The Duke & Duchess of Sussex with Oprah II - Interview, March 7th-9th 2021

[QueenMathilde]

Well you almost have to take a side now-M&H or the queen. H&M have made it impossible to be on both sides.

 

[Queen Ester]

Possibly. I can understand why Harry and Meghan were offended, if the remark actually was made. It's also possible that like the issue of the title for Archie, the Firm perpetrating falsehoods, William suggesting that Harry go slow, and the Firm denying Meghan mental health care, that the reality was very different but was reinterpreted to fit their agenda.

This entire "we have been offended by someone suggesting that my son will have dark skin" is quite tedious. I will share with you my personal experience, my son is adopted, and quite a few relatives will always comment "oh, my he does not look Jewish at all". It's my choice to either get distressed or ignore. Most people are ignorant and insensitive, I just say my son is adopted and Jewish, go away. If you are happy and love your husband and child, you don't pay attention to silly stuff like this. There something else going on.

 

[AC21091968]

Or it could have been an question actually rooted in concern based on their own family's experience that was unfortunately taken out of context. It's possible that it was made by a pair of grandparents who have grandchildren who are bi-racial, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Their daughter Davina's children are Maori and Caucasian.

Coincidently, Lady Davina's children Senna Kowhai (b. 22 June 2010) and Tāne Mahuta (25 May 2012) were the first royal family members (in terms of nearest relative to the sovereign) being affected by the Succession to the Crown Act in 2015, since Tāne was born after 2011. Until 2015, Tāne was ahead of his older sister Senna. Now Senna is 32nd and Tāne is 33rd in line of succession.

Gary Lewis himself is not exactly from the middle or upper class. In fact he was described as a sheep-sheerer, builder or surfer by the press. Class was more of the differential factor than race, based on reading the articles.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uk...vina-and-her-sheep-shearing-Maori-surfer.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20160220124948/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-114878878.html
https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2008/12/10/lady-davina-auckland/

 

[rmay286]

The latest from the Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-Harry-Meghans-bombshell-Oprah-interview.html

I am saddened by this interview (which I haven't watched, but read the quotes). I didn't think it would be this bad. They have almost certainly burned their bridges with the royal family, and I get the sense that Meghan has a vendetta against the monarchy itself, that she sees it as an outmoded and racist UK institution which 'traps' its members and that she has convinced Harry of the same. She was careful not to criticize the Queen, probably because she recognizes how beloved and respected the Queen still is, but basically accused the other heirs to the throne and the rest of the BRF of racism.

 

[amaryllus]

I feel so bad for Archie and his sister. This self absorbed behavior and professional victim shtick as well as this really surprising vindictive streak his parents have going on will color their parenting because the basic nature of people does not change upon having a kid Plus his parents have most likely cut him off from his cousins and adoring granddad. Meghan has no functional family relationship other than Doria

 

[roseroyal]

I just have a hard time believing the racism. Because if the monarchy- the system - not the members- were racist why wouldn’t the people do something?
I have and still respect the members of the Royal Family. I respect the concept of monarchy. But I don’t think I can look at it- something I admired - quite the same- and that hurts. I thought why should a duchess with all the material comforts and more complain? But no one should endure that- no one.
I’ve never been one to ooh and ahh over people- and I’ve never been disappointed by people I admire- and it hurts. I cried.

 

[Kellydofc]

I feel so bad for Archie and his sister. This self absorbed behavior and professional victim shtick as well as this really surprising vindictive streak his parents have going on will color their parenting because the basic nature of people does not change upon having a kid Plus his parents have most likely cut him off from his cousins and adoring granddad. Meghan has no functional family relationship other than Doria

I feel bad for the kids too. I do wonder if Harry TRULY understands what he's done. He seems to still think he can repair things. I suspect Meghan knows they're on they're own despite the "I call the Queen" line but I wonder if Harry really understands.

 

[roseroyal]

BTW I don’t think the Duke and Duchess- especially her - are saints- either.

 

[Kellydofc]

I just have a hard time believing the racism. Because if the monarchy- the system - not the members- were racist why wouldn’t the people do something?
I have and still respect the members of the Royal Family. I respect the concept of monarchy. But I don’t think I can look at it- something I admired - quite the same- and that hurts. I thought why should a duchess with all the material comforts and more complain? But no one should endure that- no one.
I’ve never been one to ooh and ahh over people- and I’ve never been disappointed by people I admire- and it hurts. I cried.

I don't think Meghan got what she wanted and that was for her and Harry to be equal to William and Kate. I don't think she REALLY understood the institution she was marrying into. She thought she could bend it to her will and when she found she couldn't she left and they've now done this interview which was contradictory, vague and with very few direct facts.

The fact is many people with loads of material comforts complain. I worked in a hotel and met many, many rich and famous people and to be frank and honest they spent more time telling me how they had been wronged than any middle class person I ever met.

 

[Curryong]

By the way, just a little report about the interview, which was shown on Australian TV last night on Channel 10. It won its slot in magnificent fashion with over one and a half million viewings (besides the streamings of course earlier in the day, as I did myself.) There was a great deal of interest shown in this here.

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-a...all-interview-with-oprah-20210309-p578zv.html

 

[US Royal Watcher]

I feel bad for the kids too. I do wonder if Harry TRULY understands what he's done. He seems to still think he can repair things. I suspect Meghan knows they're on they're own despite the "I call the Queen" line but I wonder if Harry really understands.

I'm not sure how he feels about it now. The most damaging revelation was the supposed comment about how his children would look. I've watched the clip where he is asked about the alleged statement and it is obvious that he was upset that it was brought up. Even Oprah acknowledged being surprised that Meghan said it. .

there are several explanations for why Harry was so upset: the comment was true but he never intended to make it public, there was no comment, there was a comment but he mischaracterized it to Meghan or she mischaracterized it to Oprah, or it was regrettable but made out of ignorance rather than racism.

Unlike others, I think they truly love each other and will make their marriage work but if it does fall apart, Harry better be prepared. Even if you are the nicest person in the world, someone who really wants to can use half truths to make you look horrible.

 

[Sunnystar]

Finally watching the interview, here are some of my thoughts so far...

1) The racism comment - Meghan fully admits that it wasn't said to her, that Harry relayed the comment/s to her but she was never able to "follow up" on it. My take is that, at some point during her pregnancy, she and Harry were having that typical "oh, what will our baby look like" conversation and Harry probably relayed the conversation he had with a family member when they were first dating, thinking it was cute or funny and Meghan was, understandably, horrified. I think she probably explained to Harry why that question/comment bothered her coming from another member of his family and Harry realized it was an offensive question but, at the time (and still now) didn't want to openly/directly confront the family member about it.

So, what we have is Meghan being upset (and they probably had more than one conversation while she was pregnant about it) and unable to let it go. Whether her inability to let it go is healthy or good is debatable - I think there is validity in not letting it go because it is something that is hurtful and offensive to POC, but I also think there is validity in being able to let it go because sometimes it's better to just let it become water under the bridge for the overall mental health of all.

Of course, the other view is that she is unwilling to let it go because she wants to use it to present a "the BRF is racist" narrative and, frankly, it's the one that I'm more inclined to believe because of how dodgy she was with that whole line of questioning as well as Harry's response.

2) - the timeline of their "discussions to quit the BRF" - Meghan clearly says "in the 2 years we'd been talking about it" - so, they were discussing leaving before they even got married? They really thought that their status as members of the BRF would enable them to set up shop in any Commonwealth country (specifically mentioned Canada) as "non-senior Royals" who occasionally did events representing the Queen but earned their own living. These two... Really did not think any of the actual legalities through of any of what they proposed and when they got asked these questions, probably by the staff members who were working through the logistics/finances of this idea, they didn't like the response to their answers, which probably were along the lines of everything we've hashed out here at the time and over the past 1.5 years. Hah - and yeah, Charles definitely stopped taking Harry's calls when he got exasperated with Harry's over-the-top demands.

3) The Little Mermaid analogy - oh, bleh. That's such a weak analogy it's not even funny.

4) Harry has some deep-seated mental health issues that he has never worked through. Why couldn't he admit to his family that Meghan was suffering so much mental health trauma? And, boy, is he a narcissistic little man-child. I'm more convinced than ever that all Meghan did was enable Harry to do what he's wanted to do for years - leave. In that regard, I don't necessarily hold her accountable or blame her.

5) "Oh, it all changed after Australia - they were jealous, Meghan was a star"... Uhm, yeah... Meanwhile, the BRF has carried on in a far more impactful manner during the past year than anything that H&M have done since they relocated to the States. So, yeah, nah... Keep telling yourselves that it was "the Firm" that dimmed her/their spotlight.

6) LOL@ Meghan being willing to sacrifice her & Archie's safety/security "as long as you keep my husband safe and don't remove his security". Okay, then...

7) I'm seeing some of those micro-expressions Muhler referenced. When Meghan was talking about how she received no "training" on how to be a royal, Harry starts to clarify and she reaches over to touch his hand and keep him from speaking. No, no, no, this is clearly Meghan's story to tell, and he is only there to support her version.

8) Did Oprah really not research Harry's previous interviews before this one? Harry's given multiple interviews in the past where he's said if he could, he'd run off to Africa, but he couldn't because of his loyalty/duty to his father/brother. So, yeah, not really, again, buying that Meghan is solely responsible for Sussexit. Harry was, 100%, I agree, fully complicit. He just didn't get any of what he thought he was going to get by virtue of being... HRH Prince Harry Son of Diana? He is most certainly his mother's son.

9) I'd be hard-pressed, if I was either William or Charles (or most of the rest of the BRF) to not tell Harry to "lose my number". Especially with his "I'm trying to educate them in much the same way I've been educated" comment. ? Yeah, there's a reason why your relationship with William right now is "space" and I suspect that it will be a very, very long time before any wounds are healed.

10) Back to some of those micro-expressions - Oh, when Harry clarified the "what will your babies look like" question... Meghan turned to Oprah and her face was "oh, sh*t, is she going to ask me a follow-up to clarify the timing of those conversations?"

11) "Life is about storytelling, right? About the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we're told, what we buy into, and for us to be able to have storytelling through a truthful lens, that's hopefully uplifting, is gonna be great, knowing how many people that can land with and being able to give a voice to a lot of people that are underrepresented and aren't really heard." And there you have it... It's all about "storytelling, what we buy into, from a truthful lens"

12) "All those things I was hoping for have happened" - oh, there are going to be Meghan detractors who make much of that...

 

[Zonk]

Now that I have a couple of hours to "digest" this interview I feel I have more questions as their answers make no sense. My thoughts in particular order of importance

1) So the Queen is just showing up at Royal Lodge on the willy nilly. Harry is there hanging out with Andrew and Fergie? Are the Bea & Eugenie there as well? Harry never thought to teach his girlfriend ANYTHING about how to greet his grandmother? And Meghan is comfortable enough to call Sarah Fergie? What the heck?

2) Her comments about not researching and not knowing anything Harry and/or the Family don't jibe with whats written in Finding Freedom. Of course, I haven't read it but am I missing something here?

3) Harry is the patron of a mental health organization. One of Diana's good friends (and Prince George's grandmother) is associated with one as well, and they couldn't find help for Meghan? He is blaming the family for not helping but said that he didn't ask for help? Is that right? So they are supposed to read minds?

4) Harry has been a Prince for 36 and has no concept on how titles work? Maybe he should spend some time in our thread. He couldn't explain this to Meghan on why Archie doesn't have a title? And she was so disingenuous that she made it seem like Archie doesn't have one because of his skin tone?

5) Royal Security. Did Harry really think the royal family (and the British taxpayer) was going to pay for his security while he lived part time in America? And for Meghan to suggest that security was being held away from Archie (again because of his skin tone) beggars belief?!

6) As you all already pointed out, she doesn't have access to her passport cannot leave the house but can jet off to NYC for a baby shower, can go to Wimbledon, etc.

7) Her comments about the Archbishop of Canterbury marrying them privately. I can't even with this one.

I've tried to give Meghan the benefit of the doubt. These two are such a mis matched pair. Harry the product of an institution that has lasted thousands of years. He should know about duty and service. Meghan the California girl who thrives on "truth" and being happy. They are truly mistaken if they think this will end well and everything will be forgotten.

I am sorely disappointed in Harry's lack of EVERYTHING. He saw what Kate went threw, what his previous girlfriends went. He talks about his mother but has learned nothing from her experiences.

In what planet did he think that him decamping his family to California was going to make them safe from the British Press. Its fine for Meghan, I can't imagine her ever going back to the UK. But these are his blood relatives that he just casually dismissed from him life.

What a mess.

 

[Kellydofc]

I think they truly love each other and will make their marriage work but if it does fall apart, Harry better be prepared. Even if you are the nicest person in the world, someone who really wants to can use half truths to make you look horrible.

I think they love each other as well and I think they'll most likely stay together. I think after all this they kind of have to. Maybe that's cynical but even if they "fell out of love" I can't see her letting it ruin her brand and she and the kids will be his only family. The die is well and truly cast on this one so I hope for their sake they do stay in love.

 

[AC21091968]

From reading some British right-wing commentators post on social media, I must say the interview with Oprah has unite the conservatives, whether they are monarchists or republicans, who have previously been divided by lockdown measures. Most of them have criticised Harry & Meghan for the accusation of racism, criticising the royal family in public and telling about financial problems during the period of pandemic. Most if not all felt sorry for the Queen.

I understand that social media is not real life and is often left-leaning.

 

[Zonk]

5) "Oh, it all changed after Australia - they were jealous, Meghan was a star"... Uhm, yeah... Meanwhile, the BRF has carried on in a far more impactful manner during the past year than anything that H&M have done since they relocated to the States. So, yeah, nah... Keep telling yourselves that it was "the Firm" that dimmed her/their spotlight.

Yeah, that was crazy! Why would anyone be jealous of the positive press that Meghan received? I imagine that Charles, William, Camilla and yes, Kate would be happy because that mean that more people could share a piece of the pie (i.e. making these royal tours). It would make them a formidable couple in supporting Charles and later William. If Meghan and Harry are successful than EVERYONE is succesful.

If they are talking Meghan they are not talking about Kate. And she can focus on her children and her patronages.

Does he really think that his family is that petty?

WHY OF COURSE HE DOES.

He is such a disgrace and yet he will blame everyone and not realize what he has done.

 

[Eskimo]

Finally watching the interview, here are some of my thoughts so far...

1) The racism comment - Meghan fully admits that it wasn't said to her, that Harry relayed the comment/s to her but she was never able to "follow up" on it. My take is that, at some point during her pregnancy, she and Harry were having that typical "oh, what will our baby look like" conversation and Harry probably relayed the conversation he had with a family member when they were first dating, thinking it was cute or funny and Meghan was, understandably, horrified. I think she probably explained to Harry why that question/comment bothered her coming from another member of his family and Harry realized it was an offensive question but, at the time (and still now) didn't want to openly/directly confront the family member about it.

So, what we have is Meghan being upset (and they probably had more than one conversation while she was pregnant about it) and unable to let it go. Whether her inability to let it go is healthy or good is debatable - I think there is validity in not letting it go because it is something that is hurtful and offensive to POC, but I also think there is validity in being able to let it go because sometimes it's better to just let it become water under the bridge for the overall mental health of all.

Of course, the other view is that she is unwilling to let it go because she wants to use it to present a "the BRF is racist" narrative and, frankly, it's the one that I'm more inclined to believe because of how dodgy she was with that whole line of questioning as well as Harry's response.

2) - the timeline of their "discussions to quit the BRF" - Meghan clearly says "in the 2 years we'd been talking about it" - so, they were discussing leaving before they even got married? They really thought that their status as members of the BRF would enable them to set up shop in any Commonwealth country (specifically mentioned Canada) as "non-senior Royals" who occasionally did events representing the Queen but earned their own living. These two... Really did not think any of the actual legalities through of any of what they proposed and when they got asked these questions, probably by the staff members who were working through the logistics/finances of this idea, they didn't like the response to their answers, which probably were along the lines of everything we've hashed out here at the time and over the past 1.5 years. Hah - and yeah, Charles definitely stopped taking Harry's calls when he got exasperated with Harry's over-the-top demands.

3) The Little Mermaid analogy - oh, bleh. That's such a weak analogy it's not even funny.

4) Harry has some deep-seated mental health issues that he has never worked through. Why couldn't he admit to his family that Meghan was suffering so much mental health trauma? And, boy, is he a narcissistic little man-child. I'm more convinced than ever that all Meghan did was enable Harry to do what he's wanted to do for years - leave. In that regard, I don't necessarily hold her accountable or blame her.

5) "Oh, it all changed after Australia - they were jealous, Meghan was a star"... Uhm, yeah... Meanwhile, the BRF has carried on in a far more impactful manner during the past year than anything that H&M have done since they relocated to the States. So, yeah, nah... Keep telling yourselves that it was "the Firm" that dimmed her/their spotlight.

6) LOL@ Meghan being willing to sacrifice her & Archie's safety/security "as long as you keep my husband safe and don't remove his security". Okay, then...

7) I'm seeing some of those micro-expressions Muhler referenced. When Meghan was talking about how she received no "training" on how to be a royal, Harry starts to clarify and she reaches over to touch his hand and keep him from speaking. No, no, no, this is clearly Meghan's story to tell, and he is only there to support her version.

8) Did Oprah really not research Harry's previous interviews before this one? Harry's given multiple interviews in the past where he's said if he could, he'd run off to Africa, but he couldn't because of his loyalty/duty to his father/brother. So, yeah, not really, again, buying that Meghan is solely responsible for Sussexit. Harry was, 100%, I agree, fully complicit. He just didn't get any of what he thought he was going to get by virtue of being... HRH Prince Harry Son of Diana? He is most certainly his mother's son.

9) I'd be hard-pressed, if I was either William or Charles (or most of the rest of the BRF) to not tell Harry to "lose my number". Especially with his "I'm trying to educate them in much the same way I've been educated" comment. ? Yeah, there's a reason why your relationship with William right now is "space" and I suspect that it will be a very, very long time before any wounds are healed.

10) Back to some of those micro-expressions - Oh, when Harry clarified the "what will your babies look like" question... Meghan turned to Oprah and her face was "oh, sh*t, is she going to ask me a follow-up to clarify the timing of those conversations?"

11) "Life is about storytelling, right? About the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we're told, what we buy into, and for us to be able to have storytelling through a truthful lens, that's hopefully uplifting, is gonna be great, knowing how many people that can land with and being able to give a voice to a lot of people that are underrepresented and aren't really heard." And there you have it... It's all about "storytelling, what we buy into, from a truthful lens"

12) "All those things I was hoping for have happened" - oh, there are going to be Meghan detractors who make much of that...

I’m convinced that Oprah helped draft the answers they gave and helped them rehearse them. Oprah knows better than anyone how to play an American audience

 

[Alisa]

Personally- the racism claim was one of the easiest thing to believe- even before Meghan admitted to it on the interview.

I just have a hard time believing the racism. Because if the monarchy- the system - not the members- were racist why wouldn’t the people do something?
I have and still respect the members of the Royal Family. I respect the concept of monarchy. But I don’t think I can look at it- something I admired - quite the same- and that hurts. I thought why should a duchess with all the material comforts and more complain? But no one should endure that- no one.
I’ve never been one to ooh and ahh over people- and I’ve never been disappointed by people I admire- and it hurts. I cried.

 

[rmay286]

I think they love each other as well and I think they'll most likely stay together.

They might stay together, but I don't think Meghan really loves Harry, otherwise she wouldn't encourage him to do this kind of interview with her, airing private family grievances on national TV, accusing his family of being racist, failing to get her help when she was suicidal. These are extremely serious accusations that will estrange Harry from his family even farther. It's like she wants him to cut off his family the way she seemingly has cut off hers.

 

[Kellydofc]

5) "Oh, it all changed after Australia - they were jealous, Meghan was a star"

Do you think in some way this is a dig at his dad since people say Charles was jealous of Diana's popularity when they (Charles and Diana) went to Australia?

Sorry this idea literally just popped into my head.

 

[Zonk]

What I find so interesting about Meghan is that she is mad at her father for his betrayal and speaking to the press. And I am not condoning anything he has said or done but one of his stated reasons is that he didn't like how he was portrayed in the press. And I seem to recall she told him to ignore it. Because you know your truth.

And yet, she can't do the same.

Its like she has to have the last word.

I think the Queen she make a mild statement (if one at all). This too shall pass.

 

[Sunnystar]

I'm damned good at spotting micro-expressions! And I saw them...

I spotted at least two while watching the Harry & Meghan portions of the interview

1) Meghan was talking about how she received no "training" on how to be a royal, Harry starts to clarify and she reaches over to touch his hand and keep him from speaking.

2) Harry clarified the "what will your babies look like" question... Meghan turned to Oprah and her face was "oh, sh*t, is she going to ask me a follow-up to clarify the timing of those conversations?"

What others did you pick up on? I'm not generally perceptive about these things but your comment about the micro-expressions had me watching for them during the interview and these two, especially, jumped out at me.

 

[Kellydofc]

They might stay together, but I don't think Meghan really loves Harry, otherwise she wouldn't encourage him to do this kind of interview with her, airing private family grievances on national TV, accusing his family of being racist, failing to get her help when she was suicidal. These are extremely serious accusations that will estrange Harry from his family even farther. It's like she wants him to cut off his family the way she seemingly has cut off hers.

I see so many shades of the Edward VIII and Wallis relationship in Harry and Meghan. And I never thought David and Wallis had a great grand love. I thought he was obsessed by her and she loved him at one point, when she first became his mistress, but then got in way over her head and by the end just tolerated him. Maybe Harry and Meghan will turn out better in their private life with one another but it's clear their relationship with the BRF has just become the mirror image of David and Wallis.

 

[Sunnystar]

Yeah, that was crazy! Why would anyone be jealous of the positive press that Meghan received? I imagine that Charles, William, Camilla and yes, Kate would be happy because that mean that more people could share a piece of the pie (i.e. making these royal tours). It would make them a formidable couple in supporting Charles and later William. If Meghan and Harry are successful than EVERYONE is succesful.

If they are talking Meghan they are not talking about Kate. And she can focus on her children and her patronages.

Does he really think that his family is that petty?

WHY OF COURSE HE DOES.

He is such a disgrace and yet he will blame everyone and not realize what he has done.

Right? If she was that much of a success right out of the gate on her first tour, I would have been all "Great! Keep your passport handy!" and sent them out on as many foreign tours as possible, at least 2/yr, to ensure that the Commonwealth still loved the BRF and didn't decide to jump ship to becoming republics after the Queen passes.

 

[rominet09]

I really can't wait for the following of this dismal treachery on his part.
I agree with most of the comments here.
I really wonder what the RF can do except nothing not to give them importance they want.

 

[Curryong]

Right? If she was that much of a success right out of the gate on her first tour, I would have been all "Great! Keep your passport handy!" and sent them out on as many foreign tours as possible, at least 2/yr, to ensure that the Commonwealth still loved the BRF and didn't decide to jump ship to becoming republics after the Queen passes.

The Meghan and Harry tour to Oceania (including Australia and NZ) was a great success. I live in Melbourne, went to see them and they were greeted by large welcoming crowds, as they were elsewhere.


Meghan was pregnant and wouldn’t have been sent out on another Commonwealth tour after that. Typically,Royal wives go on maternity leave for up to eight months from the seventh month of pregnancy onward.


They were given another tour in October 2019 when Archie was a baby. They went to various nations in Africa. By that time they had been married for about 18 months. How many tours can a couple fit in as well as having their first baby?


Younger senior royals aren’t sent out automatically on two long tours of the Commonwealth (or anywhere else) in a less than 18 months two years gap.

The vast majority of nations in the Commonwealth are republics. There are relatively few realms etc.

 

[moby]

Yesterday, right after it aired, the US side support for H&M was overwhelming on social media. Today, still on US side, it seems much more balanced. Main issue that people have with it is why the tell-all, what's to be gained from this, why throw a family under the bus, why not focus on the positive aspects of one's life and "freedom"...

I was reading the comments section of the New Yorker account on social media on an article about this and found most people completely against someone airing their family's dirty laundry in public.

I recall being outraged by both Meghan's father and sister's inability to shut up in the lead up the wedding and thinking how utterly terrible it is to speak about family problems to the public. Even the Kardashians are not this disloyal. Now I see Meghan is doing the same, and this is really the root of my issue with what they've done.

Harry is often called his mother's son, but I also think Meghan is definitely her father's daughter.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

I have finally seen the interview, and I have to say, if Meghan endure even a tenth of what she and Harry have claimed, wow. I have my own observations

1. The issue with the Duchess of Cambridge
I absolutely agree with Meghan. Royal Family Inc, in particular Kensington Palace, refused to refute claims that Meghan has made Catherine cry. Essentially, they threw Meghan under the bus within six months of marrying into the Institution. An interesting observation is how Kensington palace were very vocal about the Tatler's article on Catherine that were apparently full of inaccuracies. As Meghan stated, the Royal Family Inc could have stopped the whole hero-villian narrative. yet they didn't.

2. Archie
So three simultaneous conversations were being held throughout Meghan's pregnancy with Archie. Firstly, there would be no security for Archie. Fine, we can use the examples of Zara, Peter, even Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. But think for one moment - Archie's parents are at high risk of a security incident from occurring, where this assessment would have been made at the government level. Yet the Royal Family Inc are telling Meghan and Harry their BABY would not have security protection .

Secondly - Royal Family Inc admitted to Harry and Meghan that when Charles ascends, the 1917 (and 2012) letters patent would be changed meaning their children will not have the HRH Prince/ss of Great Britain. The titles issue had nothing to do with the current 2012 letters patent the Queen issued. And they gave no reason behind this future change. Hmmmmm...

Thirdly, Archie's skin colour. Why would this even be a conversation? I am very olive skinned, my husband is pale white. Our respective families have NEVER spoken to us about what our children would look like whilst I was pregnant. The look in Harry's face says it all - this wasn't just a "I wonder what colour tone his skin would be" conversation, it was more than that. Harry looked angry.

4. Meghan's Mental Health
Anyone who says "I don't believe Royal Fmaily Inc wouldn't help" forgets that the person who is seeking help has the right to choose where they want the help to come from. Meghan specifically said she wanted to sort treatment "somewhere", i.e. she choose where. It could have been in the US - a treatment place where she felt psychologically, and physically safe. Where she could be comfortable to speak freely and seek the treatment she needed. This was denied to her. The Royal Family Inc should have given her exactly what she NEEDED.

5. Gaining their independence
Not one bit surprised this was not a shock-and-awe tactic. Of course Harry would have discussed with HM the Queen and his father. But the one thing I disagree is the issue of security - if you step back, you're stepping back from the comforts of security. Again, the media's perpetual lie that Prince Charles was financially helping them was wrong (I never believed that story).

Harry is angry and I can understand why. It feels that the Royal Family Inc created a pressure-cooker situation to beat them into submission. I felt this way even before Harry and Meghan left the UK. I really with them the best and I do hope this is the final time we hear about their life in the UK because no more good can come from dwelling on it. I do hope they will use their lessons-learned and help the disadvantaged, under-priviledge and those who are marginalised in their Archewell Foundation.

 

[Kellydofc]

Yesterday, right after it aired, the US side support for H&M was overwhelming on social media. Today, still on US side, it seems much more balanced. Main issue that people have with it is why the tell-all, what's to be gained from this, why throw a family under the bus, why not focus on the positive aspects of one's life and "freedom"...

I was reading the comments section of the New Yorker account on social media on an article about this and found most people completely against someone airing their family's dirty laundry in public.

I recall being outraged by both Meghan's father and sister's inability to shut up in the lead up the wedding and thinking how utterly terrible it is to speak about family problems to the public. Even the Kardashians are not this disloyal. Now I see Meghan is doing the same, and this is really the root of my issue with what they've done.

Harry is often called his mother's son, but I also think Meghan is definitely her father's daughter.

Interesting, I make it a habit not to read comments on articles on social media so all I was seeing was Twitter which seemed to be totally pro H&M and acted like this interview was going to bring the monarchy down, which I thought was a little over the top. Anyway, it's interesting to hear that you're saying the support wasn't so universal.

I know lots of people watched this interview but I'll be interested to see what happens when the Spotify/Netflix projects actually get off the ground. Will people constantly tune in to those or have they alienated more Americans even than they thought?

 

[Erin9]

I feel bad for the kids too. I do wonder if Harry TRULY understands what he's done. He seems to still think he can repair things. I suspect Meghan knows they're on they're own despite the "I call the Queen" line but I wonder if Harry really understands.

I wonder if Meghan did call the Queen- and if so- did she do it out of genuine concern or just so she could say she did to Oprah? I’m cynical enough about Meghan to think the latter.

I’m not sure Harry gets it. Talking about mending fencing while doing this horror of an interview doesn’t indicate much self awareness.

Most of the conversation here has been about race or mental health, but he and Meghan said a lot of petty, nasty, personal things.

Harry talking about Charles and William being trapped, for one. Where does he get off declaring them trapped? Would he like them to start speaking for him and giving their assessment on his life? I bet not. Imagine what they’d say if you could be a fly on the wall.

Everything said about Catherine. It was petty. Meghan did a great job at making Catherine look bad, while making herself look good for being soooo understanding about the supposed crying incident, or how welcoming Catherine wasn’t (deflected the question-but made plain her feeling), or that they weren’t really close. Maybe Meghan is jealous of Catherine. I can’t see William letting this go anytime soon- if ever. There was no reason for this.

Harry really threw Charles under the bus. Did he need to talk about how his dad stopped taking his calls? That’s very personal. And I can see Harry wearing someone down.

I could go on, but this was mean. Who gets on TV and does this?

It is interesting. Meghan is estranged from much of her family. Now Harry is from much of is. What an interesting pair these two are.