In an exclusive interview with CBS, Prince Harry and Megan Markle spent two hours discussing a wide range of topics, including royal family racism, mental health, media relations, and more.
Megan’s Mental Problems
The Duchess of Sussex said she considered suicide several times during her life with the royal family. “I did not want to live anymore,” she said.
She said that despite going to the top for help, she was not offered any.
Megan, 39, is the daughter of a black American mother and a white father.
New Racism in the UK
Megan said that when she was pregnant with Archie, a member of the royal family, who she did not name, told Harry that they were worried about Archi’s skin color at birth, raising concerns for Megan about the negative impact of royal racism on her child.
“They did not want (her son) to be a prince,” Megan Markle told CBS on Sunday.
Megan believes that her son was denied the title of prince because of his mixed race – although the laws laid down by George V do not allow the royal family to do so.
When asked by Oprah Winfrey who had had the conversation about the baby’s skin colour, Meghan refused to say so because it would be harmful.
Harry did not provide any details either. According to Megan Markle, the royal family has been indifferent to racist reports in the press.
The prince said my family members have not said anything in the media in the three years since the racist remarks, and it is a great pain for me, my wife and my child.
Harry’s Criticism of Charles
Harry said Charles knew the root of our frustration, because he has also suffered a lot from such behaviours.
“Archie is his grandson and I’m really disappointed,” the prince said talking about his father.
“I will always love him,” he said, despite expressing dissatisfaction with him.
“I spoke to my grandmother three times and to my father twice, but he stopped answering my calls,” Prince Harry said.
Harry said that while he was in Canada with his wife Megan, his father cut off all contact with him.
Harry said his brother and father were “trapped inside the system” of the royal family.
Harry and Megan’s Second Child is a Girl
Harry and Megan said they were expecting a daughter.
“It’s a girl,” the prince eagerly told Oprah. He described having a daughter as “amazing”. They said the baby was due in the summer.
The Rift Between Harry and William
The dispute between Harry and William continues.
“My relationship with my brother William is cold right now,” Harry said. “And I hope that time will improve everything.”
He did not criticise his brother, but reflected on the past, saying, “I love William, he is my brother, we went through hell together, we have a common experience, but we are on different paths.”
The Royal Family Did Not Support Megan
Megan said the royal family had promised to protect her. But now she regrets counting on them.
The royal family wanted Meghan to continue acting to support the couple financially, Megan said.
Harry and Megan Had to Pay for Their Own Security
Megan and Prince Harry announced in January last year that they were stepping down from their official duties as senior royals and moving to the United States.
In her letters to Harry’s family, Megan asked them for bodyguards.
Harry said that after his decision to leave the royal family, he never imagined that security officers would no longer be there to protect him and his family.
Prince Harry, 36, said he had left the royal family because his wife’s condition was not understood.
Buckingham Palace confirmed last month that the separation would be permanent.
End of Sponsorship for Harry
Prince Harry said he felt left out: “My family has severed financial ties with me.”
“In the first quarter of 2020, my family literally did not support me,” Harry said.
History Repeats Itself
Princess Diana was the mother of Prince Harry and the wife of the queen’s son.
Prince Harry does not have happy memories of the royal family, because of the bitter memories of his mother’s death when he was a young boy, Diana’s divorce, his father’s betrayal of Diana that led to the divorce and the Queen’s insistence on the divorce.
Now the same mistake that the royal family committed over Diana is being repeated in Megan Markel’s case.
The Queen’s Reaction
Queen Elizabeth said the royal family would investigate allegations of racism in Buckingham Palace made by the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex.
One has to ask how the royal family will cope with this. The media coverage has been very upsetting and the palace may try to warn Megan and Harry with more restrictions.
But the point is that this interview itself shows that many options for the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex were ruled out. What was the last action the royal family took for Megan and Harry?!
Consequences of the Interview
The couple, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, sat down in February for an interview with Oprah without telling the Queen. The couple may be asked to return their titles, but this is an insult to freedom of expression.
On the ladder of succession to Queen Elizabeth, Harry is now at the bottom. However, he is Charles and Diana’s son and grandson to the Queen. His and his wife’s interview with the American entertainment queen raised issues such as racism and lies in the royal family, viewed by massive audiences in Britain and around the world. The royal family’s reputation has been badly damaged and its prestige and importance in 21st-century Britain is on the verge of collapse.
