“Palace in crisis.” That was the dominant headline in many UK newspapers following Oprah Winfrey’s bombshell interview with Prince Harry and Meghan in which the Duchess of Sussex revealed that a member of the British Royal Family made comments about the skin color of her baby.
In the two-hour, pre-recorded tell-all, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who now live in Santa Barbara, did not only make shocking revelations about racism in the Royal Family but also opened up about their decision to step back from senior royal life.
They spoke about their lives inside the palace, including their mental health, and how the last few years of their relationship have been like. Harry revealed that his father Prince Charles stopped picking his calls following his decision to step aside from royal duties. He, however, said he still has a good relationship with the Queen.
With his security detail removed and his family literally cutting him off financially in the first quarter of 2020, Harry said he had to go for the Netflix and Spotify deals to pay for his security. The only other money he has left is what Princess Diana left him, he told Winfrey.
Buckingham Palace in a statement Wednesday said while some of Meghan’s recollections of events may vary, it will investigate the allegation of racism against a senior royal official privately.
The interview, which dominated international news coverage for days, attracted a blockbuster audience when it was aired in the UK via ITV. The two-hour interview attracted 11.1 million viewers between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m, according to ITV.
The interview, which first aired on CBS, attracted some 17 million audiences, according to the Washington Post. The Wall Street Journal reported that Winfrey’s production company, Harpo, sold the interview right to CBS for a reported fee of between $7 million and $9 million.
In the UK, the interview reportedly cost ITV £1million ($1.3m) to secure. Harry and Meghan were not paid for the interview, according to the WSJ.
Oprah also addressed the subject of money at the start of the interview, noting that: “Before we get into it, I just want to make it clear to everybody that even though we’re neighbors… that there has not been an agreement, you don’t know what I’m going to ask, and there is no subject that’s off-limits and you are not getting paid for this interview,” said Winfrey, who is producing a musical adaptation of “The Color Purple” for Warner Bros.
Prior to the full airing of the interview, Harry and Meghan were accused of monetizing the issues in the palace for money, especially when the couple had previously said they want to live a private life.
