The Queen (Oprah), Meghan, and Harry
There’s a lot to unpack after watching Oprah’s stunning two-hour CBS interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry last night. I was going to compile a post of things to look for ahead of time (i.e. Meghan was wearing Diana’s tennis bracelet and whether they reveal the sex of their baby (now headline number 8?)) and wish I had because now there’s just so much more to talk about.
A few notes worthy of discussion (it’s heavy):
We were led to believe that Harry and Meghan chose not to give Archie a royal title so as to afford him a better chance at a normal life. Now we know that isn’t true (according to H&M), that Archie wasn’t given an option to have a title or the security that comes with that title, standard protocol for someone born in his line of succession, which frustrated Harry and Meghan.
Meghan and Harry both revealed that there were concerns discussed (among family, it appears) about the color of their children’s skin.
Meghan revealed that while she was having overwhelming suicidal thoughts while pregnant with Archie, she went to “the Institution” for help and “nothing was ever done.”
Harry talked about the “invisible contract” between the UK tabloids and the palace and revealed that the Royal family relies on the tabloids for positive coverage to maintain their brand/image and that "the institution survives based on that perception.” He says he has compassion for his family because “there is a level of control by fear that has existed for generations.” Harry is deconstructing the celebrity/myth of the Royal family right before our eyes.
Buckingham Palace already took the offensive stance a few days ahead of the interview, announcing they were looking into HR complaints made by Jason Knauf, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s former communication secretary. The complaints allege that the Duchess of Sussex bullied her staff. Keep in mind these complaints, which Meghan and Harry have denied, are from 2018. Also it appears to be a new thing for the Palace to make public the HR complaints against any member of the Royal family. Interesting timing. How do you think the palace will respond after Meghan’s allegations against their HR department that aired last night?
A here’s a topic I might delve into further. Last night Harry mentioned that he’s “spent many years of doing the work and doing [his] own learning” about racism. I think the way he describes his eye-opening awareness of racism within the UK specifically after he started dating Meghan is really important and a model for how we can approach our own lack of awareness. Thoughts?