“I just want to make it clear to everybody: There’s no subject that’s off limits,” Oprah shared in the preview of her big interview with Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan.
AND WOW. They really did discuss everything.
From their relationships with Prince William, Prince Charles and the Queen to overcoming severe mental health issues. For two hours, they opened up to Oprah about their lives – the lives we thought we knew so much about, but didn’t.
Here are some of the big moments from the interview:
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1. Harry & Meghan had a private wedding before their big royal wedding:
“We called the Archbishop and we just said, ‘Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us,'” Meghan revealed.
So it turns out, three days before they said “I do” in front of millions, they had a backyard ceremony in front of…one.
The ceremony was officiated by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Yep, just Harry, Meghan and the Archbishop!
2. They’re having a baby girl!
“It’s a girl,” Prince Harry proudly announced before describing how grateful he feels.
“To have any child, any one or two, would be amazing. But to have a boy and then a girl, what more could you ask for? Now we’ve got our family, the four of us and our two dogs. It’s great.”
And if, like me, you’re wondering if that means no more kids for the couple….you’d probably be right.
‘Two is it!” they said.
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3. There are unanswered questions about why Archie didn’t receive the title of “Prince”:
Their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, was never given a royal title – or royal protection.
“He wasn’t going to receive security,” Meghan explains.
“The idea of our son not being safe and the idea of the first member of colour in this family not being titled the same way as the other grand-children” she adds, was one of many issues that really impacted Harry and Meghan.
And while the couple still doesn’t know why their son was never given a title, they did notice that questions were raised over Archie’s skin tone before he was born.
“In those months when I was pregnant – all around the same time, we had in tandem, ‘He won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title,’ and also concerns and conversations over how dark his skin might be when he was born,” Meghan explained.
Oprah tried to find out who said these things exactly but the couple didn’t reveal any names.
“That conversation, I am never going to share. It was awkward. I was a bit shocked,” Harry said.
4. Meghan opens up about her challenges with mental health:
As the couple reflected on some of the more difficult moments of their time as royals, Meghan reveals she suffered mentally.
“I was ashamed to say it at the time, and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry, especially because I know how much loss he’s suffered. But I knew that if I didn’t say it, then I would do it. I just didn’t want to be alive anymore,” Meghan said describing it as a “constant thought.”
“I thought it would have solved everything for everyone.”
Meghan also explains that she did reach out for help from “the institution” after the onslaught of media attacks, in the hopes of attending a treatment centre:
“I remember this conversation like it was yesterday, because they said, ‘My heart goes out to you, because I see how bad it is, but there’s nothing we can do to protect you, because you’re not a paid employee of the institution.”
There was also one hilarious point where Oprah mentioned some of the headlines that came out praising Kate Middleton for eating an avocado and slamming Meghan for doing the same thing because she was contributing to deforestation and human rights abuses!
“That was one loaded piece of toast,” Meghan laughed.
5. Princess Diana has a strong presence in their lives:
Harry explained that since early 2020, he’s been cut off financially from the royal family and that the reason he and Meghan were able to move to California was with the money Princess Diana left him.
“I think she saw it coming and I’ve certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process,” he said.
He also reflected on how difficult it must’ve been for her to leave the royal family, on her own.
“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her to go through this process by herself all those years ago.”
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6. Both Harry and Meghan feel that Meghan was not supported during their time as royals:
Meghan explains that she and her friends initially followed instructions to respond “no comment” to it all, believing she would be protected by the higher powers.
“It was only once we were married and everything started to really worsen that I came to understand that not only was I not being protected, but that they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family,” Meghan said.
“But they weren’t willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband.”
At this point, Meghan draws a distinction between “the family” and the “people running the institution” and suggests it’s the latter who ran the show.
“The Queen was always wonderful to me,” she says recalling a story about her majesty offering to share a blanket.
Meghan also points out that she found it confusing her and Archie’s addition to the royals wasn’t seen as a positive:
“How inclusive is that to see someone who looks like you in this family?”
Later in the interview, Harry also addresses the issue:
“There was an opportunity, many opportunities, for my family to show support…No one from my family said anything.”
7. Harry’s relationship with Prince Charles wasn’t the best for awhile there:
Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back from their duties as senior royals was not the bombshell the tabloids made it out to be for The Queen. They still chat and zoom each other.
“My grandmother had been welcoming throughout,” Harry explained.
But it seems it was Prince Charles who “stopped taking [his] calls.”
Harry did confirm the two are speaking again but the relationship remains slightly fractured:
“I feel really let down. He’s been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like. I will always love him but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened and I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.”
8. Meghan addresses tabloid rumours about her relationship with Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge:
In 2018, there was this tabloid rumour that Meghan made Kate cry during Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress fitting.
“Did you make Kate cry?” Oprah asked.
“No, the reverse happened,” Meghan explained.
“A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something – yes, the issue was correct, about the flower girl dresses – and it made me cry and it really hurt my feelings.”
But in the following weeks, Kate “brought me flowers and a note apologising, which is what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone…to just take accountability for it.”
“What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that I didn’t do.”
The tabloids of course continued with their “Meghan made Kate cry” narrative and multiple people asked Meghan’s communications team if they could go on record to set the record straight, but it never happened.
“Everyone in the institution knew it wasn’t true,” Meghan continued before clarifying that Kate “is a good person. So much of what I have 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.”
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9. Harry admits his relationship with Prince William isn’t what it used to be:
Harry discusses how he felt “trapped” within the system and now that he’s free, he sees that his brother and father are still trapped.
“They don’t get to leave,” he said.
“As I said before, I love William to bits. We’ve been through hell together and we have a shared experience but we are on different paths.”
He also adds that he hopes “time heals all things.”
10. Despite it all, Harry and Meghan have found happiness together:
As the interview wrapped up, Oprah asked Meghan whether her story with the Prince has a happy ending.
“Greater than any fairytale you’ve ever read,” she replied.
(Feature Image Credit: Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese)