In 2018, Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, a bi-racial American actress. They became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. For the first few years of their marriage, Meghan was mercilessly slandered by the British press. She was criticized for things as small as her clothes and the way she sat. And, of course, she was criticized for her race.
In the spring of last year, the couple stepped back from their title and relocated to Southern California with the hopes of pursuing a more “normal” life. This stirred up more negative press for Meghan and seemingly strained the relationship between the couple and the rest of the royal family.
Assumingly with the hopes of clearing up all the misconceptions, the couple just released a two-hour-long interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired on CBS. A lot was discussed and explained during the interview, but here are the main takeaways.
- Meghan had serious thoughts of suicide during her pregnancy with their first child, Archie. As she began to understand what this new royal life would really mean, she felt like she “no longer wanted to be alive”.
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Meghan admitted that she asked for help several times from senior members of the family, and was consistently denied. The couple explained that the family’s refusal to help Meghan during such a desperate time was really a turning point for them.
- Meghan claimed that the royal family refused to make Archie a prince– and expressed her concerns that the decision may have been racially driven.
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Meghan explained that while she was pregnant with Archie, she was informed that he would not be given the prince title that he hereditarily deserved. The couple explained that the title of “prince” or “princess” also comes with other benefits– like protection and security. Without the title of prince, Archie wouldn’t be given that either. She added that she was never given any explanation for this tradition-breaking news. Instead, she was left with concerns that this decision was made based on Meghan’s, and therefore Archie’s, race.
- The royal family had “concerns and conversations” over how dark Archie’s skin would be.
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Meghan admitted that within the royal family, there were various “concerns and conversations” over the baby’s skin color. However, she refused to give specific names of those who had these concerns, as she worried that it would be “damaging” to them.
- Protection, safety, and security were the couple’s biggest reasons for leaving Britain.
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As the family learned that their unborn son wouldn’t be given a royal title or any kind of official security, they obviously began to worry for his safety. In addition, as Meghan’s mental health declined, she became a danger to herself and was denied any help with it. These were the leading reasons for their move out of England.
- Harry claimed that he was “trapped” within the system– and that his relatives are too.
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Harry explained that his marriage to Meghan helped him to see just how trapped and controlled he was. Although he admitted that he probably wouldn’t have ever left if not for Meghan, he is ultimately thankful for his new understanding.
- The couple didn’t blindside the family– and never planned to quit their roles entirely.
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Contrary to the way the situation is widely described in the media, the couple did not intend to entirely leave their roles within the royal family. They only wanted to step back from the limelight, and instead, play less prominent roles like many other distant family members do. They explained that they didn’t receive the support that they needed in order to make this possible, and that ultimately is what caused their full resignation from their roles. They also explained that their updated status wasn’t a blindside to the rest of the family like most media outlets had portrayed it to be.
- On a lighter note, they’re having a baby girl!
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Meghan is currently pregnant with their second, and supposedly last, child. The baby is due to be born this summer and is a baby girl.