London: Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, said there were concerns about how dark her son Archie’s skin would be before his birth and that such worries explained why he was not given the title of prince.
Meghan, whose mother is Black and father is white, said she was naive before she married into the royal family in 2018, but that she ended up having suicidal thoughts and considering self harm after asking for help but getting none.
“They didn’t want him to be a prince or princess, not knowing what the gender would be, which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn’t going to receive security,” Meghan said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on CBS late on Sunday.
“In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of, ‘you won’t be given security, not gonna be given a title’ and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” She declined to say who had aired such concerns. Asked if she was silent or had been silenced, she replied: “The latter”.
Harry: Charles stopped taking my calls
Prince Harry said that his father Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, had stopped taking his calls.
He denied blindsiding his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, saying he had too much respect for her.
“I had three conversations with my grandmother, and two conversations with my father before he stopped taking my calls.
And then he said, can you put this all in writing?”
Asked why Charles had stopped taking his calls, Harry said: “By that point I took matters into my own hands, it was like, I needed to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody. It’s really sad that it’s got to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my own mental health, my wife’s and for Archie’s as well.”
The highly anticipated interview comes amid an acrimonious row between Meghan and Harry on one side and the British monarchy on the other.
The couple, who married in 2018, have stepped down from their royal duties and are starting a new life in the United States.
Their detractors say the couple want the glamour of their positions without the dedication it requires or scrutiny it brings.
To their supporters, their treatment shows how an outdated British institution has lashed out against a modern, biracial woman, with undertones of racism. That accusation is likely to gather momentum in light of Meghan’s comments about her son.
There have also been allegations of bullying against Meghan which first appeared in The Times newspaper in the buildup to the interview.
Buckingham Palace, which has made no comment so far on the interview, said it would investigate the claims, adding it was “very concerned”.
In response to the report, a spokeswoman for Meghan said she was “saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself.”
‘Queen has been wonderful’
Meghan said people within the royal institution not only failed to protect her against malicious claims but lied to protect others.
“It was only once we were married and everything started to really worsen that I came to understand that not only was I not being protected but that they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family,” Meghan said.
“There’s the family, and then there’s the people that are running the institution, those are two separate things and it’s important to be able to compartmentalise that because the queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me.” Meghan denied a newspaper story that she had made Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, cry before the wedding and said it was a turning point in her relations with the media.
“That was a turning point,” Meghan said. Asked if she made Kate cry, Meghan replied: “The reverse happened.” “A few days before the wedding she (Kate) was upset about something, pertaining to yes the issue was correct about the flower girl dresses, and it made me cry. And it really hurt my feelings,” Meghan said.
Meghan told Winfrey she had been naive before her wedding and did not realise what she was marrying into when she joined the British royal family.
“I will say I went into it naively, because I didn’t grow up knowing much about the royal family,” Meghan said.
Meghan explained that she was not being paid for the interview.
Key quotes
Meghan, on son Archie not being a prince or receiving a title: "They didn't want him to be a prince or princess, not knowing what the gender would be, which would be different from protocol, and (said) that he wasn't going to receive security.
"In those months when I was pregnant ... we have in tandem the conversation of, you won't be given security, not gonna be given a title and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."
Meghan declined to name who expressed those concerns: "I think that would be very damaging to them."
Meghan, on considering suicide: "I just didn't want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. And I remember how he (Harry) just cradled me."
She said she went to senior people in the institution to ask for help. "I remember this conversation like it was yesterday, because they said, my heart goes out to you because I see how bad it is, but there's nothing we can do to protect you because you're not a paid employee of the institution.
"This wasn't a choice. This was emails and begging for help, saying very specifically I am concerned for my mental welfare." Asked if she thinkinhg of harming herself, or having suicidal thoughts, she said: "Yes. This was very, very clear ... and very scary."
On her wedding day: “It was like having an out-of-body experience and I was very present for.
“I think we were both really aware, even in advance of that, this, this wasn’t our day, this was the day that was planned for the world.”
On marrying into the royal family: “I will say I went into it naively because I didn’t grow up knowing much about the royal family.”
Meghan, on a newspaper story that she made Prince William's wife Kate cry over flower girls' dresses before Meghan and Harry's wedding: "That was a a turning point." Asked if she made Kate cry: "The reverse happened. A few days before the wedding she was upset about something, pertaining to ... the flower girl dresses, and it made me cry. And it really hurt my feelings."
"There wasn't a confrontation and ... I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that because she apologised, and I forgiven her. What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn't do, but that happened to me."
Meghan, asked if she was silent or had been silenced: "The latter. Everyone in my world was given a very clear directive from the moment the world knew Harry and I were dating to always say no comment." Meghan said she believed she was being protected by the royal institution.
"It was only once we were married and everything started to really worsen that I came to understand that not only was I not being protected but that 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."
Asked if she was not supported by the powers that be, she said: "There's the family, and then there's the people that are running the institution, those are two separate things and it's important to be able to compartmentalise that because the queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me."
