31 Bombshell Revelations From Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Interview With Oprah Winfrey
1. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were only allowed to do their interview with Oprah Winfrey because they’re no longer working royals.
Markle said it was a relief to finally be able to speak her truth now that she is no longer a working royal. “We’re on the other side of a lot of life experience that’s happened and we have the ability to make our choices,” she said, explaining that members of the Firm’s communications team had to deliver the message to Winfrey that the interview would be a no-go, which frustrated the former Suits star. “As an adult who lived a really independent life to then go into this construct that is, um, different than what I think people imagine it to be, it’s really liberating to have the right and the privilege in some ways to be able to say, ‘Yes, I’m ready to talk,’” she said. “To be able to make a choice on your own and just speak for yourself.”
2. Meghan Markle had no idea what it meant to be a “working royal.”
“I will say I went into it naively because I didn’t grow up knowing much about the royal family,” Markle said of her courtship with Harry and eventual entry into the royal family. “I didn’t do any research about what that would mean. I never looked my husband up online,” she said, adding that everything she thought she’d needed to know he told her. “We talked about what we thought it might be. I didn’t understand what the job was. What does it mean to be a working royal?” “I think there was no way to understand what the day-to-day was going to be like,” she said, explaining that the public and private sides of the monarchy look and are quite different from one another, and that contributed to her mistreatment in the press. “When the perception and the reality are two different things,” she said, “and you’re being judged on the perception and not the reality of it.”
3. Kate Middleton made Meghan Markle cry, not the other way around.
Though reports spread months after Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding that Markle made Kate Middletoncry at a dress fitting for Princess Charlotte, Meghan maintains that Kate actually brought her to tears, but that she apologized and it was all water under the bridge. However, when rumors later swirled that Meghan was mean to Kate, it upset her. “Six, seven months after our wedding that the reverse of that would be out in the world? I would have never wanted that to come out about her, even though it happened. A few days before the wedding she was upset about something pertaining to, yes, the flower girl dresses, and it made me cry and it really hurt my feelings," she recalled. “And I thought in the context of everything else it didn’t make sense to not do what everyone else was doing, which was being supportive.”
4. Meghan Markle felt lonely and barely left the house after the royal wedding unless it was for royal engagements.
Markle makes it clear that Prince Harry is lovely company, but that when he was away, she felt incredibly lonely and wasn’t allowed to see her own friends because of how it would look to “The Institution.” She recalled one incident in which she couldn’t go to lunch with her friends because she was “oversaturated” in the press, even though she hardly left the house. “I’m everywhere but I am nowhere,” she said, adding, “There was very little that I was allowed to do.”
5. The royal family didn’t let Archie have any titles and refused to provide security for him.
Despite reports that Markle and Prince Harry elected to not give son Archie royal titles, she said the royal family actually specified that they didn’t want him to be a prince or a princess. That goes against protocol because as a grandchild of a monarch, one is automatically given the title of “prince” or “princess.” No explanation was given for the decision, but negating Archie’s potential titles also meant that Archie wasn’t going to receive security protection. “They wanted to change the convention for Archie,” Markle explained.
6. Members of The Firm speculated to Prince Harry whether or not Archie would have dark skin—and how that would make the monarchy look.
Markle said that while she was pregnant, there were conversations with Prince Harry and The Firm about dark son Archie’s skin might be when he was born. She and Harry wouldn’t reveal who had the conversations because it would be too “damaging” to the person or persons.
7. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left their roles as senior royals because she was suicidal—and one of Princess Diana’s friends was her only hope.
Markle was so beat down by the British press and the lack of support from The Firm that she had “methodical” suicidal thoughts that scared her. “I just didn’t see a solution. It was all happening just because I was breathing,” she said. She explained that she was ashamed to admit that she needed help for her suicidal tendencies at the time, even to Harry, because he had already suffered the loss of his mother. “I knew that if I didn’t say it, I would do it. I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. That was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought.” Markle said she went to “The Institution,” a group of people working for the Palace, seeking their assistance to go somewhere for mental health treatment, and they refused to give her any aid or let her seek outside help. She hadn’t had access to her driver’s license or passport since her wedding day and didn’t know who to turn to. Eventually, she confided in one of the late Princess Diana‘s best friends because no one else understood.
8. Meghan Markle accused The Firm of “perpetuating falsehoods” about her and Prince Harry.
Markle fumed that members of The Firm spread lies about her and Prince Harry, which was one of their motivations in sitting down with Winfrey. “Everyone in my world was given clear directive since Harry and I started dating to always say ’no comment,’” she recalled, adding that she was told that she would be protected. “It was only once we were married and everything sort of started to worsen that I realized I wasn’t being protected, but that they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family but not tell the truth to protect me and my husband.” She continued, “I don’t know how [the palace] could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent when there is an active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us.”
9. Meghan Markle learned how to curtsy just minutes before meeting Queen Elizabeth II for the first time.
“There wasn’t actually a huge formality the first time I met Her Majesty the Queen,” Markle revealed. She said she and Prince Harry were going to lunch at Royal Lodge, where Prince Andrew and Fergie live and where Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie often visit. Harry asked Markle if she knew how to curtsy, and she thought it only happened outside, not inside. “That was the first moment that the penny dropped,” she said. She practiced curtsying outside the house, noting that a deep curtsy is a sign of respect. “We sat there and we chatted, and it was easy,” she said. “Thank God I didn’t know about the family. I would have been so in my head about it.”
10. Prince Harry’s family cut him off financially in 2020 and stripped the Sussexes of their security immediately. Harry’s inheritance from Princess Diana kept him and Meghan Markle afloat until they made their Netflix and Spotify deals.
Harry said that he received word from overseas that his security details would be removed after the press published where he and Markle were living because their “status changed” when they stepped down as senior royals. He also revealed that his family cut him off financially in “the first quarter of 2020,” leaving the Sussexes without much liquid cash. He explained, “[Getting streaming deals] was never the intention. We’re certainly not complaining our life is great now, beautiful house, beautiful family, dogs are really happy. But at the time during COVID the suggestion from a friend was ‘What about streamers?’” Harry just wanted enough income to keep his family safe and pay for their security. He said Diana likely would be “angry” at the way he and Markle had been treated, adding, “I think she saw it coming, and I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process. I’m just really relieved to be able to be sitting here talking … with my wife by my side.”
11. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married three days before their royal wedding.
Markle revealed to Winfrey that she and Prince Harry secretly got married by Archbishop of Canterbury in their backyard three days before the royal wedding. Their marriage certificate, with their private ceremony date, hangs in their new home.
12. Prince Harry and Prince Charles were estranged.
Prince Harry said that, for a time, Prince Charles stopped taking his calls “because [he] took matters into [his] own hands” in terms of protecting his and Markle’s mental health. They’re on speaking terms now, Harry said, but their relationship isn’t as warm as it once was. “I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like,” Harry said. “And Archie’s his grandson, but at the same time, of course, I will always love him. There’s a lot of hurts that happened, and I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.” Harry also alluded that racism may have played a role in their rift, saying, “They only know what they know, and that’s the thing—and I’ve tried to educate them through the process that I have been educated.”
13. Prince Harry still loves Prince William, but they aren’t as close as they once were.
After years of speculation of a “royal rift” between the heir and the spare, Prince Harry spoke out about his relationship with big brother Prince William. “I love William to bits. He’s my brother, we’ve been through hell together,” Harry said. “We have shared experience, [but] we are on different paths.” He added that he and his brother are giving one another “space at the moment. Time heals all things, hopefully.”
14. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have rescue chickens.
Winfrey visited the family’s Montecito home, where they have a coop of rescue chickens with a sign that reads, “Archie’s Chick Inn.” Markle said the simplicity of their hens is one way they embrace “living authentically.”
15. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s second child will be a girl.
Prince Harry broke the news and they held hands and cheered. “Amazing, just grateful to have any child,” he said. “Any one or any two would be amazing, but to have a boy and then a girl? What more can you ask for? I have the four of us, our dogs.” The baby is due this summer.
16. Archie tells friends to “drive safe.”
Archie tells guests to “drive safe” when they leave the Sussexes’ California home. He also reminds everyone to “hydrate.”
17. The British royals and the tabloid media have an “invisible contract” (and parties).
Prince Harry said that there is an “invisible contract” between the British tabloids and the royal family, one that is governed by the royals’ fear of bad press. Markle interjected that the British tabloid press have holiday parties hosted at Buckingham Palace and that more favorable media attention is given to the royals who, essentially, play the game.
18. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are close with Queen Elizabeth II and never “blindsided” her with their exit.
Markle said that Queen Elizabeth II was always warm, welcoming and kind to her since their very first meeting, and that their relationship remains strong. Harry echoed that. “I’ve spoken more to my grandmother in the last year than I have for many many years,” he said. “My grandmother and I have a really good relationship and understanding, and [I have] a deep respect for her.” The pair insisted that they had numerous conversations with members of the royal family and The Institution leading up to their exit (disparagingly called “Megxit”) and that everyone involved knew the necessary details, including when they’d announce they were stepping down. “I never blindsided my grandmother,” Harry said. “I have too much respect for her.”
19. Prince Harry has no regrets about his life with Meghan Markle.
“I’m really proud of us,” he said. “I’m so proud of my wife. She safely delivered Archie during a period of time which was so cruel and so mean. Every day I was coming back to my life in London and she was crying while breastfeeding Archie. We did what we had to do.”
20. Meghan Markle has one royal regret.
Echoing her interview from South Africa, in which she lamented that it wasn’t enough to survive and that one had to thrive, Meghan told Winfrey, “My regret is believing [The Firm] when they said I would be protected. And I regret believing that because I think had I really seen that that wasn’t happening, I would have been able to do more, but I think I wasn’t supposed to see it. I wasn’t supposed to know and now because we’re actually on the other side, we’ve actually not just survived but are thriving.”
21. Prince Harry says that his grandparents weren’t racist towards Archie.
Winfrey sat down with CBS This Morning host (and her BFF) Gayle King, where she reiterated that Prince Harry wouldn’t say the identities of the royal family members who expressed racist views before Archie’s birth, but that he did say who it wasn’t. “He did not share the identity with me,” Winfrey said, “but he wanted to make sure I knew and if I had the opportunity to share it that it was not his grandmother nor his grandfather [Prince Philip] that were a part of those conversations.”
22. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle weren’t able to meet with Queen Elizabeth II before stepping down from the monarchy, but he did try.
Prince Harry said he and Duchess Meghan were slated to meet with the Queen before stepping back from his duties as a senior royal, but his invitation for a meeting was revoked without much warning, and he was never able to successfully reschedule. “So I rang her, and that night I said, ‘I was thinking about coming anyway, but I hear you’re busy.’ She said, ‘Yes, there’s something in my diary that I didn’t know,’” Harry recalled. “I said, ‘Well, what about the rest of the week?’ She says, ‘That’s busy now, as well.’ OK. I didn’t want to push because I knew what was going on.”
23. Prince Harry alleged that Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t truly in charge of the monarchy.
Winfrey asked Prince Harry why, if the Queen truly wanted to meet with him and Duchess Meghan before their final exit from their senior royal roles and move to Canada, that she didn’t. “Doesn’t the Queen get to do what the Queen wants to do?” After a long pause, Harry explained, “No, when you’re head of the Firm, there is people around you that give you advice. And what makes me sad is that some of that advice is really bad.” Winfrey told King on CBS This Morning, “I took away from that that there are, as Harry indicated, there are people surrounding the family who are advisers to the family, who have been there for a long time, and that’s a part of the hierarchal structure. And those people have a lot of influence and also input.”
24. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle don’t believe the U.K. public are racist, but that the U.K. tabloid media is racist.
Winfrey asked Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan if they left the U.K. because of racism. “It was a large part of it,” Harry said, explaining that a friend of numerous U.K. tabloid editors urged him not to fight against the media because “they will destroy [his] life.” The person said that the U.K. was “bigoted.” Harry said he disagreed that the U.K. public were bigoted and blamed the media, which he did find to be racist. “I said ‘I disagree,’” he recalled. “If the source of information is corrupt or racist or biased, then that filters out to the rest of society.”
25. No one in The Institution apologized to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for the conditions in which they left their roles.
Winfrey asked Prince Harry if anyone in the Firm apologized to him or to Duchess Meghan about their treatment. “No, sadly not. The feeling is that this was our decision, therefore the consequences are on us. Despite three years of asking for help and…visualizing how this might end,” Harry said. He later said it would make a “huge difference” if they did reach out. “The very people who don’t see or can’t see it,” he said, “choose not to see it.”
26. Prince Harry said the royal “system” is a toxic environment.
Prince Harry said he’s very aware of “The System” and the control and fear instilled by the U.K. tabloids, calling it a “toxic environment.” “I tried to help them see what has happened,” he said. When Winfrey asked if the rest of the royal family see it as a toxic environment, specifically Prince Charles, Harry said, “He’s made peace with it.”
27. Meghan Markle says the Institution was obtuse about her struggles with racism in the media.
“My being American translated in a different way across the pond,” she said, noting that the royal family didn’t see the differences in her treatment from how Duchess Kate was treated in the press previously. “I think the volume of what was coming in and the interest was greater because of social media, because of the fact that I was not just British.” Meghan added that the comparisons of her treatment versus that of other royals didn’t add up. “Kate was called ‘Waity Katie,’ waiting to marry William,” Meghan said. “While I imagine that was really hard, and I do, I can’t picture what that felt like, this is not the same, and if a member of this family will comfortably say, ‘We’ve all had to deal with things that are rude!’ Rude and racist aren’t the same.”
28. Meghan Markle said that U.K. tabloid writers moved into her father Thomas Markle’s neighborhood.
Duchess Meghan said that tabloids descended on the small town where her father, Thomas Markle, lived to try to get him to speak about his famous daughter. “There was such an obsession about anything in my world, including tracking down my parents,” Duchess Meghan said, “and I did everything I could to protect both of them in that media frenzy.” She said for over a year tabloids tried to track her father down and offered huge sums of money to get his address. When they finally found him, they moved into the apartments next door and across from his and gave him gifts to encourage him to speak with him about her.
29. Meghan Markle felt betrayed by her father over his relationship with the tabloids.
Duchess Meghan was hesitant to speak about her father Thomas Markle at first, but when Winfrey asked if she felt like it was a betrayal, she explained the situation in more detail. “If we’re going to use the word ‘betrayal,’ it’s because when I asked him—when we were told by the comms team that this was a story that was coming out—we called my dad and I asked him. And he said,’ No, absolutely not.’” Meghan told him that the Institution may intervene to kill the story, but that if they did, she and Prince Harry would lose the leverage necessary to potentially protect their own kids one day. She recalled telling her father, “‘I just need you to tell me. And if you tell me the truth, we can help.’ And he wasn’t able to do that.” Meghan said it was hard to reconcile the potential damage her father appeared to be willing to cause Archie, but that everyone, including the tabloid media, has accountability, and accused them of holding the story for months until right before her wedding to create drama and “create the news.” She said the tabloids hounded her mother Doria Raglandas well, but that her mother has stood in “silent dignity” for four years.
30. Meghan Markle said her half-sister Samantha changed her last name back to “Markle” only when Meghan and Harry began dating.
Samantha Markle, Duchess Meghan’s half-sister on her father’s side, wrote a tell-all book about her, which the Archewell co-founder dismissed. “I think it’d be very hard to write a tell-all book when you don’t know me.” Meghan said she was raised as an only child and that would have loved to have siblings, which is why she’s excited for Archie to have a baby sister on the way. Meghan said she hasn’t seen Samantha in almost two decades, and then another decade before that. “This is a very different situation than my dad. Betrayal comes from someone that you have a relationship with. I don’t feel comfortable talking about people that I really don’t know.” “She changed her last name back to Markle, I think she was in her early 50s at that time, only when I started dating Harry,” Meghan said. “So I think that says enough.”
31. Meghan Markle says she and Prince Harry just want “basic” privacy for their family.
In an unaired snippet released Monday, Duchess Meghan said she and Prince Harry simply want a “basic” level of privacy for themselves and their kids, and she explained it in terms that anyone could understand. “I think everyone has a basic right to privacy. Basic. We’re not talking about anything that anybody else wouldn’t expect,” she told Winfrey. “If you’re at work and you have a photograph of your child on your desk, and your co-worker says, ‘Oh, my gosh, your kid’s so cute. That’s fantastic! Can I see your phone so I can see all the pictures of your child?’ You go, ‘No. This is the picture I’m comfortable sharing with you,’” she explained, adding, “And then if they double down and say, ‘No, but you already showed me that one. So you have to show me everything. You know what, I’m just gonna hire someone to sit in front of your house, or hide in the bushes and take pictures into your backyard, because you’ve lost your right to privacy … because you shared one image with me.’” The actress, who recently won a privacy suit against The Mail on Sunday, explained it in social media terms as well. “There’s no one who’s on Instagram or social media that would say, ‘Because I shared this one picture, that entitles you to have my entire camera roll. Go ahead and look through it,’” she said. “No one would want that. So it’s about boundaries and it’s about respect.” Next, find out what Meghan Markle said about winning her privacy case.
