The Part Of Meghan Markle's Interview That Made Oprah Furious
Meghan Markle sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a two-hour interview that aired on March 7, 2021. About one third of the way through the interview, Meghan opened up to Winfrey about the decision that was made to not give her son, Archie, a royal title when he was born. Meghan explained that without the title, Archie would not be offered security, which was obviously a concern for her.
Meghan revealed that she was never told the reasons behind the decision to not make her son a prince, but she has some ideas of her own, based on the conversations that she claims were had while she was still pregnant. It was in discussing these conversations that Winfrey became visibly uncomfortable and angry. Winfrey asked Meghan why she thought the monarchy didn't want to make Archie a prince. "Do you think it's because of his race?" Winfrey asked, admitting that it was a "loaded question, but..."
Meghan took a deep breath before responding. "But I can give you an honest answer," Meghan began. The very next sentence out of her mouth shocked Winfrey. Read on to find out what Meghan said to Winfrey that made her furious.
Meghan Markle revealed there were concerns over Archie's skin color
Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey, "In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time... so we had in tandem the conversation of 'he won't be given security,' 'he's not going to be given a title,' and, also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born." Just then, the camera panned to show Winfrey's face, as she sat speechless for a few seconds before saying, "What?" Meghan went to speak again, but Winfrey interrupted, clearly unhappy with the information that she just found out.
"Who is having that conversation with you?" Winfrey asked. Meghan sat nodding as Winfrey asked again, "What?" Winfrey had to take a minute to repeat what she had just been told. She then prodded, carefully, "And you're not going to tell me who had the conversation?" Meghan, who appeared to be getting emotional, responded, "I think that would be very damaging to them."
Meghan went on to explain that those were conversation that "family" had with Prince Harry, that he relayed to her. At that point, Winfrey responded, "Whoa." She then asked Meghan if there was a concern that if the baby was "too brown" that would be "a problem." Meghan shared that she wasn't able to "follow up" on these conversations, but told Winfrey that "if that's the assumption" she was making, that "feels like a pretty safe one."
Prince Harry would not reveal which family member brought up these concerns
When Prince Harry joined the sit-down interview, Oprah Winfrey brought up the conversation again, asking for his version of the story. "That conversation... I am never going to share. But at the time it was awkward, I was a bit shocked," Harry disclosed. When the host inquired about what questions he was specifically asked, Harry replied, "I am not comfortable with sharing that. But that was right at the beginning— 'What would the kids look like?' That was at the beginning when she wasn't going to get security, when my family suggested that she might continue acting because there wasn't going to be money for her."
Harry later opened up about the lack of support he received from the royal family when lawmakers pointed out the racist undertones of the media coverage surrounding the couple. "For us, for this union and the specifics around her race, there was an opportunity — many opportunities — for my family to show some public support," Harry revealed. "One of the most telling parts and the saddest parts, I guess, was over 70 female members of Parliament, both Conservative and Labour, came out and called out the colonial undertones of articles and headlines written about Meghan. Yet no one from my family ever said anything. That hurts."
Celebrities and activists took to Twitter to share their reactions to the bombshell interview
Famous friends and activists alike expressed their support and empathy for Meghan Markle on Twitter. Meghan's close friend and tennis pro Serena Williams shared her thoughts, tweeting, "Meghan Markle, my selfless friend lives her life – and leads by example – with empathy and compassion." She also spoke of the racism and sexism she's experienced at the hands of the press. "I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us," Williams wrote.
Bernice King, minister and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., tweeted, "Royalty is not a shield from the devastation and despair of racism. #MeghanMarkle." Actor Leslie Jordan shared a video on Instagram captioning it, "We got your back, honey.....we've got more Queens than they do." Gabrielle Union was just as shocked as the rest of us during the interview, tweeting, "The tabloids are HOSTED by the palace?!?!?!?!?! WHEW. #HarryandMeghanonOprah."
It's clear that Harry and Meghan have the support of their friends in this unfortunate situation.