LOS ANGELES (AP) – In an extensive interview broadcast on Sunday, Harry and Meghan described painful discussions in the palace about their son’s skin color, the loss of royal protection and the intense pressures that led the Duchess of Sussex to think about suicide. .
The interview with Oprah Winfrey was the couple’s first since departing from royal duties and the two-hour special included numerous revelations that would likely resonate on both sides of the Atlantic.
Harry told Winfrey that he felt trapped by real life and was surprised that he was cut off financially and lost his security last year. He also said that he felt that his family did not support Meghan, who acknowledged his naivete about real life before marrying Harry, while enduring attacks on the tabloids and false stories.
Meghan, who is biracial, described that when she became pregnant with her son Archie for the first time, there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might look when he is born”. The statement prompted Winfrey to ask incredulously, “What?”
While Winfrey sat in silence, Meghan said she struggled to understand why there were concerns in the royal family about her son’s skin color. She said it was difficult for her to “compartmentalize” those conversations.
Meghan, the actor formerly known as Meghan Markle who starred in the TV drama “Suits”, said she was concerned that her son did not have a real title because that meant he would not be safe.
Meghan said processing everything during pregnancy was “very difficult”. More than the title of “prince”, she felt very concerned for the safety and protection of her son.
“He needs to be safe,” recalled Meghan with teary eyes. “We are not saying not to make him a prince or princess, whatever. But if you’re saying that the title will affect their protection, we didn’t create this monstrous machine around us in terms of click bait and tabloid fodder. You allowed this to happen, which means that our son needs to be safe. “
The interview was broadcast in the United States a full day before it aired in Britain. The revelations are not over: Winfrey teased untranslated pieces of the interview that would be shown on Monday morning on CBS.
In a rare positive moment of the interview, Harry and Meghan revealed that their second would be a girl. The interview began with Winfrey thrilling with Meghan’s pregnancy and regretting that the COVID-19 protocols prevented them from embracing.
Winfrey, at several points in the interview, went through the headlines about Meghan and, at one point, asked about the impact on mental health. Meghan replied that she had suicidal thoughts and sought help through the palace’s human resources department, but was told that there was nothing they could do.
“I was really ashamed to say that at the time and it’s a shame to have to admit it to Harry, especially since I know how many losses he suffered,” she said. “But I knew that if I didn’t say it, I would. And I just didn’t want to, I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. “
Harry also said that there are lasting impacts on Meghan’s treatment and her relationship with her family.
“There is a lot to work out there,” said Harry of his relationship with his father. “I feel very disappointed. He went through something similar. He knows what the pain is like. And Archie is your grandson. I will always love him, but many hurts have happened. “
Harry said the royal family cut him off in early 2020 after announcing plans to step away from his roles. But he was able to guarantee the safety of his family because of the money his mother, Princess Diana, left behind.
In response to a question from Winfrey, Harry said that he wouldn’t have left real life if it weren’t for his wife. He said their relationship revealed the restrictions of real life.
“I wouldn’t have been able to, because I was in jail myself,” said Harry. “I didn’t see a way out.
“I was under arrest, but I didn’t know I was under arrest,” said Harry, before adding, “My father and brother, they are under arrest.”
Harry acknowledged that he does not have a close relationship with his brother William, who is the heir to the throne after his father, Prince Charles.
Harry contested rumors that he intentionally surprised his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, with his decision to separate. He suspects the rumors came from the institution.
“I never surprised my grandmother,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for her.”
Meghan also praised the queen, although she said at one point that she realized that some in the palace were willing to lie to “protect other family members”.
“The queen has always been wonderful to me,” said Meghan.
Sunday’s special interview began with Meghan describing how naive she was about the basic rules of real life before marrying her husband, Harry, almost three years ago. “I didn’t really understand what the job was,” she said. She also noted that she did not know how to bow before meeting Queen Elizabeth II for the first time, and did not realize that it would be necessary.
“I will say I went naively because I did not grow up knowing much about the royal family,” said Meghan. “It was not something that was part of the conversations at home. It was not something we followed. “
Meghan said that she and Harry were aligned during the courtship because of their work “motivated by a cause”. But she did not fully understand the pressure of being linked to the prestigious royal family.
“There was no way to understand what day-to-day life would be like,” she said. “And it is so different because I have not romanticized any element of it.”
The couple married at Windsor Castle in May 2018, and their son, Archie, was born a year later. Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal duties began in March 2020 on what they described as British media intrusions and racist attitudes towards the Duchess.
At the beginning of the interview, Winfrey said that no topics were off limits and that Meghan and Harry were not being paid for the special.
In Britain, the interview is seen as poorly timed. The film will air while Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip, 99, remains hospitalized in London after undergoing a cardiac procedure.
It is unclear what public reaction, if any, the queen and other members of the royal family will have to Sunday’s interview. The UK’s Sunday Times newspaper, citing an anonymous source, reported that the queen would not attend.
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Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.