Last year, the world tuned in as Prince Harry and Meghan sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey where the couple shared their struggles within the royal family. However, there’s no longer any evidence of this interview as it’s been entirely scrubbed from the internet. This begs the question, did Winfrey markle her once close friends and interviewees, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?
By any stretch of the imagination, Oprah Winfrey has been one of the most successful television personalities in history. She’s built her reputation, and a dedicated and loyal following, by having a certain level of authenticity and honesty in her show.
But her brand has taken a bit of a hit after her interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who seemingly pulled the wool over her eyes and left her a bit of a laughing stock internationally.
Throughout the interview, the media mogul reacted in shock at Meghan’s allegations of racism within the royal family. Famously uttering, “Whaaaaat?”
She avoided any hard or challenging questions, instead coddling the couple and giving them a sympathetic ear as they complained about their lot in life, the limits of a $25 million inheritance and family fractions and divisions, all of which were mostly of their own making.
Needless to say, the interview did incredibly well and certain small factions of the public lapped up the couple’s victim narrative.
But a year on, Oprah may be regretting her decision.
Sure she made money—however, her reputation has taken a bit of a hit.
As it turns out, she couldn’t really trust Harry and Meghan to tell the truth about, well, anything.
During their interview, the couple told two separate versions of the racism story. Meghan said it was a conversation that happened multiple times while pregnant, but when Harry arrived he said it was one comment made early in their relationship.
Oprah, despite her decades conducting interviews, failed to catch or pounce on this inconsistency. She looks a bit of a fool because of it.
Meghan also used this story to imply that it was the potential color of Archie’s skin tone that determined whether or not he would get a title or security, but then later contradicting herself by admitting that the Letters of Patent precluded Archie from the title of “prince” at this point, since he is not the son of the direct heir.
The couple told her that they got married right before their “spectacle” of a wedding by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He publicly disputed this, explaining that they were legally married at their Windsor wedding.
Then there was Meghan’s alleged mental health crisis, which lacked a certain level of logic and seems more questionable as time goes on.
She claims that she went to the Royal Albert Hall Royal Variety Show, despite telling her husband that she was having suicidal thoughts and couldn’t be left alone. As part of her effort to seek help, she went to the palace’s HR office, a ridiculous idea and pointless exercise.
The royal surely has plenty of doctors on retainer that they could contact discreetly though the Queen’s private secretary. HR handles the palace staff, not royals.
And, once again, Harry kind of inadvertently poked holes in her story by sharing that he never helped her seek help. Did he unconsciously know that her “suicidal thoughts” were merely an attempt to manipulate him and knew there was no point in getting her help she didn’t need?
Who knows, but either way the interview made Oprah look the fool.