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15 Things We Learned From Oprah's Harry And Meghan Interview

Meghan's mental health had deteriorated and she revealed that she even contemplated suicide.

Source: Twitter/Oprah

It's been a while since Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, decided to break free from tradition and the royal family. In January 2020, the couple announced that they were stepping down from their roles as senior royals. More recently, the two finally broke their silence on what went down from the time Harry and Meghan fell in love to the time they left what they call "The Firm".

As Meghan first joined the monarchy, she went through a lot in terms of how the British media treated her. Quite similar to how the media hounded the late Princess Diana when she was alive. The tabloids seemed hell-bent on scrutinizing every move Meghan made: all you need to do is just open some form of social media platform to see it for yourself. There's so much hate and vitriol for Meghan. It's no wonder she and her husband decided to leave their royal titles behind. Harry is taking on the role of father and husband pretty seriously and giving it precedence over everything else. It seems like he's making this decision to protect his own family, which is now growing with Meghan's recent pregnancy.

The raw, vulnerable, and brave couple sat down with Oprah as part of the much-awaited: CBS Presents Oprah with Meghan and Harry. "(The Duchess) and the Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years," Harry and Meghan's spokesperson said in a statement last week, according to CNN Business.

Here's what we learned from the recent, explosive interview.

1. Oprah was to interview Meghan in 2018

"I remember that conversation very well," Meghan said. "I wasn't even allowed to have that conversation with you personally, right." She indicated that Buckingham Palace communications staff was present. "I couldn't have said yes to you then," Meghan said. "That wasn't my choice to make. So, as an adult who lived a really independent life — to then go into this construct that is... different than I think what people imagine it to be — it's really liberating to be able to have the right and the privilege in some ways to be able to say yes. I mean... I'm ready to talk."



 

2. Meghan never looked up Harry online

According to Buzzfeed, Meghan said, “I’ve never looked up my husband online, I just didn’t feel a need to because everything I feel I needed to know he was sharing with me.”

Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF 100th anniversary flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Grover - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

3. The two got married before the Royal wedding

"This spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us," Meghan told Oprah. They had a private backyard ceremony with the help of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave from the West Door of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Ben STANSALL - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

4. Meghan did not make Kate cry but Kate did

What caused it? An issue over the flower girl dresses. “The reverse happened, and I don’t say that to be disparaging to anyone because it was a really hard week of the wedding and she was upset about something,” Meghan told Oprah.



 

5. Meghan was constantly compared to Kate 

She said, “They really seemed to want a narrative of a hero and a villain.” Of course, Meghan was the villain.



 

6. She thought "The Firm" would protect so she went along with what they wanted

"Not only was I not being protected, but they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family — but they weren’t willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband."



 

7. She said they never bothered denying negative stories about her but protected other members

“I had been asking the institution for help for quite a long time," Meghan told Oprah. However, they weren't willing to "go on the record and negate" bad stories for her — even though they would do the same for "the most ridiculous story" for others.



 

8. Archie's skin color was talked about

Meghan said that there were "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born." Archie wouldn't be a Prince and wouldn't receive any security, the couple was told.



 

9. Meghan contemplated suicide

“I was ashamed to have to admit it to Harry. I knew that if I didn’t say it, I would do it. I just didn’t want to be alive anymore,” she said, painfully.



 

10. The negative media coverage took a toll on her

"I just didn’t see a solution. I would sit up at night and I was just like I don’t understand how all this is being churned out," she said of the negative press.



 

11. Harry also clarified why they left 

They left their positions in the family simply because of a “lack of support and lack of understanding."



 

12. Harry said that he was seeing "history repeat itself" pointing to how Diana was treated

Along with the added pressure of "racism and social media."



 

13. Meghan denied pushing Harry to make the decision to leave

"Can you imagine how little sense that makes?" she told Oprah. "I left everything because I love him."



 

14. Harry did admit that Meghan saved him

"I wouldn't have been able to, I, myself was trapped," he said, "Trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are [...]. They don't get to leave."



 

15. Meghan and Harry are having a baby girl and they're happier than ever to be together

"Greater than any fairytale you've ever read."