This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2021/mar/08/harry-meghan-oprah-interview-duke-duchess-sussex-toxic-environment-live-news

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
Harry and Meghan Oprah interview live: Duke of Sussex describes 'toxic environment' of royal life in UK Harry and Meghan live: ITV broadcasts Oprah Winfrey interview in UK
(32 minutes later)
Live coverage of the fallout from revelations by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as ITV prepares to air interview in UK Live coverage of the fallout from revelations by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as the interview airs on UK television
The Duchess said “the reverse happened” and the Duchess of Cambridge later apologised and gave her flowers.
The Cambridge’s have yet to respond to the remarks from the interview.
Back to the interview and the tabloid allegations about her behaviour towards staff members and making the Duchess of Cambridge cry.
The Duchess said that rumour was “a turning point” and “a narrative which didn’t happen”.
The Duchess describes their life now as “peace”, “fulfilling” and “authentic”.
Oprah and Meghan now chat in the couple’s garden where they meet their dog Guy and rescued chickens, who stay in Archie’s Chick Inn.
On perceptions of the royal family, the Duchess said: “I didn’t romanticise any element of it. But I think as Americans, especially, what do you know about the Royals - it’s what you read in fairytales, right?
On her first meeting with the Queen, the Duchess said they went for lunch at The Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Prior to the meeting, Meghan said her husband asked her if she knew how to curtsy.
Meghan admits she married into the royal family “naively”, did not do any research and “did not know what the job was”.
Just to reiterate, Buckingham Palace has yet to comment on the interview, which was first aired in the US last night.
Meghan says on her wedding day she listened to the song “Going To The Chapel” but said it “wasnt our day, it was planned for the world”.
Oprah and Duchess are neighbours and the interview is taking place at a friend’s garden.
Oprah says the questions have not been shown to the couple beforehand.
The interview starts with just the Duchess of Sussex talking to Oprah Winfrey, who admires her baby bump.
The ITV broadcast has started with images of the couple’s wedding in May 2018.
The Sussexes’ interview has raised a lot of issues. What are the questions that need answering?
How will the royal family respond and how will they restore their damaged reputation?
The family and their aides have some challenging questions to answer about why a suicidal Meghan was not supported and given help, and about accusations of racism.
The Queen, known for her calm approach, is never reactive or rash during challenging times, but the allegations mark a crisis point for the monarchy and its future.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have long been vocal campaigners on the issue of mental health so questions remain about their involvement and what their response will be.
Who made the racist comment about how dark the Sussexes’ baby’s skin would be?
The duke and duchess refused to say which member of the royal family had this conversation with Harry while Meghan was pregnant with Archie.
Winfrey later said Harry told her it was not the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh.
-What damage has been done to Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the royal family?
At this stage, the damage could be irreparable. The duke has vowed to try to restore his relationship with his father, the Prince of Wales, and said he hopes he can heal his rift with William in time.
The interview is likely to be seen – by the press or the royals, or both – as an attack on the whole family, and questions will be asked about how William will react to Meghan singling out Kate? Harry has, however, spoken of his closeness to the Queen.
What about Meghan’s father?
The duchess has been estranged from Thomas Markle since her wedding, but Winfrey was not seen questioning her about their relationship in the main programme.
In clips released later, Meghan said she found it difficult to discuss his actions, adding: “I genuinely can’t imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child.”
Buckingham Palace was under pressure to respond to allegations of racism within the highest echelons of the royal family following an interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that threatened to have a devastating effect on the reputation of the monarchy.Buckingham Palace was under pressure to respond to allegations of racism within the highest echelons of the royal family following an interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that threatened to have a devastating effect on the reputation of the monarchy.
Just a reminder the interview will be aired on ITV at 9pm.Just a reminder the interview will be aired on ITV at 9pm.
The Mind mental health charity has issued a statement in response to the television presenter Piers Morgan’s remarks about the Duchess of Sussex.
New Zealand is unlikely to stop having Queen Elizabeth as its head of state anytime soon, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has said, following Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan.
Ardern was asked by a reporter if the interview, and the picture painted of the royal family, had given her pause around New Zealand’s constitutional ties with the royals.
“I’ve said before that, you know, I’ve not sensed an appetite from New Zealanders for significant change in our constitutional arrangements, and I don’t expect that that’s likely to change quickly from New Zealanders.”
The Guardian’s editorial on the saga: heavy is the head that wears the crown.
“In speaking to Ms Winfrey, whose secular authority is greater than any US politician, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are signalling that the English-speaking world now has two royal households to choose from and identify with. One appears to trade in the politics of emotion, feeling people’s pain just as they felt theirs. The other, if one accepts the Sussexes account, is flawed and cruel – and unable to cope with mental suffering.”
The actor Hugh Jackman has given his backing to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex speaking out about mental health.
The novelist Nadifa Mohamed gives her view on the treatment of the Duchess of Sussex by the royal family.
The photographer Misan Harriman has released a new picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as he congratulated them on their news that they are expecting a baby girl.
“What wonderful news to celebrate on International Women’s Day! Congratulations my friends, and welcome to the girldad club H” he tweeted, alongside a black and white photo of the couple with their son, Archie.
The couple announced they were expecting a second child with an image shot by Harriman, a long-time friend, last month.
About 17.1 million Americans watched Oprah Winfrey’s television interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the broadcaster CBS said.
CBS said Sunday’s two-hour interview drew the biggest audience for any entertainment special since the Oscars telecast in February 2020, which was watched by 23.6 million viewers.
It was also the most-watched non-Super Bowl event on a Sunday in prime time for more than a year, CBS said.
The National Football League’s Super Bowl regularly draws an audience of about 100 million and is the highest-rated TV event in the US.
A YouGov poll finds that nearly half of people questioned in the UK believe the interview is “inappropriate”.
The Duchess of Sussex’s allegation that concerns were raised with Prince Harry about the skin colour of their baby when she was pregnant will probably have been the most shocking for a US audience to hear, where discussion of colourism is widespread.
But experts in the UK argue the comments would also resonate deeply across the Atlantic. Though it is not recognised as such, colourism is a significant issue in the UK too, they said.
In the interview with Oprah Winfrey, which first aired in the US on Sunday, Meghan said conversations were had about how dark Archie’s skin might be when he was born. Meghan and Harry declined to say who expressed those concerns.
Aisha Phoenix, a researcher on colourism, Islam, and belonging at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, said: “Colourism in general is a taboo topic and until recently people haven’t wanted to talk about it in the UK. Beyond those who have experienced it, there wasn’t the recognition that it actually existed and there was no body of research to draw on. Because it hadn’t been researched, some people assumed that it wasn’t an issue.”
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing live blog covering the fallout from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, which was aired in the US on Sunday night.
The interview will be broadcast in the UK on ITV at 9pm GMT, which we will be live blogging here.
Some of the main headlines from the broadcast include Prince Harry saying that racism was a “large part” of the couple’s decision to leave the UK last year and start a new life in the US.
Oprah has also disclosed that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were not behind comments about the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s child.