Meghan and Harry: The key revelations from the Oprah interview

8 March 2021, 10:02 | Updated: 8 March 2021, 10:08

The key revelations from Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview

Harry and Meghan’s much anticipated two-hour interview with Oprah Winfrey has been broadcast in the US, unleashing a dramatic set of revelations that could rock the Royal Family.

From Meghan’s struggle with mental health, to accusations that a member of the Royal Family was racist about baby Archie and the fractured relationship between Harry his father Prince Charles, here are the key points.

Read more: How to watch Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Oprah Winfrey interview in the UK

Read more: Harry and Meghan showed 'high degree of honesty' to Oprah, body language expert tells LBC

Meghan’s mental health

The Duchess of Sussex revealed she struggled with suicidal thoughts while inside the Royal Family, saying: “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore”.

Meghan told Oprah said she begged for help and approached one of the most senior people in the institution, but was told going somewhere to get help would not look good.

She told how Harry cradled her when she was in the depths of despair and how she sought help from one of Diana, Princess of Wales' best friends.

Read more: Meghan tells Oprah: 'I just didn't want to be alive anymore'

Meghan Markle reveals to Oprah she had suicidal thoughts

Royal accused of racism

In bombshell revelations, the couple accused an unnamed member of the royal family of racing “concerns and conversations” about “how dark” their son Archie’s skin might be before he was born.

Asked whether there were concerns that her child would be "too brown" and that would be a problem, Meghan said: "If that is the assumption you are making, that is a pretty safe one."

Despite being pushed by Oprah on the issue, both Harry and Meghan refused to reveal which member of the family made the alleged comments.

Read more: 'There's no room for racism in our society': Minister reacts to Harry and Meghan interview

Meghan said naming the person “would be very damaging to them”, while Harry said: "That conversion, I am never going to share. At the time it was awkward, I was a bit shocked."

The duke said he was “hurt” that none of his relatives spoke out in support of Meghan following the racism he said she faced in the media.

'No room for racism': Minister reacts to Harry and Meghan interview

Harry ‘really let down’ by Prince Charles

Harry revealed the extent of the souring in his relationship with his father, the future king Prince Charles.

"I feel really let down because he's been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like - Archie's his grandson,” he told Oprah.

"But at the same time - I will always love him - but there's a lot of hurt that's happened and I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.”

Harry said his father stopped taking his calls while Harry and Meghan were in Canada "because I took matters into my own hands. I needed to do this for my family".

Read more: Harry and Meghan reveal they are having a baby girl during Oprah interview

Relationship with the Cambridges

Neither Harry or Meghan criticised the Cambridges, but Harry said his relationship with his brother “is space at the moment”.

"I love William to bits, he's my brother, we've been through hell together, we have a shared experience, but we were on different paths,” he added.

Read more: Queen stresses importance of family as royal rift deepens amid bombshell Oprah interview

Meghan revealed it was Kate who made her cry ahead of her wedding at a bridesmaid fitting - not the other way round as reported.

The duchess said Kate was "upset about some things and she owned it and apologised" and sent flowers.

She added "everyone in the institution knew that wasn't true" and she hoped Kate "would have wanted that to be corrected", adding "she is a good person".

Prince Harry's friend reacts to Oprah interview

Leaving the Royal Family

Harry blamed the couple’s decision to leave the Royal Family on a “lack of support and a lack of understanding”.

"There were some real obvious signs, before we even got married, that this was going to be really hard,” he said, citing suggestions Meghan should carry on acting "because there was not enough money to pay for her".

Meghan said originally "everyone welcomed" her to the royal setup, but her one regret was "believing them when they said I would be protected".

Harry said he had been "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 added.

Harry added that his family "literally cut me off financially" in the first quarter of 2020 and he went for the Netflix and Spotify deals to pay for his security.

He said he had the money Diana left him and "without that we would not have been able to do this."

Curtsey confusion

Meghan said she had not realised she would have to curtsey to the Queen and practiced with Harry before meeting the monarch.

However, she lavished praise on the monarch and said the Queen gave her "some beautiful pearl earrings and a matching necklace" for the couple's first joint engagement together.

The Duchess of Sussex also revealed she called the Queen when the Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to hospital, "just to check in".

Body language expert assesses Harry and Meghan interview

Harry also denied that he had "blindsided" his grandmother Queen with the bombshell statement about stepping down as senior royal.

The duke said he believed the report probably came from "within the institution".

If you are affected by any of the above and need emotional support then contact the Samaritans helpline 24 hours a day on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch or visit their website.