Meghan Markle Exposes the Harsh Truth of What it Means to be “Royal”
From a secret wedding ceremony, news of the birth of their second child, and heartbreaking details of her darkest moments, The Duchess shared it all in the couple’s tell-all interview with Oprah…
“How do you feel about the palace hearing you speak your truth today?” The question asked by Oprah Winfrey echoed from our televisions all week, teasing audiences with a Wizard of Oz curtain reveal of the British Royal Family by way of a sit down interview with Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry.
The tone started light enough, kicking off on the subject of Meghan’s wedding when she first emerged in a cloud white Givenchy gown from the steps of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
“Thanks for inviting me by the way!” jested Oprah as she went on to ask how Meghan felt marrying Prince Harry. In a midnight black Giorgio Armani midi-dress graced with lotus flowers (pointedly representing self-regeneration and rebirth) and wearing a bracelet that belonged to Princess Diana, Meghan smiled. By the book, her wedding was a fairytale: small town girl falls in love with a Prince, they get married and live happily ever after. However, life isn’t a Disney movie; the realities of what it means to be “royal” are far more complex than singing birds and slaying dragons.
Fast forward two years, surrounded by idyllic countryside gardens Oprah left no stone unturned during the interview. From addressing the unfair onslaught brought on by British tabloids to what it was like first meeting Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan kept her composure while finally speaking her truth after years of silence.
To finally answer Oprah’s question on how she feels about the palace hearing her speak her truth, Meghan responded, “I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us. And if that comes with risk of losing things–there’s a lot that’s been lost already.”
Here are the most poignant moments of the two hour interview below…
Neither Prince Harry or Meghan Markle are Getting Compensated for the Interview
The Wall Street Journal reports CBS is paying between $7 million and $9 million for the licensed rights of the interview. Oprah quickly clarified at the beginning that both Meghan and Harry will not be receiving any of the funds.
You Will Not Find “Prince Harry” in Meghan’s Search History
Prior to meeting Prince Harry for the first time, Meghan never Googled or looked him up. “I never looked up my husband online,” she confessed.
“Do you know how to curtsy?”
The first time Meghan met the Queen she was having lunch with Prince Harry at the Royal Lodge in Windsor. As fate would have it, the queen had just left church nearby and Harry jumped at the chance to arrange for Meghan to meet his grandmother. It was Harry’s next question which stumped her. “Do you know how to curtey?” Meghan divulged she then searched how on her phone and learned within the five minute car ride over to meet her.
The Couple Live in a Dreamy Home with Rescued Chickens
Cradling her baby bump, Meghan handed Oprah fresh eggs as her and Prince Harry picked them from the chicken coop adorably named Archie’s Chick Inn.
There was a Secret Wedding!
Three days prior to their televised wedding, Meghan and Prince Harry got married in their backyard with only the Archbishop of Canterbury present. “It was just the three of us,” she shared.
The Turning Point for Meghan
Six months after getting married, a rumour surfaced that she made Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, cry. It was reported that Meghan left Kate in tears over an upset about flower girl dresses days before the wedding.
“The narrative with Kate, which didn’t happen, was really really difficult…” Meghan revealed it was actually Kate who made her cry. “I don’t think it’s fair to her to get into the details of that because she apologised and I’ve forgiven her. What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn’t do but that happened to me…”
The Unfair Comparison with Kate Middleton
“I think of what so much I’ve seen play out is this idea of polarity where if you love me you don’t have to hate her and if you love her you don’t need to hate me,” Meghan said.
The Firm vs. The Family
“So there’s the family and then there’s the people that are running the institution. Those are two separate things and it’s important to compartmentalise that because The Queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me,” notes Meghan.
What is Queen Elizabeth II really like?
For their first royal engagement together on the Royal train in 2018, The Queen gave Meghan pearl earrings and a matching necklace as a welcome gift. “We were in the car going between engagements and she had a blanket that sits across her knees for warmth and it was chilly. She was like, ‘Meghan, come on!’ and put it over my knees as well. It made me think of my grandmother. She’s always been warm and inviting and really welcoming.”
The Toll of the British Tabloids
“There was a day when one of the members of the royal family said, ‘Why don’t you just lay low for awhile because you are everywhere right now.’ And I said I left the house twice in four months. I’m everywhere but I am nowhere,” she notes within the interview.
The Matter of Archie’s Title and Blatant Racism
In the last few months of Meghan’s pregnancy with Archie, it was decided he wasn’t going to receive the title as Prince and as a result would not be receiving security. “It was really hard.” Meghan was devastated for fear of her son’s safety. “There’s no explanation.”
One of the most shocking conversations brought up concerned Archie’s race. “In those months when I was pregnant, all around the same time–we have in tandem the conversation of he’s not going to be given security, he’s not going to be given a title and also concerns and conversations of how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” Meghan wouldn’t reveal who spoke to Prince Harry on the matter saying only, “I think it would be very damaging to them.”
Thoughts of Suicide
“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore and that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought,” Meghan said. After trying several times to get help from ‘The Institution’ (who Meghan reveals to be “several people” working with the Royal Family) she was met with feigned interest in getting the medical help she deserved. “Nothing was ever done so we had to find a solution,” she said.
The Takeaway
“I’ve lost my father, I lost a baby, I nearly lost my name, here’s the loss of identity, but I’m still standing. My hope for people in the takeaway from this is to know that there’s another side, to know that life is worth living.”
It’s a Girl!
“It’s a girl!” Prince Harry gleefully announced. “Amazing, just grateful,” he gushed. Her due date will be this summer.
Prince Harry Shared Why He Left
“Lack of support and lack of understanding” was the true reason why the youngest son of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer wanted out. Prince Harry clarified it was the lack of support from The Firm and the U.K. press.
“I asked for calm from the British tabloids — once as a boyfriend, once as a husband and once as a father,” he said. When asked if he blindsided The Queen his response was quick, “I’d never blindside my grandmother. I have too much respect for her.” One of the more heartbreaking things to hear is his current relationship with his father, the Prince of Wales, who is no longer taking his calls. “I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like and Archie is his grandson, but at the same time of course I will always love him, but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened.”
They’ve Watched The Crown
When Oprah admitted she watches the show, both Meghan and Prince Harry admitted they’ve seen a few episodes.
Meghan Had No Help in ‘Princess Training’
“Unlike what you see in the movies there’s no class on how to speak, how to cross your legs, how to be royal. There’s none of that training. That might have existed for other members of the family. That was not something that was offered to me,” she said.
Prince Harry Thinks His Mom, Princess Diana, Would Be Dissapointed
“I feel she would feel very angry on how this has panned out, and very sad. All she’d ever want is for us to be happy,” he said.
Prince Harry’s Current Relationship with his “Grandma in Chief”
“I’ve spoken to my grandmother more in the last year than I’ve done for many many years,” he said.
Any Regrets?
For Prince Harry, “No, I’m really proud of us. I’m so proud of my wife. She safely delivered Archie during a period of time which was so cruel.” And for Meghan? “I have one. My regret is believing [The Firm] when they said I would be protected. I believed them and I regret believing them…In some ways this is just the beginning for us. When Oprah asked if her story with the prince does have a happy ending Meghan’s answer was simply, “yes.”
Lead image courtesy of Instagram/CBSTV
