John Oliver doubts that the royal family will ever change.
The British comedian says the monarchy is “refusing to evolve” because tradition is its bread and butter – and he is not sure that even a shock like Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s bombshell interview on Oprah will make a difference.
“It’s hard to say, isn’t it?” Oliver said Monday night on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”.
“Because the royal family, their whole selling point is that it doesn’t change. That has been the main point over the centuries, that times come and go, governments rise and fall, but the royal family will always be there, unyielding. The rigid upper lip that does not wobble. So, this is their selling point. “
The host of “Last Week Tonight” – which went viral last week with an old clip from a 2018 interview in which he predicted problems for Meghan before his wedding – said he believed that royalty should modernize.
“Over the years, you realize that not changing is not entirely a good thing,” he told Fallon. “Because it means that times may be changing around you, and you refuse to evolve. So I don’t think they are going to change because I don’t think they have the capacity for that. But they obviously should. “
He admitted that he did not find any of Markle’s claims “surprising”.
“That was kind of unfortunately, I felt her experience was happening because, you know, I grew up, I know the royal family from a distance and they looked like people with failures,” he added. “This is literally the nicest way I can put it.”
Oliver’s resurgent 2018 video alerting Markle about the family she would marry on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert made headlines last week.
“I wouldn’t blame her if she got out of this at the last minute,” Oliver told Colbert during the apparition that took place three months before the Sussex royal wedding.
“I don’t think you need to have seen the pilot episode of ‘The Crown’ to get a basic sense that she may be getting married in a family that may cause her some emotional complications,” he continued.
When Colbert said to Oliver, “But this generation seems to be nice people, right, they’re all nice now, right?” Oliver replied cautiously, “Yes …”
“They are an emotionally stunted group of fundamentally imperfect people doing very silly pseudo-work,” Oliver continued. “That’s what she’s getting married to. So, I hope she likes it, it will be weird for her. “
Oliver also mentioned on Monday that he believes a member of the Royal Family is thrilled by the media whirlwind caused by Markle and Prince Harry – Prince Andrew.
Pretending to be the royal bastard accused of being involved in a sex trafficking ring with Jeffrey Epstein, Oliver said while the prince was talking to other family members: “Can you believe what Meghan did? Can you believe her? Dragging the name of this family into disrepute, shaming us? She ruined our reputation! She has, I am, right guys ?! “