Meghan Markle’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey has reportedly been in the works for three years as the legendary talk show host played “a long game”.
The Duchess of Sussex is due to appear in a 90-minute special on US TV with Oprah for a no-holds-barred chat on subjects including royal life, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work and “how she is handling life under intense public pressure”.
Prince Harry will then join the conversation, in a March 7 television date that has created “a great deal of nervousness” at Buckingham Palace, a royal insider told The Mirror.
The Duchess’s decision to open up publicly came after a “three-year courtship by the chatshow host”, The Times reports.
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Oprah, 67, came into Meghan’s life in early 2018, having reportedly got in touch through the US TV network, CBS.
It is understood that when the American network first got in touch there was no talk of an interview, but Oprah was happy to offer the Duchess friendship and guidance.
“Winfrey played a long game,” said The Times. “For some time neither spoke about doing an interview.”
The Queen of TV spoke with Meghan over the phone and when she was later in London, she was invited by Meghan to meet her at Kensington Palace in March — the only time the pair met before Meghan and Harry’s wedding in May, according to The Times.
A few months later, Oprah was revealed as a “friend of the couple” and last-minute wedding guest, sparking speculation that an interview could be on the cards.
The Duchess was flattered to be courted by one of America’s most famous TV stars and was visibly excited when Oprah texted her after the wedding, The Times reported.
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By last year, Meghan had reportedly agreed in principle to do an interview.
Oprah and Meghan are close friends and neighbours in California. In December, Meghan reportedly “angered the Palace” by having Oprah promote her favoured coffee brand on Instagram.
Palace insiders told The Mirror that there were “more than a few raised eyebrows” as it emerged that the Duchess had invested in the oat-milk latte start-up Clevr Blends.
The announcement of the interview this week came just days after Meghan’s High Court privacy win and mere hours after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed they are expecting their second child.
One royal source told The Mirror: “One only has to look at the previous instalments of the tell-all interview to know these things never end up with a wholly positive experience for any party.
“Everyone will be watching with intense interest.”
Meghan and Prince Harry moved to California with their son Archie, one, last year after quitting the Royal Family.
And it could mean Meghan and Harry now have “no way back to official royal duties”, royal sources told the Daily Mail.
The couple could lose all their royal patronages if the Queen asks them to give up their links with organisations passed down through the royal family.
If asked by the Queen to relinquish such ties, Harry, 36, will be stripped of his three remaining honorary military titles.
It could even mean he would have to give up his patronages with the Rugby Football Union, Rugby Football League, and the London Marathon.
For Meghan, 39, it would mean stepping down as a patron of the National Theatre, a role she was given in 2019 after being held by the Queen for 45 years.
It is unknown whether the couple would have to forfeit their link with the Commonwealth, but Daily Mail sources suggested they are likely be forced to give this up too.
Buckingham Palace would not comment on the couple’s Oprah interview.
But royal sources revealed Harry and Meghan had not told senior aides they were doing the chat show, The Sun reports. An insider said media commitments were a matter for the couple.
As non working members of the royal family, they are under no obligation to inform the royal household of their plans.
The interview titled Oprah with Meghan and Harry will air on CBS on March 7.
CBS said in a statement: “Winfrey will speak with Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, in a wide-ranging interview, covering everything from stepping into life as a Royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is handling life under intense public pressure.
“Later, the two are joined by Prince Harry as they speak about their move to the US and their future hopes and dreams for their expanding family.”
It comes after senior royal aides appeared to be caught on the hop when Meg and Harry made their baby announcement on Sunday.
Piers Morgan today blasted the couple as “shameless, brazen hypocrites” for their pregnancy announcement photo. The Good Morning Britain firebrand said the couple “crave attention and publicity” after quitting royal duties.
He said the announcement of the Oprah special was “beyond parody”.
The TV deal announcement comes days after Meghan won her privacy battle at the High Court.
A High Court judge ruled the Mail on Sunday breached her privacy when it printed extracts of a five-page letter she wrote to her father Thomas, 76.
The Duchess opened up about her struggles with the media and being part of the royal family in 2018. Meghan fought back tears as she told ITV’s Tom Bradby it was “very real thing to be going through behind the scenes”.
Yesterday, Harry and Meghan shared a black-and-white picture of themselves under a tree as they announced they were expecting.
The picture showed a shoeless Harry resting his hand on Meghan’s head as she cradles her bump.
The news comes just months after Meghan revealed her “unbearable grief” after suffering a miscarriage in July.
Their spokesman added: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”
The Queen and the rest of the royal family were said to be “delighted” at the news — with the baby due later this year.
Palace sources confirmed the royals had been told Meghan was pregnant ahead of the announcement to the press.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and the entire family are delighted and wish them well.”
Rumours had been circulating that Meghan was pregnant after she had been pictured wearing a long overcoat in Los Angeles during hot weather.
The new arrival is set to be the first senior royal to be born outside of Britain since Prince Philip 100 years ago and eligible to be a US citizen as well as in the British royal line of succession.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and is published here with permission.
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2021-02-16 13:37:56Z
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