Harry and meghan interview with oprah full

Revelations about Meghan Markle’s experience as a member of the British royal family were jaw-dropping for the millions of viewers who tuned into her exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. 

During the sit-down, the Duchess of Sussex revealed that scrutiny from the media and feeling ostracized by the family’s staff and the commonwealth led her and her husband, Prince Harry, to ultimately step back from their royal duties and relocate from England to California. Prior to the conversation, which aired on CBS on March 7, neither Markle nor the Duke of Sussex had spoken in detail about their decision.

Reflecting on the explosive conversation, Winfrey said she had no idea how big of an inside scoop she was about to get. “I was as surprised by the bombshell as everybody else. I was doing an interview to offer them a platform to tell their story about why they left, and that was my number one intention,” Winfrey explained to her longtime friend and fellow journalist Gayle King in a Sept. 12 conversation.

The former “Suits” actress and her husband claimed that concerns about their son’s complexion were expressed by family members, and that other racial remarks had been uttered by others. Their allegations were met with shock by Winfrey. Her stunned facial expression even spurred a flurry of memes on social media.

“Some of the things that were revealed to me in that interview came as a surprise to me, and those surprises are now referred to as bombshells, but I did not set out to do a bombshell interview,” she added.

Markle debuted her own podcast, “Archetypes,” on Aug. 23. Her first guest was friend and tennis phenom Serena Williams. Her second guest was Mariah Carey. During their Aug. 30 episode, the legendary vocalist and the Duchess discussed misconceptions they faced while growing up as biracial children, and being called a diva.

Watch the clip of King interviewing Winfrey below.

• Oprah Winfrey spoke to Gayle King about her interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
• She told King she didn't plan for the interview to contain "bombshells."
• Winfrey also wouldn't speculate on the potential for Prince Harry and Prince William to reconcile.

Oprah Winfrey reflected on her 2021 interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in a new interview with Gayle King.

Following Queen Elizabeth II's death on Thursday, Harry and Markle have been unexpectedly reunited with the royal family. The couple appeared alongside the new Prince and Princess of Wales on Saturday, marking the first time Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle have been united publicly in years. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's relationship with Harry's family has been strained since they stepped back as senior members of the royal family in 2020, and their March 2021 interview with Winfrey only distanced them further from the monarchy. 

In the 2021 interview, the couple said members of the royal family made racist remarks about Archie, the firm disregarded Markle's mental-health issues, Kate Middleton made Markle cry during the week of her wedding, and Charles cut the couple off financially following their step back. 

The duke and duchess' revelations have largely been characterized as "bombshells," but Winfrey told King for CBS Mornings on Monday that she didn't intend to glean shocking information from the couple.

"I was as surprised by the bombshell as everybody else," Winfrey said. "I was doing an interview to offer them a platform, to tell their story about why they left."

Winfrey went on to say that she was surprised by some of the information Harry and Markle shared with her, but added that she "didn't set out to do a bombshell interview."

King went on to ask Winfrey if she thinks Prince Harry and Prince William can reconcile in light of the Queen's death. Winfrey responded, "I do not get into people's family matters."

"Everybody who has experienced some challenges in their families with in-laws or brothers or sisters knows how difficult some of those situations can be, and I'm sure that, you know, for the royal family it's no different," she said. "Nobody consults me about their family business, so I try to stay out of people's family business."

Winfrey's comments to King are noticeably different from those she made to Extra's Jenn Lahmers at the Toronto Film Festival when Lahmers asked her if there is potential for the Queen's death to unite the royal family.

"Well, this is what I think, I think in all families — you know, my father passed recently, this summer, and when all families come together for a common ceremony, the ritual of, you know, burying your dead, there's an opportunity for peacemaking," Winfrey told Lahmers. "And hopefully, there will be that."

It's unclear where Harry and Markle stand with the royal family, but they have had positive interactions since the Queen's death in addition to the walkabout at Windsor Castle.

King Charles III extended his love to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in his first speech to the public after becoming king, and Harry "honored" his father as the new monarch in the statement he released about his grandmother's death on Monday.