In the wake of their official step back from the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle granted a revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they described life outside the royal family as almost unsurvivable.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle graced an interview with TV host, Oprah Winfrey, set to air on March 7. The rare appearance of the couple marks their first major interview since stepping down from their duties as senior members of the British royal family.
A preview of the upcoming interview showed the royalties seated side by side while facing their host, ready to spill the beans on all their struggles.
The clip began with the show host asking Markle if she was silenced or simply chose to stay silent. Although the exact topic of discussion was unclear in the 30-seconds footage, Winfrey quickly established that no subject was off-limits.
True to her words, Prince Harry addressed some of the circumstances surrounding his controversial royal exit. His candid words suggested beyond doubt that he had no regrets over escaping the royal hassle with his family and beginning a new life in California. The prince shared:
“I am just really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you, with my wife by my side. Because I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her going through this process by herself all those years ago. It has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we have each other.”
The footage acknowledged Harry’s subtle reference to his mom, the late Princess Diana, by including a photo of her carrying the then-young prince years ago. The Duke made another reference to the late princess, acknowledging that his biggest fear was “history repeating itself.”
Further in the interview, Oprah Winfrey implied that leaving the royal family was an “almost unsurvivable” experience for the duchess, given her shocking revelations. But amid the difficulties came some little victories.
The Sussexes struggles with media spotlights have been a constant bane in their lives
One such victory was her recent lawsuit win against the publisher of a British tabloid, for publicizing excerpts from a personal letter to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, in 2018.
Meghan filed the lawsuit against Associated Newspapers in 2019, following a publication of the private letter on its Mail on Sunday newspaper and MailOnline website. Her suit alleged misuse of private information, noting that the duchess had reasonable expectations of the letter’s contents remaining private.
Following her victory, the “Suits” star, who has experienced her fair share of intrusion by the press, released a statement thanking the court for holding the newspaper company accountable for their dehumanizing practices.
The Sussexes struggles with media spotlights have been a constant bane in their lives since the onset of their relationship. Back in October 2019, the pair opened up about their increasing difficulties with coping with the press.
Their candid outpouring did little to address the dehumanizing media coverage until the duo eventually decided to leave it all behind. They announced their step back from the royal family, and intentions to become financially independent in January 2020.
However, rather than spare their family from the spotlights, the decision seemed to attract more negative publicity to the Sussex royals. The royal family’s open disapproval of the sudden move also fostered more media coverage, making it more challenging for the trio.
Notwithstanding, the Sussexes are hopeful that these arduous times would soon fall behind them. And with such little victories against the dehumanizing practices of the press, their hopes are undoubtedly not misguided.