Whether or not you’re interested in the British royals, it’s an interview so explosive, it got nearly everyone talking. Former actress and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry sat down with America’s favourite talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. The broadcast on Sunday dropped several bombshells aimed at The Firm, as the British royal institution headquartered at Buckingham Palace is known. 

Meghan and Harry alleged that:

1. She was given no support by the palace during the British tabloids’ vicious coverage of her. Things got so bad, she considered suicide. She said she was denied psychological help when she asked for it. 

2. Before they stepped down as senior royals, they learned their son would not be granted a title and therefore get no security protection, despite the heightened risk the family faced. 

3. Asked to speculate why that may be, Meghan said – in the most explosive claim – that someone had “several conversations” with Harry about how dark their child may be. Oprah’s expression in response said it ALL! 😦 Both refused to name the person, but Harry subsequently said it was neither the Queen nor her husband Prince Phillip. Both spoke very warmly of their regard for the respected monarch but were frank about Harry’s estrangement from his brother and father. 

The fall-out has been dramatic. The Queen put out a brief statement saying: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members.”

Love them or hate them, there is something powerful about seeing a prominent couple speak out against an age-old institution that, by now, should have changed its ways and caught up with the modern world, where mental health is taken seriously and racism isn’t tolerated. 

Meanwhile, we’ve written about how the pair’s plan to move to South Africa or another Commonwealth country was scuppered, and what it reveals about the powerful forces inside the monarchy that often act against its interest. Read it here. 

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