal thoughts when she was 5 months pregnant, opened up about the alleged racism within the Royal Family, and how Kate Middleton once made her cry instead of the other way around. Meanwhile, Harry said that he has now been financially cut off by his family after they distanced themselves from ‘The Firm.’
In the midst of the emotional storm, accusations, and pain there was one patch of calm, however. A ray of good news that nearly everyone could celebrate. The couple revealed their baby, due in the summer, is going to be a girl.
#1 Prince Harry Shared That He Was Seeing "History Repeat Itself" With Meghan, And That It Reminded Him Of The Way His Mom, Princess Diana, Was Treated
"With the added pressure of, racism and social media. My biggest concern was history repeating itself. I've said that before on numerous occasions, very publicly. And what I was seeing was history repeating itself, but more, perhaps, or definitely far more dangerous, because then you add race in, and you add social media in. And when I'm talking about history repeating itself, I'm talking about my mother," Prince Harry said."I think she would feel very angry with how this has panned out. And very sad."
Image credits: CBS
#2 The Duke And Duchess Revealed To Oprah They Had A Private Wedding Ceremony Three Days Before The Public One
There were two ceremonies, not one, like we were led to believe. Harry and Meghan wanted a private ceremony just for the two of them before the public event."This spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us," Meghan told Oprah during the two-hour interview. The vows that the couple have framed in their home are from the private backyard ceremony between them and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Image credits: CBS
#3 Meghan Said She Knew The Media Was Biased And That There Was A Double Standard For How Things Were Reported About Her And Kate
“They really seemed to want a narrative of a hero and a villain,” Meghan said.The British tabloids seemed to apply double standards to how they reported the same things about Kate and Meghan. Even a cursory glance will show you that editors and journalists applied very different angles to similar stories.
Drama generates more attention than honest reporting, after all. This led to the public having skewed views about Meghan. Internet users are very polarized about whether or not they support the Duchess of Sussex, in part due to biased reporting.
Image credits: CBS
Meghan told Oprah that there were times when she had suicidal thoughts because life as a British royal was so isolating and lonely. “I just didn't want to be alive anymore,” she told Oprah.
The Duchess mentioned that one member of the Royal Family had concerns about how ‘dark’ her son Archie’s skin would be. The revelations shocked people, ordinary and celebrity alike.
American model Chrissy Teigen and Meghan's on-screen husband Patrick J. Adams (aka Mike Ross from 'Suits') were among those who declared their public support for the couple and criticized the media and the royals for their treatment of the Duchess.
#4 There Were Allegedly Racist Conversations In The Royal Family About "How Dark" Meghan And Harry's Son's Archie's Skin Might Be
"In those months, when I was pregnant, all around this same time, we had in tandem the conversation of he won't be given security, he won't be given a title... and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin will be when he's born," Meghan told Oprah."That was relayed to me from Harry, that was from conversations that family had with him. It was really hard to see those as compartmentalized conversations," she added.
It's unclear which member(s) of the Royal Family made the comments about Archie. And it's unlikely that we'll ever find out because Harry and Meghan don't plan on revealing that information. "That conversation I am never going to share," Harry later added in the interview.
Image credits: CBS
#5 Meghan Was Candid That Her Mental Health Got So Bad, She Contemplated Suicide — However, "The Firm" Allegedly Did Not Help Her, Despite Her "Begging"
"I just didn’t see a solution. I would sit up at night and I was just like I don’t understand how all this is being churned out," Meghan spoke about how the press was constantly giving her negative attention. She felt that she was a victim of character assassination, conducted by the media.“I was really ashamed to say it at the time, and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry, because I know how much loss he’s suffered—but I knew that if I didn’t say it, 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,” Meghan shared how she contemplated suicide.
She reached out to the Buckingham Palace HR team for help, however, she was told that she'd have to seek help elsewhere because she was not a paid employee.
Image credits: CBS
#6 Harry Says That The Royal Family Officially Cut Him Off Financially In The First Part Of 2020, And He Had To Rely On What His Mother, Princess Diana, Left Him
"Touching back on what you asked on what my mum would think of this, I think she saw it coming," he said. "And I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process."Prince Harry has sought out deals with Netflix and Spotify to keep his young family afloat after getting cut off.
This has been one of the major reasons why the British tabloids have criticized the couple's interview with Oprah, who believe that Harry and Meghan have been 'self-serving.' Some commenters believe this as well while most have come out in support of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Image credits: CBS
Despite the seemingly overwhelming support, not everyone is happy with how the interview turned out. The British tabloids, ever the thorn in Harry and Meghan’s sides, have denounced the interview as ‘self-serving’ and suggested that they’re curating and cultivating a certain public image for personal gain. The couple has made deals with Netflix and Spotify after being financially cut off.
Meanwhile, internet users from all walks of life are fighting a heated battle in the comment sections of news media outlets.
For most, the revelations confirmed their suspicions about the dark side of the Royal Family and they rushed to show their support for Harry and Meghan. Others, however, pointed out that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were in no position to complain, as they were (and still are) far more privileged than, well, pretty much anyone on Earth.
#7 There Was One Bit Of Happy News Among The Shocking Bombshells: The Couple Revealed They Are Having A Baby Girl
Among all of the emotional revelations, there was one bit of good news that most people were happy to hear: Archie is going to have a baby sister. She will be born sometime this summer.“Two is it,” Harry said, saying that they don't plan to have any more kids after that.
Image credits: CBS
#8 Meghan And Harry Were Told That Their Son, Archie, Wouldn't Be A Prince And Wouldn't Receive Any Security
"It's not our decision to make," Meghan revealed, speaking about how royal protocol was changed so that her son, Archie, would not become a prince.She learned about this decision while she was pregnant. "I regret believing them when they said I would be protected," she criticized the Royal Family.
Image credits: CBS
#9 Harry Said That His Relationship With The Queen Is Good, But That There Is Some Strain With His Relationship With Charles And Will
"There's a lot of hurt that's happened," he said — Charles didn't even take Harry's calls for a time. When asked to define his relationship with Will right now, he said, “The relationship is space.”
Image credits: CBS
Members of any royal family can seem so illustrious, charming, and powerful that people forget that they’re human beings with very human problems. And no family—royal or ordinary—is ‘perfect.’ But with the glitz, the glamor, and the prestigious upbringing, some of us assume that members of the aristocracy are beyond reproach.
Expectations should be high for royalty, absolutely. However, like with putting anyone on a pedestal, we’re bound to end up disappointed if we idolize them through illusions instead of seeing them grounded in reality like we are.
What did you think of the interview, dear Pandas? Did any of the revelations shock you? What is your opinion about the Royal family and about Harry and Meghan? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and just remember—we’re better than the British tabloids, so let’s keep it civil.
#10 Meghan Said That Her Story With A Prince Does Have A Happy Ending
"Greater than any fairytale you've ever read."
Image credits: CBS
#11 Meghan Said She Went Along With What The Royal Family Wanted At First Because She Thought They Would Protect Her — Only To Discover The Opposite Was The Case
"Not only was I not being protected, but they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family — but they weren’t willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband."
Image credits: CBS
#12 Meghan Denied Making Kate, The Duchess Of Cambridge, Cry — In Fact, She Said The Opposite Happened
Though the media had suggested that it was actually Meghan who made Kate cry, it's likely that the story happened in the complete opposite way.“The reverse happened, and I don’t say that to be disparaging to anyone because it was a really hard week of the wedding and she was upset about something,” Meghan opened up to Oprah during the in-depth interview.
The issue had arisen over the flower girl dresses. However, there is a happy ending to all of this. Meghan said that Kate then apologized, to her and she accepted her apology.
"There was no confrontation," Meghan said.
Image credits: CBS
#13 Before Meghan Met The Queen For The First Time, Harry Asked If She Knew How To Curtsey
They practiced curtseying outside before she met Harry's grandmother. Meghan described their first meeting as, "Lovely and easy — and thank god I hadn’t known a lot about the family, thank god I hadn’t researched, I would have been so in my head about it.”
Image credits: CBS
#14 Meghan Said That She Asked For Help Around The Time Of The Couple's Australia Tour
“I had been asking the institution for help for quite a long time," Meghan told Oprah. However, they weren't willing to "go on the record and negate" bad stories for her — even though they would do the same for "the most ridiculous story" for others.
Image credits: CBS
#15 Harry Said That The Simplest Reason That They Left Their Positions In The Family Is Because Of A “Lack Of Support And Lack Of Understanding"
The “constant barrage” from the press was also integral.
Image credits: CBS
#16 Harry Said That He Didn't Blindside The Queen With News Of Their Departure
“I’ve never blindsided my grandmother, I have too much respect for her," Harry told Oprah. He says that he told the Queen numerous times about their upcoming announcement.
Image credits: CBS
#17 Harry Said That He Wouldn't Have Been Able To Leave The Royal Family Without Meghan
"I wouldn't have been able to, I, myself was trapped," he said, "Trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are [...]. They don't get to leave."
Image credits: CBS
#18 Harry Said He Was "Hurt" By The Queen's Decision To Remove All Royal Patronages And Honorary Military Titles — But Her Decision Had Nothing To Do With Harry And Meghan’s Oprah Interview
"But at the same time, I completely respect my grandmother's decision."
Image credits: CBS
#19 Meghan Never Looked Up Harry Online
“I’ve never looked up my husband online, I just didn’t feel a need to because everything I feel I needed to know he was sharing with me.”
Image credits: CBS
#20 Harry Said That The Royal Family Is Scared Of The Tabloids Turning On Them — And It Influenced Them Refusing To Speak Out On The Racist Abuse Meghan Faced In The Media
Harry spoke of an "invisible contract" between the tabloids and the royal family, where the tabloids would be given full access in exchange for positive coverage.
Image credits: CBS
#21 Meghan Denied Having Orchestrated "Megxit," Saying That She Planned To Be In The Royal Role Forever
"Can you imagine how little sense that makes?" she told Oprah. "I left everything because I love him."
Image credits: CBS
#22 The Streaming Deals Were Never Part Of The Original Plan, But Were Suggested By A Friend Amidst The Pandemic
"From my perspective, all I needed was enough money to be able to pay for security, to keep my family safe," Harry told Oprah.
Image credits: CBS
#23 Harry And Meghan Did Call The Queen To Ask About Phillip After He Went To Hospital
"That's what we do, being able to default to not having to every moment go, 'Is that appropriate?'" Meghan told Oprah.
Image credits: CBS
#24 Meghan's One Regret Is, "Believing Them When They Said I'd Be Protected"
"I wasn't supposed to see it. I wasn't supposed to know."
Image credits: CBS
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