Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Interview: Every Major Bombshell From the Oprah Conversation

Following its initial broadcast on Sunday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s much anticipated “tell-all” interview with Oprah Winfrey finally aired, and the formerly royal couple did not hold back. The world has been waiting with bated breath to hear Meghan and Harry share their side of the story, explaining why they left the U.K. and stepped down as working royals. They have long maintained that the British press had made life unbearable for them, leading to stepping away from the spotlight, and implied that the rest of the Royal Family had thrown them under the bus in order to deflect from more serious issues.

If you missed the interview, Meghan and Harry spilled plenty of Earl Grey. You can stream it on Paramount+ or tune in on Friday night at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. But in the meantime, here were the biggest bombshells you need to know.

The Narrative With Kate

At the beginning of the interview, Oprah confirmed that Meghan was not told what she would be asked, nothing was off-limits, and the couple was not getting paid. The first major thing that Meghan addressed was the alleged conflict with Kate Middleton.

After the wedding, the media peddled the story that Meghan had made her sister-in-law cry over flower girl dresses. Meghan asserted that the opposite was true, saying that the “narrative with Kate did not happen.” Meghan was the one who was brought to tears, but that Kate wrote her a note and sent her flowers, owning her mistake and Meghan forgave her. When asked about the double standard given to her and Kate, Meghan replied, “So much of what I have seen play out is this idea of polarity. If you love me, you don’t have to hate her. If you love her, you don’t have to hate me.”

She Was Silenced

Meghan also opened up about how she felt like she had been silenced, after always being an advocate for women’s rights. “Everyone in my life was given a very clear directive to always say ‘no comment,’ I did anything they told me to do because it was always through the lens of ‘we’ll protect you,’” Meghan explained. When her friends would point out how ugly the tabloids were getting, she would always claim that she was “being protected.” “I believed that. And that was really hard to reconcile, because it was only once we were married and everything started to worsen, that I came to understand that not only was I not protected, they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family.” However, Meghan made sure to say that the Queen had always been “wonderful to me.”

Racism Over Archie

Meghan revealed that they were told that their children would not be titled, and would consequently not have security. While she did not care about the “grandeur,” she was worried about what this would mean for her children’s safety. She was also concerned that the first mixed-race child that was born into the family would be “denied their birthright.”

Meghan also revealed the troubling news that members of the family had “concerns and conversations about how dark [son Archie’s] skin was going to be when he was born.” She did not reveal which members of the family had these conversations with Harry because she did not want to damage them.

Harry added he’s “never going to share” any more about the conversation among the Royal Family about Archie’s skin tone. But he says that conversation started “right at the beginning.”

Meghan Was Suicidal

Meghan revealed that the constant abuse in the media was “almost unsurvivable” and she “just didn’t see a solution.” When she finally realized that she “wasn’t being protected,” she had a shocking revelation: “I didn’t want to be alive anymore.”

When Meghan realized that it “was a very clear and real and frightening, constant thought,” she went to “the Institution” and asked for help. She wanted to seek treatment and was told no by senior members of the royal team. She thought that suicide “would have solved everything for everyone.” She felt trapped and couldn’t get help and explained how they had to go about their duties and pretend that nothing was wrong.

If you or someone you know are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.

They’re Having A Girl

Meghan and Harry revealed that their second child was a girl. They did not announce a name. 

The couple had announced they were expecting a second baby on Valentine’s Day 2021, exactly 37 years after Princess Diana announced her pregnancy, but waited until the interview to reveal the gender of the child.

Meghan and Harry also stated that they would only be having two children, that their family was “the four of us.” 

“What more could you ask for?” Harry said.

Charles Stopped Taking Harry’s Calls

Harry explained that he “never blindsided” his grandmother because he “has too much respect for her.” When Oprah asked where that narrative came from, Harry replied that he would “hazard a guess that [the story] probably could have come from within the institution.”

He then revealed that after he began to voice concerns about the way that the press was treating Meghan and how they were not being supported by The Firm, his father, Prince Charles stopped taking his calls. Harry said that he tried his best to be “transparent” with his family through this process. “I was desperate,” he said earlier in the interview. “I went to all the places which I thought I should go to to ask for help. We both did. Separately and together.”

While Harry admitted that they were speaking again, he said that there was “a lot to work through there” and that “a lot of hurt has happened.”

“I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar and he knows what pain feels like and Archie’s his grandson,” Harry said.

Harry Was Completely Cut Off Financially

Harry also revealed that in early 2020, they were completely cut off financially by the Royal Family.

“But I’ve got what my mum left me,” explained Harry. “I think she saw this coming.”

They claimed that making content deals with Netflix and Spotify wasn’t their original plan at all, but that it was suggested to them by friends. Harry explained that his main motivation for making these business deals was being able to pay for security for his family since it would not be provided to them by the Institution.

Harry And William Are Not Close

While Harry was quick to say how much he loved his brother, William, there was a level of estrangement there.

“As I said before, I love William to bits,” Harry explained. “We’ve been through hell together and we have a shared experience but we are on different paths. The relationship is space at the moment and time heals all things, hopefully.”