Royals

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 1st TV Interview Since Royal Exit: Everything We Learned

March 7, 2021

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle First TV Interview Since Royal Exit Everything We Learned — YouTube

Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, announced their decision to step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020. They completed their duties in March of that year and relocated to her native California to live with their now 22-month-old son, Archie. The pair told Queen Elizabeth II that they would “not be returning as working members of the royal family” in February.

“Following conversations with the duke, the queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” a statement from the Buckingham Palace read. “The honorary military appointments and royal patronages held by the duke and duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty before being redistributed among working members of the royal family.”

The palace noted that the royal family was “saddened by their decision,” yet Harry and Meghan “remain much-loved members of the family.”

The prince and the former actress’ spokesperson said in a statement at the time that they are still “committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role.” They concluded that everyone can “live a life of service” because “service is universal.”

Us reported in February that Prince William and Duchess Kate were “appalled” by Harry and Meghan’s decision to tell all in the CBS interview. “It’s just beyond the pale for William and Kate, especially in light of the dreadful timing with [Prince] Philip in the hospital,” a source revealed. “They are utterly aghast.”

Is Prince Harry refusing to mend relationships with the Royal Family? Us Weekly editors dish the details with True Royalty TV Editor-in-Chief Nick Bullen.

Harry and Meghan, who tied the knot in May 2018, confirmed in February that she is pregnant with baby No. 2. She previously opened up in November 2020 about suffering a miscarriage that July.

Scroll through the gallery below to see all the revelations from their interview.

Credit: YouTube

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 1st TV Interview Since Royal Exit: Everything We Learned

Their side of events. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle covered a variety of topics during their first TV interview since their royal exit. The couple, who are expecting their second child together, sat down with CBS for an expansive special, which aired on Sunday, March 7. Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, announced their decision to step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020. They completed their duties in March of that year and relocated to her native California to live with their now 22-month-old son, Archie. The pair told Queen Elizabeth II that they would “not be returning as working members of the royal family” in February. [jwplayer xiXk0WPe] “Following conversations with the duke, the queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” a statement from the Buckingham Palace read. “The honorary military appointments and royal patronages held by the duke and duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty before being redistributed among working members of the royal family.” The palace noted that the royal family was “saddened by their decision,” yet Harry and Meghan “remain much-loved members of the family.” The prince and the former actress’ spokesperson said in a statement at the time that they are still “committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role.” They concluded that everyone can “live a life of service” because “service is universal.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z15aFel7Tk Us reported in February that Prince William and Duchess Kate were “appalled” by Harry and Meghan’s decision to tell all in the CBS interview. “It’s just beyond the pale for William and Kate, especially in light of the dreadful timing with [Prince] Philip in the hospital,” a source revealed. “They are utterly aghast.” Is Prince Harry refusing to mend relationships with the Royal Family? Us Weekly editors dish the details with True Royalty TV Editor-in-Chief Nick Bullen. Harry and Meghan, who tied the knot in May 2018, confirmed in February that she is pregnant with baby No. 2. She previously opened up in November 2020 about suffering a miscarriage that July. Scroll through the gallery below to see all the revelations from their interview.

Credit: YouTube

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 1st TV Interview Since Royal Exit: Everything We Learned

Their side of events. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle covered a variety of topics during their first TV interview since their royal exit. The couple, who are expecting their second child together, sat down with CBS for an expansive special, which aired on Sunday, March 7. Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, announced their decision to step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020. They completed their duties in March of that year and relocated to her native California to live with their now 22-month-old son, Archie. The pair told Queen Elizabeth II that they would “not be returning as working members of the royal family” in February. [jwplayer xiXk0WPe] “Following conversations with the duke, the queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” a statement from the Buckingham Palace read. “The honorary military appointments and royal patronages held by the duke and duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty before being redistributed among working members of the royal family.” The palace noted that the royal family was “saddened by their decision,” yet Harry and Meghan “remain much-loved members of the family.” The prince and the former actress’ spokesperson said in a statement at the time that they are still “committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role.” They concluded that everyone can “live a life of service” because “service is universal.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z15aFel7Tk Us reported in February that Prince William and Duchess Kate were “appalled” by Harry and Meghan’s decision to tell all in the CBS interview. “It’s just beyond the pale for William and Kate, especially in light of the dreadful timing with [Prince] Philip in the hospital,” a source revealed. “They are utterly aghast.” Is Prince Harry refusing to mend relationships with the Royal Family? Us Weekly editors dish the details with True Royalty TV Editor-in-Chief Nick Bullen. Harry and Meghan, who tied the knot in May 2018, confirmed in February that she is pregnant with baby No. 2. She previously opened up in November 2020 about suffering a miscarriage that July. Scroll through the gallery below to see all the revelations from their interview.

Credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/Shutterstock

Saving Each Other

After Harry said that his wife “without question” has saved him in many ways, she believes he did the same for her and for their son. “I think that's lovely. I would disagree. I think he saved all of us, right? He ultimately called it and was like, ‘We've got to find a way for us, for Archie,’” she said. “And you made a decision that saved — certainly saved my life and saved all of us. But, you know, you need to want to be saved.”

Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Any Regrets?

Meghan said she regrets believing the royal family when they said she’d be protected. “I regret believing that because I think, had I really seen that that wasn't happening, I would have been able to do more. But I think I wasn't supposed to see it,” she shared on Sunday. “I wasn't supposed to know. And now, because we're actually on the other side, we've actually, not just survived but are thriving.”

Credit: Shutterstock

Harry and William Today

“As I've said before, I love William to bits. He's my brother. We've been through hell together,” Harry said. “I mean, we have a shared experience. But we're on different paths. … The relationship is space, at the moment. And, you know, time heals all things, hopefully.”

Credit: Joe Pugliese

Why They Left

The pair shared that they left their senior royal duties because they wanted to "take a breath," Harry said. "My biggest concern was history repeating itself. ... What I was seeing was history repeating itself."

He added that with race and social media also added, it had the potential to get very scary. "I think the biggest turning point for me was this union, us, me having a girlfriend, was going to be a thing. Of course, it was," he said, noting that he didn't even realize how much racism would come at Meghan. "[We left because of] lack of support and lack of understanding."

Credit: Shutterstock

A Blindside?

Queen Elizabeth II was not blindsided by their exit, Harry said, but thinks the report about that probably came from "within the institution."

Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Charles and Harry's Relationship

Harry revealed his father "stopped taking" his calls after Harry detailed their plans to exit in a written statement before it was made public. As for why Prince Charles did that, Harry said, "I took matters into my own hands."

After their exit, Harry revealed he was "cut off" financially and has been living off an inheritance from his late mother. He is hopeful that in time, they can repair his relationship with Charles: "I feel really let down, because he's been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like, and Archie's his grandson. I will always love him, but there's a lot of hurt that's happened. And I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship."

Credit: CBS

Suicidal Thoughts

In January 2019, Meghan sought help for suicidal thoughts following so much negative press in the U.K. "Look, I was really ashamed to have to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, but I knew that if I didn’t say that I would do it,” she shared. “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore."

Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Baby No. 2

When Harry joined the interview, the pair revealed that their second child, due in the summer, will be a girl.

Credit: Shutterstock

Archie’s Skin Color

During the interview, Meghan says the royal family didn’t want to make Archie a prince and refused to give him security. She revealed that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born. … and what that would mean or look like.”

Meghan didn’t want to say who specifically had that conversation with Harry, but it was then relayed to her.

Credit: Shutterstock

A Gift From the Queen

"The Queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me," she shared, noting that during their first joint appearance, Elizabeth gave her a pair of pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. She also recounted Her Majesty sharing her blanket with her.

Credit: CBS

Not Leaving the House

Meghan shared that she wasn't allowed to meet her friends for lunch because The Firm advised against it. At one point, they told her she was "everywhere," so she should lay low. Meghan noted, "I said, 'I've left the house twice in four months.'"

Credit: NIC BOTHMA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

What Happened With Kate?

"The reverse of that happened," Meghan said, revealing that she and Kate didn't have a "confrontation" and her sister-in-law apologized and brought her flowers after their disagreement, "A few days before the wedding she was upset about flower girl dresses and it made me cry. It really hurt my feelings."

Meghan said it was "hard to get over" the fact that the story had been turned around. "I'm not sharing that piece about Kate in any way to be despairing about her. ... I would hope that she would have wanted that corrected. Maybe that, in the same way, they wouldn't let anyone negate it, they wouldn't let her. She's a good person. If you love me, you don't have to hate her."

Credit: CBS

When Everything Changed

Six months after her wedding, Meghan read a report that she had made Duchess Kate cry during the wedding. That was the first "turning point" for her and her relationship with the royal family.

Credit: CBS (2)

Archie's Chick Inn

"I just love rescuing," Meghan said while feeding chickens at her home in L.A. with Harry. The couple have a barn in their yard with a sign that reads, "Archie's Chick Inn" on the front.

Credit: Brian Lawless/AP/Shutterstock

An Early Wedding

"Three days before our wedding, we got married," Meghan shared, revealing it took place in their backyard three days before the giant May 2018 ceremony.

Credit: CBS

Do You Know How to Curtsy?

Meghan recounted meeting Her Majesty for the first time, thinking she was just meeting her boyfriend's grandmother. While in the car on the way, Harry asked if she knew how to curtsy. "He goes, 'Right, do you know how to curtsy?' Now, I thought genuinely that that was what happens outside," she shared. "I didn't think that's what happens inside. And I said, 'But it's your grandmother.' He goes, 'It's the queen.'"

She then revealed that Harry and Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson helped her practice in the parking lot before she went inside to meet Queen Elizabeth II for the first time.

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