LONDON (AP) – Britain and its royal family absorbed the tremors Monday in a sensational television interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, in which the couple said they faced racist attitudes and a lack of support that led the duchess to the thoughts of suicide.
In a two-hour, soul-revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple painted a deeply flattering image of life in the royal household, depicting a cold, indifferent institution that they had to flee to save their lives.
Meghan told Winfrey that at one point “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.” She said she sought help through the palace’s human resources department, but was told she could do nothing.
Meghan, 39, admitted that she was naive at the beginning of her relationship with Harry and unprepared for the rigors of royal life.
The former TV star, who is biracial, said that when she was pregnant with her son, Archie, there were “worries and conversations about how dark his skin could be when he is born”.
Harry confirmed the conversation, saying, “I was a little shocked.” He said he would not reveal who made the comment, although Winfrey said he told her it was none of his grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II, or her husband, Prince Philip.
Harry and Meghan, known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced their resignation last year, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media and moving to North America. This split became official this year, and the interview was widely seen as their first opportunity to explain their decision.
In a clip released Monday that was not aired the night before, Harry reiterated that racism is “a big part” of why the couple left Britain – and blamed the British “tabloid” press.
“Britain is not a fanatic,” he said. “The British press is a fanatic, especially the tabloids.”
The implications for the interview – which aired Sunday night in the United States and will air in the UK on Monday night – are just beginning to be understood. Emily Nash, gift editor at Hello! Magazine said the revelations left her and many other spectators “shocked.”
“I don’t see how the palace can ignore these accusations, they are incredibly serious,” she said. “You have accusations of racism. Then you have the statement that Meghan was not supported and sought help even from the human resources team in the household and was told that she could not seek help. ”
The anti-monarchy group Republic said the interview provided a clearer picture of what the royal family is like – and it’s not beautiful.
“Whether it’s for the sake of Britain or for the sake of young royalty, this rotten institution must work,” said Graham Smith of the campaign group.
Harry, born a royal prince, described how his wife’s experience helped him realize how he and the rest of the family were trapped in a stressful institution.
“I was caught, but I didn’t know I was caught,” Harry said. “My father and my brother are trapped.”
Meghan, he said, “saved me.”
Younger royalty – including Harry, Meghan, Harry’s brother, Prince William and William’s wife, Catherine – have made mental health support and awareness campaigns a priority. But Harry said the royal family was completely unable to offer that support to its own members.
“For the family, they have a lot of this mentality of ‘That’s right, that’s the way it should be, you can’t change it, we’re all gone,'” Harry said.
The couple faced severe criticism in the UK before the interview. Prince Philip, 99, is in a London hospital after recovering from heart surgery, and critics say the decision to move on is a burden for the queen – even if CBS, more rather than Harry and Meghan, they dictated the timing of the broadcast.
In the United States, sympathy for the couple overflowed after the interview. The UK may be less forgiving, as some consider the couple to put personal happiness ahead of public debt.
Tennis star Serena Williams, a friend who attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding, said on Twitter that the duchess’s words “illustrate the pain and cruelty she experienced.”
“The consequences of oppression and systemic victimization on mental health are devastating, isolating and too often lethal,” Williams added.
Meghan – then known as Meghan Markle, who starred in the American TV drama “Suits” – married Harry at Windsor Castle in May 2018.
But even that was not what it seemed: the couple revealed in an interview that they exchanged vows in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby three days before their spectacular wedding ceremony at the castle.
Archie was born the following year and in a rare positive moment in the interview, the couple revealed that their second child, which should be in the summer, will be a girl.
Harry said he lived in fear of repeating the fate of his mother, Princess Diana, who was constantly covered by the press and died in a car accident in Paris in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi.
“What I was seeing was history repeating itself, but certainly more dangerous – because then you add the race and you add social media,” Harry said.
Both Meghan and Harry praised the support they received from the monarch.
“The queen has always been wonderful to me,” Meghan said.
But Harry revealed that he currently has a weak relationship with William and said that things got worse with his father, so that at one point Prince Charles stopped calling him.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Harry said of his relationship with his father. “I am just really disappointed. He went through something similar. He knows how he feels the pain. And Archie is his nephew. I will always love him, but it has been very bad. ”
While the interview clips were distributed online and the British press covered the main points, much of the UK will not see the full interview until Monday night – and many will want to know how the palace of this saga addresses itself. The palace did not respond to the interview.
The royal family has also known the scandal – most recently in connection with Prince Andrew’s friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This led to Andrew, Harry’s uncle, being excluded from royal duties.
“I’m very sad for the queen,” said Ernest Lee, 76, when he was heard in London. “I think she has a lot of problems at the moment, what is happening with one of her sons (Andrew) and scandals, and now her nephew is collapsing, moving away from the royal family. … We have enough problems in this world without people doing more. ”
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If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts, you can get help from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the United States at 1-800-273-8255. Samaritans in the United Kingdom can be contacted on 116 123.