LOS ANGELES (AP) – In an in-depth interview aired Sunday, Harry and Meghan described painful palace discussions about the color of their son’s skin, the loss of royal patronage and the intense pressure that led the Duchess of Sussex to consider suicide .
The interview with Oprah Winfrey was the first couple since they stepped down from their royal duties, and the two-hour special featured numerous revelations that would likely resonate on both sides of the Atlantic.
Harry told Winfrey that he felt trapped in royal life and was surprised that he was cut off financially last year and lost his safety. He also said he felt his family did not support Meghan, who acknowledged her naivety about royal life before marrying Harry, while enduring gossip attacks and false stories.
Meghan, who is biracial, described that when she first got pregnant with son Archie, there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” The statement led Winfrey to ask incredulously “What?”
While Winfrey sat in silence, Meghan said she struggled to understand why there were concerns within the royal family about her son’s skin color. She said it was difficult for her to categorize those conversations.
Meghan, the actor formerly known as Meghan Markle who starred in the television drama “Suits,” said she was concerned that her son did not have a royal title because it meant he would not receive any security.
Meghan said it was very difficult to come to terms with everything during her pregnancy. More than the title “prince,” she felt most concerned about the safety and protection of her son.
“He must be safe,” Meghan recalled with tears in her eyes. “We’re not saying you shouldn’t make him a prince or a princess, whatever it’s going to be. But when you say the title will affect their protection, we haven’t made this monster machine around us in terms of click bait and tabloid food. You let that happen, which means our son must be safe. “
The interview was broadcast in the United States for a full day before being broadcast in Great Britain. The revelations aren’t over yet: Winfrey teased that awkward parts of the interview would be screened on CBS Monday morning.
In a rare positive moment in the interview, Harry and Meghan revealed that their second would be a girl. The interview began with Winfrey hobbling about Meghan’s pregnancy, complaining that COVID-19 protocols prevented them from cuddling.
Winfrey made headlines about Meghan at several points in the interview and at one point asked about the mental health implications. Meghan replied that she had suicidal thoughts and had sought help through the palace personnel department, but was told there was nothing they could do.
“I was really ashamed to say it at the time and it was a shame to admit it to Harry, especially knowing how much loss he has suffered,” she said. ‘But I knew if I didn’t say it, I would. And I just didn’t, I just didn’t want to live anymore. “
Harry also said there are lasting implications for Meghan’s treatment and relationship with his family.
“There’s a lot of work to be done there,” said Harry of his relationship with his father. “I really feel let down. He’s been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like. And Archie is his grandson. I will always love him, but a lot has been hurt. “
Harry said the royal family cut him off financially in early 2020 after announcing plans to step down from his roles. But he could afford security for his family because of the money left by his mother, Princess Diana.
In response to a question from Winfrey, Harry said he wouldn’t have left the royal life if his wife hadn’t been there. He said their relationship revealed the limitations of royal life.
“I couldn’t have done it because I was trapped myself,” said Harry. ‘I saw no way out.
“I was trapped, but I didn’t know I was trapped,” said Harry, before adding, “My dad and my brother are trapped.”
Harry acknowledged that he does not currently have a close relationship with his brother William, who is heir to the throne after their father, Prince Charles.
Harry contested rumors that he had deliberately blinded his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, with his decision to split. He suspects the rumors came from the institution.
“I’ve never blinded my grandmother,” he said. “I respect her too much.”
Meghan was also complimentary to the queen, despite saying at one point that she realized that some in the palace were willing to lie to “ protect other members of the family. ”
“The queen has always been great to me,” said Meghan.
Sunday’s special interview began with Meghan, describing how naive she was about the basic rules of royal life before marrying her husband, Harry, nearly three years ago. “I didn’t quite understand what the job was,” she said. She also noted that she didn’t know how to bow before meeting Queen Elizabeth II for the first time, and she didn’t realize it would be necessary.
“I will say I took it naively because I didn’t know much about the royal family,” said Meghan. ‘It wasn’t something that was talking at home. It was not something we followed. “
Meghan said she and Harry were on a par during their courtship because of their “cause-driven” work. But she didn’t quite understand the pressure of being connected to the prestigious royal family.
“There was no way to understand what the day would be like,” she said. “And it’s so different because I haven’t 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 after what they described as the British media’s intruders and racist views of the Duchess.
At the top of the interview, Winfrey said that no topic was off limits and that Meghan and Harry were not paid for the special.
In Britain, the interview is considered ill-timedIt is broadcast while Harry’s 99-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip, remains hospitalized in London after undergoing a heart 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 British newspaper Sunday Times, quoting an anonymous source, reported that the Queen would not look into it.
Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.