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SUNDAY MARCH 7 8PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 12 NOON AEDT: Oprah Winfrey has touted her tell-all interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry as “the best interview she’s ever done”. Right now, millions across the world are glued to their televisions and streaming devices as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex detail their lives inside the palace walls.
Heading into today’s interview, 39-year-old Meghan is facing a slew of accusations that she bullied a number of staff members during her time inside the palace, claims the royal family have pledged to investigate. Harry is also facing criticism for letting the interview go to air when his beloved grandfather Prince Philip is recovering from heart surgery in a London hospital.
As those in the UK go to sleep with conviction they will wake up to a PR catastrophe between the palace and Meghan and Harry, those in the U.S. and in Australia are sipping their tea. Just a couple of hours ago, CBS released extended footage showing Meghan – ever so careful with her choice of words – telling Oprah the “constructs” surrounding her inside the palace meant she had to always have someone next to her when she was speaking.
“As an adult who lived a really independent life to then go into this construct that is different to what people imagine it to be, it’s really liberating to have the right and the privilege in some ways to be able to say ‘yes, I’m ready to talk’ – to make a choice on your own and be able to speak for yourself,” Meghan tells Oprah.
#EXCLUSIVE: In this extended first clip from @Oprah's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex says what it means to be able to speak for herself.
It comes one year after the couple left England and stepped back from full-time royal life.#OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/o3AdxpmLrh
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) March 5, 2021
We will have live updates as they happen so let’s get started.
LIVE COVERAGE:
SUNDAY MARCH 7 10.02PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 2.02PM AEDT: A beautiful little moment between the two just happened, and with this, we’ll leave our coverage here. A modern fairytale, indeed.
Oprah: Do you think [Meghan] saved you?
Harry: “Without question. There was a bigger purpose and there were other forces at play…”
Meghan: “I’d have to disagree. He saved all of us. He ultimately called it. He made a decision that saved my life and saved all of us. But you need to want to be saved.”
If this story is in any way triggering, please call LifeLine Australia on 13 11 14. If you are in the U.S., the American Foundation For Suicidal Prevention is here to help. Call 800 273 8255. Or text “Talk” to 741 741.
Bombshell #18: Prince Harry Would Come Home To Find Meghan Markle Crying While Breastfeeding Archie
SUNDAY MARCH 7 10.02PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 2.02PM AEDT: Prince Harry says life is a lot better now for him and his family. He loves that he can take Archie for a bike ride, a simple liberty not afforded to a life in the spotlight. “I’m really proud of my wife,” he told Oprah, remembering how he used to come home and find Meghan “crying while breastfeeding Archie.”
This whole clip is instant chills #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/NH35uZ2I8b
— Chicks in the Office (@ChicksInTheOff) March 8, 2021
a cute video of archie, harry & meghan! 😭❤️ #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/0yAVTLYwQ8
— 𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘢 (@meghmarkle) March 8, 2021
Bombshell #17: Prince Harry Talks About His Fraught Relationship With His Family Now
SUNDAY MARCH 7 9.56PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 1.56PM AEDT: Meghan and Harry say they stepped back from royal life with “so much respect” and Harry says he talks more to his grandmother now than ever. He alludes to the relationship with his father being strained. I feel really let down, because he’s been through something similar. Archie’s his grandson. I will always love him, but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened. I will continue to make it one of my priorities to heal that relationship.”
“I’m comfortable knowing we did everything we did to make it work.”
Both Harry and Meghan tell Oprah they did everything they could to make their roles work, but ultimately the institution and family let them down.#OprahMeghanHarry
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) March 8, 2021
As for his relationship with big brother William, Harry says, “Much will continue to be said about that. I love William to bits… but we were on different paths.”
“The relationship is ‘space’ at the moment,” he continues a little later on. “Time heals all things.”
Bombshell #16: Prince Harry Says His Brother William And Father Charles Are “Trapped”
SUNDAY MARCH 7 9.46PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 1.46PM AEDT: Prince Harry told Oprah he felt trapped while living in Buckingham Palace.
Oprah: “How is a prince, born and raised in a castle trapped?”
Harry says he was “trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are. My father and my brother: They are trapped. They don’t get to leave.”
He says his royal family cut him off financially in early 2020 “but I’ve got what my mum left me. I think she saw this coming.”
“My family cut me off financially and I had to pay for security for us. But, I have what my mum left me. I think she saw this coming” – Prince Harry #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/FfpanD7nEK
— Dionne Grant (@DionneGrant) March 8, 2021
Bombshell #15: Prince Harry Received Death Threat, The Palace Removed Security
SUNDAY MARCH 7 9.45PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 1.45PM AEDT: Meghan has recalled reading death threats that Harry received. She wrote letters “begging” the firm to reinstate her husband’s security detail, even if she and Archie didn’t have it.
Meghan Markle Stayed Up Late To Learn The British National Anthem
SUNDAY MARCH 7 9.43PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 1.43PM AEDT: In a bid not to embarrass herself in public, Harry says Meghan (despite being given limited training) would stay up late to learn the British National Anthem.
We Need A Breather
SUNDAY MARCH 7 9.39PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 1.39PM AEDT: Just jumping in here to note this is how we are holding up. How are you going?
Me this whole #OprahMeghanHarry interview. pic.twitter.com/k2fM2h9w6T
— Eugene Daniels (@EugeneDaniels2) March 8, 2021
Bombshell #14: Harry Says His Family Are Scared Of The British Press
SUNDAY MARCH 7 9.34PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 1.34PM AEDT: Harry says his family were very supportive of Meghan in the beginning but that it all changed after their tour of Australia. He suggests that his wife’s popularity became a jealous point within his family. He talked to Oprah about how his family never really supported her in the press.
“There was an opportunity, many opportunities, for my family to show support… No one from my family said anything.”
On his family showing zero support for Meghan after racist attacks, Harry says his family are “scared” of the British tabloid press.#OprahMeghanHarry
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) March 8, 2021
Bombshell #13: Harry’s Father Prince Charles Stopped Taking His Son’s Calls
SUNDAY MARCH 7 9.23PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 1.23PM AEDT: Prince Harry told Oprah that the couple “stepped down” from royal life (and “never left”), due to “lack of support and lack of understanding.” He says he never “blindsided” the Queen with this decision and it was something he talked to her about for two years.
“I have too much respect for [my grandmother],” says Harry.
Prince Harry also said he had “conversations with my father –before he stopped taking my calls.“
When your parents accuse you of coming to Thanksgiving dinner high #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/vaYUkhRxrj
— Chicks in the Office (@ChicksInTheOff) March 8, 2021
Bombshell #12: The Palace Removed All Security For The Couple And Archie
SUNDAY MARCH 7 9.16PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 1.16PM AEDT: Prince Harry has detailed how, after the couple decided to step down from their roles as senior royal members, they were informed rather swiftly that their security would be removed.
“They said it was because of the change of status – I asked if there was a change of threat,” Harry said.
“What I was seeing was history repeating itself, but far more dangerous. You add race in. You add social media in. When I’m talking about history repeating itself, I’m talking about my mother,” he continued.
OK, we already 12 “bombshell revelations” in and it’s only halfway. Oprah asked Meghan how she feels about the palace hearing all of these claims today.
“If it comes with risk of losing things… there’s a lot that’s been lost already. I lost a father, I lost a baby, there’s a loss of identity… but I’m still standing,” she replies.
Bombshell #11: Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Are Having A Girl!
SUNDAY MARCH 7 9.14PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 1.14PM AEDT: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have confirmed they are expecting a little girl, a sister to Archie.
Harry – who is now part of the interview, says it’s “amazing – to have a boy and then a girl, what more could you ask for.”
Bombshell #10: Prince Harry Would Cradle Meghan Markle As She Thought About Ending Her Own Life
SUNDAY MARCH 7 9.02PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 1.02PM AEDT: “I was ashamed to admit it at the time, and admit it to Harry because of how much loss he’s suffered, but I knew that I didn’t want to be alive anymore,” says Meghan. “That was a very real, clear, constant thought. He just cradled me. I went to the institution and said I needed help, and I was told it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
Meghan says she repeatedly asked to go to a hospital to help her mental health but was denied. It was one of Princess Diana’s friends who helped her.
Meghan also recalled an event that she and Harry went to at Royal Albert Hall. Harry felt she wasn’t well enough to go but Meghan said she was afraid of what she might do if she were alone. Harry clutched her hand and she put on a brave face and smiled for the cameras.
If this story is in any way triggering, please call LifeLine Australia on 13 11 14. If you are in the U.S., the American Foundation For Suicidal Prevention is here to help. Call 800 273 8255. Or text “Talk” to 741 741.
Bombshell #9: Meghan Markle Says She Contemplated Suicide
SUNDAY MARCH 7 8.58PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 12.58PM AEDT:
Meghan: “I thought it would have solved everything for everyone right?”
Oprah: “So were you thinking of harming yourself? Were you having suicidal thoughts?”
Meghan: “Yes, this was very clear. Very clear and very scary. I didn’t know who to turn to in that.”
If this story is in any way triggering, please call LifeLine Australia on 13 11 14. If you are in the U.S., the American Foundation For Suicidal Prevention is here to help. Call 800 273 8255. Or text “Talk” to 741 741.
Meghan Markle reveals she contemplated suicide #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/2oIinTUIaI
— Chicks in the Office (@ChicksInTheOff) March 8, 2021
Bombshell #8: Meghan Markle Says The Palace Were Concerned About How Dark Archie’s Skin Would Be
SUNDAY MARCH 7 8.47PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 12.47PM AEDT: We are speechless.
According to Meghan, the palace had “concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie’s] skin might be when he’s born.”
“What? Who is having that conversation with you? What?” Oprah remarks, visibly shocked.
“I think that would be very damaging to them,” replies Meghan. “That was relayed to me, that was Harry’s conversations with family.”
Watch the moment here.
Oprah is about to throw hands with the Queen #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/7vJhIStE4V
— Chicks in the Office (@ChicksInTheOff) March 8, 2021
Bombshell #7: Meghan Markle Explains The Royals Decision Not To Make Archie A Prince
SUNDAY MARCH 7 8.43PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 12.43PM AEDT: OK, here we are at the snippet that was leaked earlier. And it’s just as explosive as you can imagine. When Oprah asks Meghan about the palace’s decision not to make Archie a prince despite tradition, Meghan says she was given “no explanation”.
“It was a decision they felt was appropriate,” she says. While Meghan says the “grandeur surroundings” are not something she cares too much about or is attached to, the hardest part for her grapple with was the fact that palace wasn’t going to afford Archie personal security.
“The idea of our son not being safe – and the first member of colour in this family not being titled in the same way as other grandchildren…”
“It’s not their right to take it away. When I was pregnant they said they want to change that convention, for Archie.”
Bombshell #6: Meghan Markle Says The Royal Family Would Lie To Protect Other Members Of The Family
SUNDAY MARCH 7 8.39PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 12.39PM AEDT: Meghan told Oprah she and Harry were not protected by comparison to other members of the family. (Does she mean Prince Andrew?)
“Everyone in my world was given very clear directives from the moment the world knew Harry and I were dating to always say ‘no comment.’ We did, because it was also through the lens of ‘We’ll protect you,’ Meghan says.
“It was only once we were married and everything started to worsen, that I realised not only were we not being protected, they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family.”
Bombshell #5: “There Was Very Little That I Was Able To Do” – Meghan Markle
SUNDAY MARCH 7 8.35PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 12.35PM AEDT: Right after her wedding, Meghan says she was criticised for “being everywhere right now”. “I have left the house twice in four months – I am everywhere but I am nowhere right now… There was very little I was allowed to do.”
Telling Oprah how she couldn’t go for lunch with friends, Meghan says her problem with the royal family is aimed at the institution or “the firm” as she keep referencing, not necessarily the family members. She says the Queen was “always been wonderful to me” and that during time spent with her, she was reminded of her own grandmother.
Bombshell #4: Kate Middleton Made Meghan Markle Cry Before Her Wedding
SUNDAY MARCH 7 8.27PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 12.27PM AEDT: Meghan says that a couple of days prior to the wedding, the Duchess of Cambridge and would-be sister-in-law Kate Middleton was upset about something related to the dresses and “it made me cry.” Kate then sent Meghan flowers.
“She sent me flowers, she apologised,” Meghan told Oprah.
While Oprah prodded to find out what the argument with the dresses was about, Meghan retorted:
“I don’t think it’s fair to go into the details because she apologised and I’ve forgiven her,” she says, citing that what was actually upsetting was that the “reverse” story came out in the media: Meghan made Kate cry.
“I would hope [Kate] would’ve wanted that corrected…. she’s a good person,” says Meghan. “If you love me you don’t have to hate her, and if you hate me you don’t have to love her.”
Bombshell #3: Harry and Meghan Secretly Wed Three Days Before The Royal Wedding We Watched On Television
SUNDAY MARCH 7 8.19PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 12.19PM AEDT: “Three days before our wedding, we got married. No-one knows that – the spectacle was for the world,” Meghan told Oprah. Do you kind of look at these pictures differently now?
Bombshell #2: Meghan And Harry To Reveal Sex Of Their Second Child
SUNDAY MARCH 7 8.10PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 12.10PM AEDT: By the end of the interview today, Meghan – once she is joined by Harry – will reveal the gender of their unborn baby. Meghan has also just said she went into Royal life “naively”.
“I didn’t grow up watching the royal family,” she tell Oprah.
“I didn’t do any research. I’d never looked up my husband online – everything I needed to know, he was telling me.”
“I didn’t fully understand what the job was – what was needed of me. There was no way to understand what the day to day was.”
Meghan says Harry asked his girlfriend is she knew how to curtsey, before meeting the Queen. She says “the penny dropped” in that moment.
“I grew up in LA, you see celebrities all the time – this is not the same. It’s a completely different ball game,” says Meghan.
Bombshell #1: Oprah Asks Meghan About The Royals Decision Not To Make Archie A Prince.
SUNDAY MARCH 7 7.45PM EST/ MONDAY MARCH 8 11.45AM AEDT: A juicy snippet has leaked prematurely on Twitter. And just wow.
Meghan talking about Archie pic.twitter.com/IVRAKhnsOd
— Célia 🍒 (@_MrsWanted) March 8, 2021
How Will Buckingham Palace React To Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Interview With Oprah?
The Times is reporting that not only will Queen Elizabeth not watch the “circus” but that “angry” royal courtiers have already met to discuss the stripping of Meghan and Prince Harry’s titles. Warning they are ready to retaliate with fresh disclosures made to the Sandringham Agreement a year ago should the couple make unfavourable remarks toward the palace.
“The response will depend very much on if [Meghan and Prince Harry] go after the institution or the people,” another source told the outlet,” one royal source told the outlet “If they go after the people, the people will come out swinging. The institution can take the blows, the people cannot.”
What is the update on Prince Philip’s condition?
Prince Philip is spending his 21st night in hospital following heart surgery on Wednesday March 3. As per a statement by Buckingham Palace, the 99-year-old – who will turn 100 in June – is recovering from a “successful procedure” to treat a pre-existing heart condition. He is now in King Edward VIII’s Hospital in London as the tell-all interview between his grandson and Winfrey goes to air.
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, reports are surfacing that Prince Harry has been privately “asked to come home” to visit his ailing grandfather. Philip’s son Prince Charles is also said to be “deeply” worried about his father’s condition.
