LONDON (AP) – Britain and its royal family absorbed the tremors on Monday from a sensational television interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, in which the couple said they encountered racist attitudes and a lack of support that led the Duchess. suicidal thoughts.
In a two-hour interview to reveal the soul by Oprah Winfrey, the couple painted a deeply unfavorable picture of life inside the royal house, portraying a cold and indifferent institution from which they had to flee to save their lives.
Meghan told Winfrey that at one point “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore”. She said she sought help through the palace’s human resources department, but was told that there was nothing that could be done.
Meghan, 39, admitted that she was naive at the beginning of her relationship with Harry and unprepared for the constraints of real life.
The former television star, who identifies himself as biracial, said that when she was pregnant with her son, Archie, there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might look when he is born.”
Harry confirmed the conversation, saying, “I was a little shocked.” He said he would not reveal who made the comment, although Winfrey said it was none of his grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II, or her husband, Prince Philip.
Harry and Meghan, known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced that they were leaving royal duties last year, citing what they said were the British media’s unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes, and moved to America From north. This separation became official this year, and the interview was widely seen as the first opportunity to explain his decision.
In a clip released on Monday that was not broadcast the night before, Harry reiterated that racism was “a big part” of why the couple left Britain – and he blamed the “toxic” British tabloid press.
“The UK is not intolerant,” he said. “The UK press is prejudiced, specifically the tabloids.”
The implications for the interview – which was broadcast on Sunday night in the United States and airs in Britain on Monday night – are just beginning to be understood. Emily Nash, real editor of Hello! Magazine said the revelations left her and many other viewers “in a state of shock.”
“I don’t see how the palace can ignore these claims, they are incredibly serious,” she said. “You have the allegations of racism. So you also have the claim that Meghan was not supported and she sought help from even the HR team inside the house and was told that she could not seek help. “
The anti-monarchy group Republic said the interview gave a clearer picture of what the royal family looks like – and it is not pretty.
“Whether for the sake of Britain or for the sake of younger royalty, this rotten institution needs to be extinguished,” said Graham Smith, of the campaign group.
Harry, born a royal prince, described how his wife’s experience helped him realize how he and the rest of the family were trapped in an oppressive institution.
“I was under arrest, but I didn’t know I was under arrest,” said Harry. “My father and brother are under arrest.”
Meghan, he said, “saved me”.
Younger royalty members – including Harry, Meghan, Harry’s brother, Prince William and William’s wife, Catherine – have made the mental health support and awareness campaign one of their top priorities. But Harry said that the royal family was completely unable to offer such support to its own members.
“For the family, they have this ‘This is the way it is, this is the way it should be, you can’t change, we have all been there’ mentality,” said Harry.
The couple had faced severe criticism in the UK before the interview. Prince Philip, 99, is in a London hospital after recovering from a cardiac procedure, and critics saw the decision to go ahead as a burden on the queen – although CBS, instead of Harry and Meghan, dictated the moment of transmission.
In the United States, sympathy for the couple transpired after the interview. Britain could be less forgiving, as some consider the pair to place personal happiness above public duty.
Tennis star Serena Williams, a friend who attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding, said on Twitter that the Duchess’s words “illustrate the pain and cruelty she experienced.”
“The consequences of oppression and systemic victimization for mental health are devastating, isolating and often lethal,” added Williams.
Meghan – then known as Meghan Markle, who starred in the American TV legal drama “Suits” – married Harry at Windsor Castle in May 2018.
But even that was not what it seemed: the couple revealed in the interview that they exchanged vows in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, three days before their spectacular wedding ceremony at the castle.
Archie was born the following year and, in a rare positive moment of the interview, the couple revealed that their second child, scheduled for the summer, would be a girl.
Harry said he lived in fear of a repeat of his mother’s fate, Princess Diana, who was constantly reported in the press and died in a car accident in Paris in 1997, while being chased by paparazzi.
“What I was seeing was history repeating itself, but definitely a lot more dangerous – because then you add race and social media,” said Harry.
Both Meghan and Harry praised the support they received from the monarch.
“The queen has always been wonderful to me,” said Meghan.
But Harry revealed that he currently has a bad relationship with William and said that things got so bad with his father that at one point Prince Charles stopped taking his calls.
“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. “
Although clips of the interview were shared online and the British press covered the main points, much of Britain will not see the full interview until Monday night – and many will want to know how the palace addresses this saga. The palace did not respond to the interview.
The royal family has known a scandal before – most recently, about Prince Andrew’s friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This prompted Andrew, Harry’s uncle, to be removed from royal duties.
“I am very sad for the queen,” said Ernest Lee, 76, when asked in London. “I think she is in a lot of trouble right now, with one of her children (Andrew) and scandals and now her grandson is bursting, moving away from the royal family. … We have enough problems in this world without people doing more. “
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If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, you can seek help on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the United States at 1-800-273-8255. Samaritans in the United Kingdom can be reached by calling 116 123.