Racism, disparagement and indifference: Meghan and Harry charge royal family in TV interview
The Duchess of Sussex, who is of mixed race, said on Sunday night on Oprah Winfrey's CBS show that members of the royal family were concerned about her son Archie's skin color before he was born.
Announced with great fanfare for several days, the interview with Prince Harry, 36, and especially his wife, Meghan Markle, 39, broadcast Sunday, March 7 on the American channel CBS, did indeed turn into a settling of scores with Buckhingham Palace.
Meghan Markle, who is of mixed race, has notably claimed that members of the British royal family were concerned about the skin color of her son Archie before he was born. They expressed "concerns (…) about how dark her skin would be", "what that would mean and what it would look like," she explained.
The Duchess of Sussex explained that the remarks had been reported to her by her husband, without wishing to give the identity of the person (s) who had this exchange with Harry because "it would be very damaging to them". "It was strange," Harry said of this conversation, also refusing to reveal who was behind it. “I was in shock. "
The former actress also said Buckingham Palace had refused to grant protection to the child and that members of the institution felt that Archie should not be given a nobility title, although this is the tradition .
Meghan Markle also revealed that she had suicidal thoughts as a result of British media coverage of her, and that the royal family refused to allow her to seek help. “I just didn't want to be alive anymore. And these were constant, terrifying, real and very clear thoughts, ”said the Duchess of Sussex.
“And I went to the institution, and I said I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said that I had never felt like this before (...) and I was told that I could not, that it would not be good for the institution. "
No personal attack
While the American denounced a "real smear campaign" on the part of the royal institution and said she did not feel protected by the royal family, she was careful not to personally attack members of the crown.
She simply claimed that, contrary to what had been reported by the British press, it was not her who made Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, cry, but that the opposite happened during an incident that took place. before her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018. She said Kate apologized shortly after.
Harry went further, admitting to having felt "really let down" by his father, Prince Charles, while he was going through a difficult time. “I'm really disappointed,” he explained, “because he went through something similar. He knows what pain is, "reporting that Prince Charles even refused to take calls on the phone for a time. Harry made it clear, however, that he was talking to his father again. "There will be work" to improve their relationship, "but at the same time, I will always love him."
He also mentioned his brother, explaining that the two princes were "on different trajectories", confirming, in 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 great relationship and an understanding,” he said. “And I have a deep respect for her. He's my colonel-in-chief. It will remain so. "
He also claimed that his father and brother, Prince William, were "prisoners" of the system as members of the royal family, a situation which he said gave him "a lot of compassion". “My father and my brother are prisoners” of the system, he said. "They cannot leave him," as he did after realizing that he himself was "a prisoner".
British daily The Times published testimony on Tuesday accusing the Duchess of Sussex of harassment while still living with the royal family. Buckingham Palace, "very concerned," immediately announced the opening of an investigation, an unusual move for the institution unaccustomed to resolving its disputes in public.
The two spouses 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.
For its part, the British monarchy has decided to face the threat of this interview, offering a few hours before the Sussex intervention the image of a united family at the annual celebrations of the Commonwealth.
A royal response "by new revelations"?
In a prerecorded televised speech, the Queen stressed the importance of the "selfless dedication and sense of duty" shown by caregivers during the Covid-19 pandemic, a sign that some are sure to interpret as criticism addressed to the princely couple.
According to a source close to the queen quoted by the Sunday Times, Elizabeth II will not watch the interview with her grandson - broadcast on Monday evening in the United Kingdom - and she will be more present in the media next week to show that the monarchy “Focuses on important issues”.
The newspaper also explains 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 is attacked.
"My biggest worry was to see history repeat itself," said the 36-year-old prince, in another excerpt from the CBS special, a reference to the tragic fate of his mother Diana, who died in 1997. in a road accident in Paris as his driver tried to escape the paparazzi.
On the reveal, the couple confessed to secretly getting married three days before the grandiose official ceremony attended by millions around the world in May 2018. “Nobody knows. But we called the Archbishop, and we just said, "Look, this show is for the world, but we want our union to be between us," "said Meghan Markle.
An interview that is worth gold
Prince Harry assured that he and his wife had done "everything possible" to stay with the royal family. "I am sad that what happened has happened, but I know (…) that we have done everything possible to make it work," he said. “Oh my God, we just did everything we could to protect them,” added Meghan Markle, alongside him.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January 2020 that they were stepping down from their role with the British Royal Family, and lost their last official titles in February.
Installed in Canada, then in California, in Montecito, since March, the duo have already resolutely taken the tangent and capitalized on their image of modern couple, mixed, turned towards the humanitarian, in a country where the opinion is much more to them. favorable than in England.
Since their move, the couple have created their foundation, Archewell, and have notably committed to producing programs for Netflix, for $ 100 million (84 million euros), according to several American media, and podcasts for Spotify. Added to this is an announced partnership with the Apple TV + platform, in collaboration with American presenter Oprah Winfrey, who conducted Sunday's interview, during which Meghan and Harry also revealed that they were expecting a little girl, their second child.
The couple are worth gold and "Oprah" has sold, according to the Wall Street Journal, this interview between 7 million and 9 million dollars (up to 7.6 million euros) to CBS, while retaining the rights internationally, a source of juicy income, because a good part of the planet awaits this televisual event.
