Oprah Was 'Surprised' By Meghan's Racism Claims During Their Interview

Oprah Winfrey is sharing more insight into her explosive interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The media mogul expressed that she was “surprised” that the Duchess of Sussex went “all the way there” with her claims against the tabloids and royal family during Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special.

“I was surprised,” Oprah said during the first episode of The Nancy O’Dell Channel on talkshoplive, “What? You’re going there? You’re going all the way there?”

During the broadcast, Meghan and Harry made some shocking claims. Meghan revealed that she suffered from suicidal thoughts while pregnant with son Archie. She said she was told senior members of “the Institution” told her she could not get help. Harry also revealed that his father, Prince Charles, stopped speaking to him for a time. However, one topic that was particularly controversial was Meghan and Harry’s claims that a member of the royal family expressed concerns about how “dark” their future son Archie’s skin tone would be.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Say Royal Family Had Concerns Over How Dark Archie’s Skin Would Be

“I had no idea that it would have the reverberating impact that it has had and continues to have. I did a lot of preparation for that,” Oprah expressed about the interview’s impact. “It was really important to me that what we put out there in the world was put out into the world at the time that everybody could see it and that things didn’t leak and things weren’t misconstrued before the actual interview happened.”

She added that she remembers when they finished the over-three-hour interview, and told the crew about the importance of not having any of what they heard leaked to the media.

“I stood up and said to the crew, ‘We all know what was said here and how important it is to have a trust to the people who just shared that, so I’m hoping you all will not go out into the world and share what has happened here.’ And nobody did,” Oprah shared. “So as we were releasing clips to CBS, we were releasing them in such a way that whatever was being put out there could not be exploited. So a lot of time and effort and energy went into it on my part.”

Oprah explained that she usually meets with her interviewees prior to their taped interview. However, that was not the case with Meghan and Harry.

Royal Family 'Underestimated' How Much Harry and Meghan Would Share During Oprah Interview (Exclusive)

“I didn’t see Meghan and Harry before but I did text them and say, ‘Intention is very important to me. Tell me what your intention is so that we can be aligned in our goal.’ Our shared intention was the truth,” she said. “They wanted to be able to tell their story and tell it in such a way that allowed them to be as truthful as possible.”

As for what made the interview so “powerful,” she noted, “What makes it powerful is when you have somebody else who is willing to be as open, as vulnerable, as truthful as they were…The reason the interview was what it was was because they answered the way they did.”

Royal expert Katie Nicholl previously told ET that the members of the royal family “underestimated” how much Harry and Meghan would share during their interview.

“They are absolutely horrified about what has been said. They feel that Harry has literally thrown the family under the bus,” she noted. “The allegations came thick and fast and they took everyone by surprise…The royals knew that there was going to be a fallout from this interview, but I don’t think they realized how serious the fallout would be.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Oprah Interview: Unseen Footage Set to Air in UK

Following the interview, Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, expressing: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”

Prince William did briefly touch on the subject, telling reporters while visiting a London school, regarding comments about Archie, “We are very much not a racist family.” He added that she hadn’t “spoken to [Harry] yet,” but planned to do so.

Harry reunited with his family last week for the first time in over a year at his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral.

“It is safe to say there were meetings with family members and certainly Prince Harry did have some time with his grandmother, the queen, before he went back to L.A.,” Nicholl told ET following Philip’s funeral about the family connecting and working out their issues. “It was Prince Charles’ idea to get the boys together after the wake. There really wasn’t any other time as Prince Harry was in self-isolation for the days leading up to the funeral for them to get together.”

Nicholl suggested that things between the family were “not going to be resolved in one or two family meetings,” adding that while this has been an important step, “I think there’s still quite a way to go.”

For more on Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah, see below.

How the Queen and the Royal Family Are Handling Allegations of Racism After Oprah Interview

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