Meghan's mental health had deteriorated and she revealed that she even contemplated suicide.
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.
"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."
The core message of Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview: Racism drove us from the royal familyhttps://t.co/TonXsWA6J1
— TIME (@TIME) March 8, 2021
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.”
"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.
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.
Meghan Markle debunks the reports that she made Kate Middleton cry, saying that it was the other way around:
— Alexander Umeakubuike ✊🏿 (@AUmeakubuike) March 8, 2021
"The reverse happened. She was upset about something. She owned it and bought me flowers."#OprahMeghanHarry
pic.twitter.com/oa0c4RTfzK
She said, “They really seemed to want a narrative of a hero and a villain.” Of course, Meghan was the villain.
A few side by side headlines of the attitude of the press when they are focusing on Meghan in comparison to Kate. pic.twitter.com/agV5PjlVZU
— Tombo (@tombo_youtube) March 1, 2021
"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."
Prince Harry revealed that the royal family cut him off financially after he and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, announced that they would be stepping back from official royal duties. https://t.co/V9L9ghHQ7B
— CNN International (@cnni) March 8, 2021
“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.
The royal family announcing the investigation into Meghan Markle’s behaviour and not Prince Andrew’s affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein is all you need to know about this organization and what it stands for #HarryandMeghanonOprah
— Whoops™️ (@leyla_verdier) March 8, 2021
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.
Oprah reacts to Meghan Markle revealing somebody in the Royal Family was concerned about how dark Archie's skin color might be.#OprahMeghanHarry
— Alexander Umeakubuike ✊🏿 (@AUmeakubuike) March 8, 2021
pic.twitter.com/V4C2FUxAVY
“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.
'I DIDN'T WANT TO BE ALIVE ANYMORE': Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and husband Prince Harry tell Oprah Winfrey how life within the U.K. royal family left her on the brink of suicide amid accusations of racism, silencing, before their decision to step away. https://t.co/O5YZUJ945D pic.twitter.com/TcYcIktLoB
— ABC News (@ABC) March 8, 2021
"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.
Piers Morgan, the poster boy for racism and hate in the UK. #OprahMeghanHarry https://t.co/zupMIf2Pz0
— Boniface Mwangi (@bonifacemwangi) March 8, 2021
They left their positions in the family simply because of a “lack of support and lack of understanding."
Prince Harry: “My family cut me off financially & I had to pay for security for us. But I have what my mum left me. I think she saw this coming!”
— Gerry Stergiopoulos (@GerryGreek) March 8, 2021
She sure did. It is so evident that Harry inherited Diana's free spirit & also wears his heart on his sleeve. #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/wxFyc3uZfp
Along with the added pressure of "racism and social media."
#EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry reveals to @Oprah a “large part of” the reason he and Meghan left the UK was because of racism. #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/ksAZWargg1
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) March 8, 2021
"Can you imagine how little sense that makes?" she told Oprah. "I left everything because I love him."
i hope meghan and harry name their daughter diana so i can watch the monarchy collapse in real time. #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/64PKNnEYEp
— 𝔸𝕢𝕚𝕚𝕝👨⚕️ (@aqiil001) March 8, 2021
"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."
Princess Diana didn’t even know that she was speaking for her future daughter in law Meghan #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/vzQoY7sHdX
— Favbreed (@Favbreed1) March 8, 2021
"Greater than any fairytale you've ever read."
Meghan and Harry are having a baby girl ✨ pic.twitter.com/zkDjUlTCj1
— boohoo (@boohoo) March 8, 2021