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Meghan and Harry: suicidal ideas, racism and more in an interview with Oprah

2021-03-08T11:01:48.676Z


Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said in an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey that, at one point, her life as British royalty was so isolated and lonely that she "didn't want to be alive anymore.


Meghan breaks silence on British royalty 1:36

How to get help: In the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255.

The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.

(CNN) -

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said in an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey that, at one point, her life as British royalty was so isolated and lonely that she "didn't want to be alive anymore," a surprising admission that it will probably shake the foundations of the century-old institution.

In her first public comments since she and her husband, Prince Harry, announced their plans to retire from their leading roles in the British royal family, Meghan described herself as the victim of an image-obsessed Buckingham Palace, who was involved in everything from how dark his son Archie's skin color would be to how often he went to lunch with friends.

The TV special was highly anticipated because, due to their effective separation from the palace, Harry and Meghan can now talk more freely about the royal family.

And the couple did not hold back.

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Meghan began the interview by talking to Winfrey face to face outdoors in sunny Southern California, where she and Harry now live.

Meghan made several revelations about the royal couple's private lives, including that they tied the knot three days before their official wedding and that the second child they are expecting is a girl.

But the strongest parts of the two-hour interview came when Meghan spoke about the hardships of her life as royalty.

Meghan, a former American actress, said she was forced to repress her outspoken nature and give up her personal freedom.

He said he did not have access to his passport, driver's license or keys after joining the royal family, and they were only returned to him when the couple moved out.

Meghan said the situation was compounded by the often racist "old-fashioned colonial undertones" that repeatedly appeared in the couple's coverage in the notoriously scathing British press.

Fighting back tears at one point, Meghan said that suicidal thoughts were incredibly difficult to bear and that she was reluctant to share them with her husband, who lost his mother, Princess Diana, when he was a child.

“I was really ashamed to say it at the time, and especially ashamed to have to admit it to Harry, because I know how much loss he has suffered.

But I knew that if I didn't say it, I would, and I just didn't want to be alive anymore, ”she said.

Harry said he was "terrified" by his wife's admission.

"I had no idea what to do, I also went to a very dark place, but I wanted to be there for her," he added.

The prince, who is sixth in line to the throne, said there is a culture of silent suffering in the royal family.

However, Meghan's race (she is half black) and the abuse she suffered made the situation even more difficult for the couple than it had been for other royals.

Harry said that prompted him to discuss the matter with the royal family.

He told Winfrey that he believed there were many opportunities for the palace to "show some public support" in the face of ongoing racial abuse in the press, "however, no one in my family said anything.

That hurts".

Harry said the problem was bigger than the couple, because of what Meghan represented as an influential black woman in public office.

"It was affecting a lot of other people as well," he said.

"That was the trigger for me to really get into that conversation with the palace, the senior palace staff and my family to say, guys, this is not going to end well."

The interview is likely to have lasting consequences for the royal family.

It aired at an already tense moment for royalty, with Prince Philip, the queen's 99-year-old husband, spending a third week in the hospital after undergoing a heart procedure on Thursday.

Members of the royal family conduct television interviews that tell it all about once per generation.

A 1970 interview with the abdicated King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson raised problems for the palace.

Twenty-five years later, Princess Diana's confessional in "Panorama" was seen by tens of millions in Britain.

Meghan wore Diana's diamond bracelet during Winfrey's special.

Harry and Meghan's interview may have reached an even larger audience.

It aired on prime-time television in the United States and was endlessly promoted by CBS in the days before, and the network said it would open the curtain on why Meghan and Harry parted ways with the Windsors last year.

The Sussexes painted the picture of an institution so stagnant in its ways that it forced a young, biracial couple to simply live with racist abuse at a time when much of the world is grappling with the enduring legacy of institutional racism.

"It's been incredibly difficult for both of us," Harry said as he sat down next to his wife.

But at least we had each other.

'I didn't see a way out'

Harry and Meghan walked away from their royal duties in early 2020, but the formal agreement they reached with the palace was reached until February.

The agreement allows both of them to keep the royal titles granted by the queen, but they will renounce their royal patronage, which will be redistributed among the working members of the royal family.

Harry said the decision to step aside came down to "a lack of understanding" between the two parties.

He said he wouldn't have walked away from his family if it weren't for Meghan, who helped him realize the couple was trapped.

I was trapped too.

I didn't see a way out.

I was trapped but didn't know I was trapped, ”he said.

Meghan said she felt the victim of "defamation" in the British media and the machinations of the palace, which she valued how it is perceived more than the well-being of her, her husband and her son.

She also said that when she was pregnant with her son, Archie, she was told that he would not be made a prince and therefore would not receive security.

"I'm sorry I believed you when you said I would be protected," she said.

Meghan specifically complained about how lonely and isolated life became after her marriage.

He said that sometimes he was not even allowed to go out for lunch with friends because of the wide media coverage.

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"Everybody was worried about optics," he said.

When the burden became too unbearable, Meghan said she sought help from human resources at Buckingham Palace.

Meghan said she was told she was not a paid employee and that she would have to seek help elsewhere, which she was told she could not do.

Meghan said it was particularly difficult to put on a happy face while suffering in silence.

She recounted one particular night at the Royal Albert Hall with her husband, as the two sat together in the royal box.

"Every time those lights went out," he said, "I just cried and he would hold my hand."

When the lights came back on, Meghan said "you just have to get ready again."

The interview has sparked something of a public relations battle between the Sussexes and the Buckingham Palace allies.

On Tuesday, following the release of promotional clips prior to the interview, The Times of London published an article alleging that Meghan was bullying several staff members.

The story cited unidentified royal assistants who said a complaint in 2018 claimed the Duchess expelled two personal assistants from her home at Kensington Palace and undermined the trust of a third staff member.

CNN has not been able to corroborate the claims.

Sources said they reached out to The Times because they felt the version of Meghan that had come out publicly was only partially true, and they were concerned about how bullying issues had been addressed.

The report said sources believed the public "should know their side of the story" prior to the couple's interview with Winfrey.

Buckingham Palace said it was "very concerned" by the allegations described in the report and would investigate.

A spokesman for the Sussexes called the Times report "a calculated smear campaign" before the interview.

Meghan told Winfrey that despite the ordeal, it was important to differentiate the royal family from "the people who run the institution."

The Duchess of Sussex said that she had been welcomed into her own family and that Queen Elizabeth II, Harry's grandmother, had always been wonderful, warm and welcoming.

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    Harry and Meghan expose the hypocrisy of the palace

Meghan spoke about rumors of a dispute with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince William.

Meghan said the reports that she made Catherine cry over the flower girl dresses at her wedding were not true and, in fact, it was the Duchess of Sussex who wept.

"There was no confrontation," Meghan said.

He refused to talk about the incident further because Catalina had apologized to her.

"I don't think it's fair for her to go into details," added Meghan.

Harry said the decision to step aside has had financial consequences - the palace cut them off aid in early 2020 - and affected his relationship with his family.

He said his father, Prince Charles, who is next in line to the throne, briefly stopped taking his calls.

“I am very disappointed that he has been through something similar.

He knows what pain feels like.

And Archie is his grandson, ”said Harry.

Harry also described his relationship with his older brother, William, as "with space", but added "time heals all things, hopefully."

Meghan adopted a positive tone at the end of the interview.

She said life after the royal family is "just the beginning" for her family.

When asked by Winfrey if her story with the prince has a happy ending, Meghan answered unequivocally.

"(It's) bigger than any fairy tale you've ever read," he said.

CNN will soon launch Royal News, a weekly newsletter that will provide you with information about the royal family, what they are doing in public, and what is happening behind the palace walls.

Sign up here.

CNN's Rob Picheta, Jessie Yeung, Max Foster, and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.

HarryMeghan Markle

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-03-08

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