In shock interview, Meghan and Harry charge royal family
In a long-awaited interview broadcast on Sunday evening by the CBS channel, Meghan Markle notably revealed having had suicidal thoughts when living in the royal family and claims to have been refused the psychological support she requested.
Embarrassing revelations for Buckingham Palace. Meghan Markle had suicidal thoughts while living with the royal family and was denied the psychological support she requested because it would have damaged the image of the institution, she revealed in an explosive two-hour interview with American television star, Oprah Winfrey.
During this highly anticipated interview broadcast on Sunday evening by the CBS channel, the mixed-race wife of Prince Harry, sometimes moved to tears, also reported on conversations within the royal family on the color of her son's skin when she was pregnant with it.
The color of her son's skin
"I just didn't want to be alive anymore. And those were constant, terrifying, real and very clear thoughts," said the Duchess of Sussex, who is expecting her second child, blaming her psychological state on the blanket. aggressive British media.
The American said that she went to see members of the royal institution to ask for help and to discuss the possibility of medical treatment, "and I was told that I could not, that it would not be. not good for the institution, ”she added.
L’extrait qui fait très mal : quand des membres de la famille royale s’interrogent sur la couleur de peau (“how dark is skin might be?”) du fils de Meghan et Harry pic.twitter.com/JHgFp7mfRl #MeghanMarkle #MeghanandHarryonOprah
— Thomas Donzel (@thomasdonzel) March 8, 2021
The former actress spoke to Oprah Winfrey, who was disbelieving and shocked, about conversations she had been told about her son's skin color before he was born.
Harry was told "of concerns and conversations (...) about how dark his skin (would be) when he (was born)", "what that would mean and what that would look like", a- she explained, without wanting to give the identity of the person or people who had this exchange with her husband because "it would be very damaging for them".
"It was strange," Harry said of this conversation, also refusing to reveal who was behind it. "I was in shock."
Protection
The Duchess of Sussex also claimed that Buckingham Palace had refused to grant protection to the child and that members of the institution felt that Archie should not be given a title of nobility, although this is the tradition .
The two spouses, who announced they were expecting a girl, explained their withdrawal and their departure for the United States by the conjunction of untenable media pressure and the lack of support from the royal family.
"We have done our utmost" to stay within the royal family, Prince Harry said, explaining that he himself had experienced psychological problems linked to this situation.
If Meghan Markle denounced a "real smear campaign" and said she did not feel protected by the royal family, she was careful not to personally attack members of the crown.
Harry "really disappointed" with his father
She simply claimed that, contrary to what had been reported by the British press, it was not she who had made Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, cry in an incident which took place shortly before her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018, but the reverse had happened. She clarified that Kate apologized shortly after.
Harry went further, saying he was "really disappointed" with his father, Prince Charles, as he went through a difficult time. “Because he's been through something similar. He knows what pain is,” the prince said. "There will be work" to improve their relationship, "but at the same time, I will always love her."
He also spoke of his brother, explaining that the two princes were "on different paths", confirming, hollow, that their relationship was strained, while reaffirming his affection for his elder.
By contrast, Charles and Diana's youngest son praised his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, saying he did not "take her by surprise" when he announced his retirement from the royal family.
“My grandmother and I have a very good relationship and an understanding,” he said. "And I have deep respect for her. She's my Colonel-in-Chief. She will remain so."
Before the broadcast of this shock interview, the British monarchy had decided to stand up, offering a few hours before the intervention of the Sussexes the image of a united family during the annual celebrations of the Commonwealth.
Circus
In a pre-recorded televised speech, the Queen underlined the importance of the "selfless dedication and sense of duty" shown by caregivers during the pandemic, a sign that some are sure to interpret as a criticism of the princely couple .
According to a source close to the queen quoted by the Sunday Times, Elizabeth II did not intend to watch the interview with her grandson and will be more present in the media next week to show that the monarchy "focuses on important issues".
The newspaper also indicates that members of the court, who did not hesitate to call the interview a "circus", are preparing to retaliate "with new revelations" on the behavior of the couple if the monarchy was attacked.
After confirming to the Queen their final withdrawal from the royal family, after a period of observation, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex lost their last official titles in February. Installed in Canada, then in California, in Montecito, since March, the duo created a foundation, Archewell, and signed partnerships with Netflix and Spotify.
International press reactions
For The Times, "whatever the royal family expected from this interview, it was worse."
The Daily Telegraph considers, him, useless for the royal family to "hide behind the sofa": it is a "bulletproof vest" that she needed, facing an interview which contained enough "shells to sink a flotilla ". "And possibly, as some fear, to inflict the same damage on the British monarchy."
According to the BBC, "it is a devastating interview" which reveals "the terrible pressures within the palace" and paints "the image of insensitive individuals lost in an institution" which is equally so.
The Daily Mirror tabloid insists on the "immense sadness" of Crown Prince Charles, Harry's father, and his older brother William, while the Daily Express denounces "a televised discussion with Oprah which serves her own interests "of the couple, exiled in the United States since their withdrawal, in the spring of 2020, from the monarchy.
Some personalities, especially from sports, reacted to the interview. Tennis player Serena Williams and poet Amanda Gorman have supported Meghan Markle over her allegations of racism in the British royal family.
