The Palace Hr Department
In the interview, Meghan stated that when suffering from mental health issues she tried to seek help from the palace HR department, but she was refused as she was not a “paid employee of the institution”. According to journalist Jonny Dymond “There’s no HR department for working royals because it’s a family affair”, and HR managers are responsible for helping lower level royal staff and the household. Notwithstanding, seeking private therapy has precedent in the royal family and royal biographers questioned Meghan’s claim of being turned away. In her own 1995 interview, Harry’s mother, Diana, stated that she “received a great deal of treatment” after suffering from postpartum depression. In 2017, Harry himself acknowledged that he sought counselling years after his mother’s death.
How Did We Get Here
Normal protocol for someone as high up in the royal family as Harry would be to live in the UK forever, as a working member of the royal family — attending hospital openings, museum exhibits, board meetings, playing bingo with pensioners and generally just supporting Queen Elizabeth II in a quiet yet respectful way. Realistically, with his father Charles, brother William, and William and Kate’s three kids all in line to the throne before him, Harry was never going to rule. And as he made clear to Winfrey, he felt unsupported, and even endangered, by family decisions that he felt were not helping his own family.
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You may have heard that Meghan and Harry moved first to Canada, then to California in 2020. In February 2021, after a year trial, Buckingham Palace announced the couple would not return as working members of the royal family, through they would remain “much loved.”
And Meghan and Harry have been busy. In 2020, they signed a deal to develop programming for Netflix, and they’ve also signed a deal with Spotify to produce and host their own podcasts. They’re residing in America now, and Americans gonna America. So the Oprah interview, while not something a regular royal would do, fits right in with what a Hollywood celebrity would take on.
Why Is This Interview A Big Deal
This is the first sit-down interview Meghan and Harry have done since stepping back from the royal family and by all accounts, it seems like no questions are off the table. For one, a teaser showed Meghan saying that, “There is an active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us” which is already pretty juicy.
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What Meghan Is Wearing
As Page Six Style previously reported, Markle taped the big interview in a $4,700 black Armani dress featuring a white abstract floral print, along with her signature messy bun.
Twitter users compared the look to an iconic portrait of fellow American Duchess Wallis Simpson whom Prince Harrys great-uncle King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry.
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What Has The Reaction Been To The Interview Itself
Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan said Oprah Winfrey “proved herself to be the best celebrity interviewer ever”.
“Oprah best displayed her interviewing chops by relentlessly circling back to emotional or newsmaking comments like a heat-seeking missile,” Sullivan wrote in a Perspective column.
“Not much was allowed to simply disappear in a flurry of words, as happens far too often in interviews. Oprah did not let the couple get away with general hints or diplomatic niceties.”
Vox columnist Emily VanDerWerff also praised Oprah’s interview style, saying, “she was the only person who could conduct the Harry and Meghan interview”.
“Oprah excels at creating a friendly, warm atmosphere in which famous people feel as though they can share their innermost thoughts,”VanDerWerff wrote.
“It’s not clear how much the Meghan and Harry interview happened roughly as presented on television, or if it was edited to create a more coherent progression of its subjects thoughts .
“But Oprah’s genius lies less in the overall scope of an interview and more in the micromanagement of individual moments.
“An interview subject can say something shocking, and Oprah is skilled at guiding the exchange so that it plays out to its fullest effect, while giving the subject space to process their thoughts and decide whether they want to share more.”
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I Just Didn’t Want To Be Alive Anymore Meghan Revealed
In a heartbreaking moment, Meghan revealed that she was having “methodical” thoughts about suicide while she was in the royal family.
“That was a very clear and real and frightening thought,” Meghan said. “I couldn’t be left alone.”
According to Meghan, she went to the “Institution,” meaning several senior officials, to receive help for her suicidal thoughts, or to be checked into a hospital, but she was told it wouldn’t be good for optics. After being rebuffed, Meghan said she reached out to one of Princess Diana’s best friends, but continued to have those thoughts, which she called a breaking point.
She also described feeling captive, as her license, passport, and credit cards were taken after her wedding and were unavailable to her.
Clearly emotional, the Duchess said her life in the palace was an example of why people should be kind, since you never know what people are going through “behind closed doors.”
More On Oprah’s Interview
Samantha Markle, her half-sister, released a book recently called The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister Part 1. Meghan Markle said she didn’t really have a relationship with Samantha, grew up as an only child, and hasn’t seen her in nearly 20 years.
Oprah also said she could tell it was painful for Harry to discuss his fraught relationship with his father, Prince Charles, noting that no one in the royal family — Charles included — stood up for Meghan and Harry and against the racist undertones of how they were covered in the press.
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Claim Of Being Financially Cut Off By The Royal Family
Meghan and Harry claimed in the interview that they were financially cut off by the royal family, with Harry saying that the royal family had, literally cut me off financially. In June 2021, accompanying the royal familys annual financial report on its financial activities under the Sovereign Grant in June 2021, Clarence House, Prince Charless residence, released an additional statement revealing that he had provided financial support to Meghan and Harry as they were departing the royal family. The statement claimed that Charles had provided them a substantial sum to support their transition out of the royal family. The statement also noted that such financial support ceased in the summer of 2020. Some media outlets argued that this meant that that the assertion in the interview had been false. However, other sources argued that their claim had not been false, since financial support, according to Clarence Houses statement, had ceased during the summer of 2020, and Harry and Meghan had, themselves, per the royal familys financial report, repaid the royal family $3.3 million in reimbursement for renovations to Frogmore Cottage.
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Explained: Why The Queen Never Needs A Passport To Travel
THE royal family have lots of extra perks when it comes to travelling as well as more rules to follow.
Here are some of the royal travel secrets which members are aware of when leaving the country.
The Queen is the only person who doesnt need a passport to travel as they are issued in her name.
The Royal Family website explains: As a British passport is issued in the name of Her Majesty, it is unnecessary for The Queen to possess one.
This will change to Prince Charles when he becomes King.
The actor previously revealed that their set list included Whitney Houstons I Want to Dance with Somebody and several hip hop hits.
Speaking to BBC Radio 1Xtra Idris said: Meghan sent me a playlist with some bare tunes on it.
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Watch The Harry And Meghan Oprah Interview: How To Stream Outside The Us And For Free
No subject off the table, a lot of feathers have been ruffled with the long awaited Oprah Winfrey interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Make sure you know how to watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Oprah interview wherever you are around the globe.
For Brits, the Oprah with Harry and Meghan was aired on ITV the day after its release in the US. That means you can now hop on to the ITV Hub to watch back. You can watch on just about any device, with apps available on iOS, Android, as well as most Smart TVs, current gaming consoles, and media streamers like Fire Stick and Roku. For those in Scotland, STV will be your go-to to catch up on the interview.
For Australians, Network 10 bagged the rights, which means you can now watch free online thanks to the stations 10play site and apps.
In Canada, the rights were secured by Global TV. Its now hosting the interview in full and for free on its website.
Do you happen to be abroad? If youre struggling to get the royal scoop while outside of your home country, you can make the most of a top VPN to get access to your streaming service of choice. Making you appear as though youre browsing from home, watch all your much-loved content as if you were.
Reactions Of The Royal Family And The Markle Family
According to BBC News, the interview led to crisis meetings involving senior royals. On March 9, Buckingham Palace released a statement in response, saying: The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members. When asked about the interview by the reporters during a visit to an East London school on March 11, Prince William responded to the allegations of racism by saying, Were very much not a racist family. Reporting on the couples relationship with the royal family, CBS This Morning presenter Gayle King stated that Harry had started conversations with his father and brother but those conversations were not productive. In response to the allegations of racism, a source close to the palace stated that in order to tackle the issue they had the policies, the procedures and programmes in place but we havent seen the progress we would like in terms of representation and more needs to be done, we can always improve. They added that it was too early to announce any firm plans, but the royal family was supportive of the idea to have someone in charge of diversity and inclusion in the royal households.
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Clips From Meghan And Harry’s Highly
Teaser clips have already been released of the interview, including one in which Markle told Oprah it was “liberating” to finally be able to speak for herself after leaving the royal family.
“I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there’s an active role that the firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us,” she added. “And if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean, there’s a lot that has been lost already.”
Our Royal Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and announcements about the British royal family, direct from Insider’s royal reporters. Join here.
What Do We Know Already
We’re going to be hearing more from Meghan than Prince Harry in the interview, but they’ve already revealed one big piece of information their second child will be a girl.
The world also now knows that someone in the Palace wondered how dark Archie’s skin would be.
Archie is the couple’s first child.
Meghan also said she was stunned when she was told Archie would not be a prince and would not receive security from the palace.
“They didn’t want him to be a prince or princess, not knowing what the gender would be, which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn’t going to receive security,” she said.
The duchess also revealed how miserable she was during her brief time as a royal.
Here’s how CBS described the interview:
“Winfrey will speak with Meghan covering everything from stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work, to how she is handling life under intense public pressure.
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Meghan’s Passport And Driver’s Licence
Historian Robert Lacey explained that Meghan handing in her driver’s licence would have been a requirement under security rules, as she “would not be protected” if she went driving by herself. Royal commentators said that her passport would still have been used when she was travelling internationally â only the Queen does not use one â but that it would have been kept with other royals’ personal documents in a safe and accessible place, which “really was routine, and probably anything would be accessible to her if she wanted it.”
How Can I Watch It In Australia
Oprah With Meghan And Harry: A CBS Primetime Special will air on Channel 10 at 7:30pm tonight.
You’ll also be able to watch it on Channel 10’s digital platform, 10 play.
CBS played the interview in the US at 8:00pm Eastern Time that was 1:00am in London and midday AEDT.
So there will be probably be a lot of chatter about it on social media and hot takes from royal commentators to scroll through before you can watch it.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Message has already aired on ABC TV and ABC News 24 at 4:00am AEDT today.
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What Can We Expect From The Interview
Its understood that nothing is off limits, and Oprah a friend of Meghans has been allowed to delve into almost any and every aspect of their personal and public lives.
The interview has already been filmed, and reports indicate that Meghan discusses stepping into royal life, marriage, and motherhood, as well as her philanthropic work and living life under intense public pressure.
For the second half of the interview, Harry joins in, and the pair discuss the reasoning behind Mexit and their move to America, as well as the recent announcement that theyre expecting a second child.
The Interview Will Be Broadcast At Different Times Around The World
The special, entitled Oprah With Meghan And Harry, will be seen around the worldâit’s been licensed in more than 70 territories, including Australia, Canada, and the UK.
For those of us in the U.S., the interview was broadcast on Sunday evening. Many international audiences will have to be patient. In the U.K., ITV will broadcast the interview on Monday at 9 p.m, per Variety.
- Australia: Monday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 10
- Austria: Monday, March 8 at 1:10 and 9:10 p.m. on ORF 1
- Belgium: Monday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. on Channel Een
- Brazil: Thursday, March 11 at 10:30 p.m. on GNT
- Canada: Sunday, March 7 at 8 p.m. on Global
- Croatia: Monday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. on RTL
- Denmark: Monday, March 8 at 9:00 p.m. on TV3 and Viafree
- Germany: Monday, March 8 at 3 p.m. on RTL and Vox
- Iceland: Monday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. on SJÃNVARP SÃMANS
- Ireland: Monday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. on RTE 2
- Israel: Monday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. on yesDocu
- Italy: Tuesday, March 9 at 8:30 p.m. on TV8
- The Netherlands: Tuesday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. on Net5
- Norway: Monday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. on TV3 and Viafree
- Pan Africa: Monday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. on M-Net DStv channel 101
- Sweden: Monday, March 8 at 9:00 p.m. on TV3 and Viafree
- Switzerland: Saturday, March 13 at 10:25 p.m. on SRF
- United Kingdom: Monday, March 8 at 9 p.m on ITV
For more ways to live your best life plus all things Oprah,
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Harry And Meghan Detail Royal Struggles From Discussions Of Baby’s Skin Tone To Suicidal Thoughts
Conversations about “how dark” their baby’s skin tone would be. A rift between Prince Harry and his father so deep that Harry said his father at one point “stopped taking my calls.” And Meghan, Duchess of Sussex saying she “just didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
These were some of the shocking details described by Harry and Meghan in an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey, the first they have given since they stepped away from official royal duties last year. They said they would have stayed had they gotten support from the royal family.
In one of the only lighthearted moments, the couple revealed their second child, expected this summer, will be a girl.
But Harry and Meghan spent most of the discussion trying to give their side of many of the tabloid stories that have circulated about them since they got together, including one about how Meghan had once made her sister-in-law, Catherine, cry.
While they had harsh words for their treatment in the press, the most disturbing parts of the interview centered on how they were treated by members of the royal family. Harry said he had a “really good relationship” with the Queen, but said he was “disappointed” by his father and that, while he loves his brother William “to bits,” they’re on “different paths.”
More portions of the interview aired on Monday exclusively on “CBS This Morning.”
