The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke of their role within the Royal Family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey will be re-edited following the aftermath of their departure from the Royal Family.
The interview took place last Tuesday, the same day that Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip, was admitted to hospital. Oprah spent two days with the Sussexes filming their primetime interview. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s role within the royal family came to a head last week when they agreed to a tell-all interview with Oprah without consulting the Queen.
The couple decided to then quit royal duties officially. Buckingham Palace took their military and sporting patronages as a result of their choice. The Sussexes live in their £11 million Californian mansions having not visited the UK for almost a year. As a result of the subsequent events between last week’s filming and the stripping of their patronages, the footage will be re-edited. It is believed that the couple spoke about their roles within the royal family which have “significantly” changed since being filmed.
One US TV insider said that CBS would like to re-shoot some of the interviews to discuss the changes that have now taken place. They said: “When the Duke and Duchess spoke, it was never envisaged they would have their patronages taken away. They didn’t see it coming and spoke as they still had roles to play. Now, however, other than their titles, they are to have no role in royal life – a point producers know was not discussed when Winfrey spoke to them. Neither the Sussexes nor the TV crew saw the fallout of their interview leading to this. Harry and Meghan thought they would retain their roles. But things have significantly changed for them since they eagerly sat for Winfrey and poured their hearts out.”
The broadcast will air on March 7 in the US and at 1 am the following day in the UK. Royalists were understandably angered by the tone of the Harry and Meghan’s response – released just minutes after Her Majesty’s announcement – in which they snapped back saying “service is universal” in a parting shot.
The Sussexes’ long-time friend Dean Stott said: “We’re all focusing on them stepping back. I made some comments last year that there are so many positives we can take from this, especially their love for philanthropy. Obviously, them being within the royal spotlight, there’s a lot of protocol and red tape but actually, their decision to step back gives them more opportunity and freedom to do more and help more. So I think [the statement] is probably taken in context. Obviously, that’s been the protocol and what we’ve known up until now. But they’re very much a modern couple and like to do things differently so they see that they can still do a service but in their own way. It keeps one end of the party happy and Harry and Meghan in the position that they can still be in that public limelight but obviously always giving back.”