The Palace's Response To Meghan & Harry's Oprah Interview Will Make You Rage
When Oprah teased nothing would be off limits during her two-hour interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, she meant it. On Sunday, March 7, the television host sat down with the couple to talk about what their lives as senior royals were really like before they stepped down from their positions in January. To everyone's surprise, Meghan and Harry directly called out the Palace for not publicly supporting them while tabloids criticized their every move. Now, the Palace's response to Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview is here and it's a lot to take in.
Among the juicy secrets, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed about living life in the spotlight, Harry said one of the most frustrating experiences was witnessing none of his family members speak up about the intense scrutiny Meghan received by the British press, which included "colonial undertones" of news headlines and articles. "No-one from my family ever said anything over those three years. That hurts," Harry said.
Often times, people would also pit Meghan against Kate Middleton and insist they had a "feud" behind the scenes and paint Meghan out to be a bully. The public pressure got so intense Meghan dealt with suicidal ideation. She tried to get help, but when she approached the institution, she did not get it. "It was very scary, and I didn't know who to turn to," Meghan revealed. Eventually, she confided in her husband, as well as Princess Diana's best friends because she felt only they could understand "what it's actually like on the inside."
During their interview, Meghan also said someone in the Palace had "conversations about how dark [Archie's] skin might be" when he was born with Harry, and the couple implied it played a part in whether he would receive a royal title or any sort of security. "That was relayed to me from Harry — that was a conversation family members had with him," Meghan said, adding she wouldn't reveal who made the comments because it "would be very damaging to them."
Meghan explained Archie having an official title didn't matter to her as much as him getting security. "This [debate] went on for the last few months of our pregnancy, where I'm going, 'Hold on a second ... he needs to be safe,'" she recalled. Since the Palace "allowed" a "monster machine [of clickbait and tabloids]" to happen, she felt getting him security was absolutely necessary.
On March 9, Buckingham Palace released a statement about Meghan and Harry's tell-all interview, although it's not exactly what fans were hoping for. "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. 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," the statement read.
The response drew backlash on social media for various reasons. First, the idea that they were just now understanding the "full extent" of Meghan and Harry's experience seemed odd to some royal fans, especially considering the couple recounted having begged for help and relief for three years. It also appeared as if the Palace wasn't taking Meghan and Harry's side. The "recollections may vary" line made it seem like they didn't entirely believe the couple's story. On top of that, fans called out the Palace for not addressing Meghan's suicidal ideation.
