Today marks five years since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex levelled several allegations against the Firm in their interview with Oprah – with one royal expert believing the Royal Family is still reeling from the bombshell chat
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made a series of bombshell moves since they dramatically took a step back from their royal roles in 2020 and relocated to America. But arguably their most explosive came on this day five years ago, when they sat down for an eye-raising TV interview with Oprah Winfrey that sent shockwaves around the world and through the Firm.
The highly-anticipated interview saw the Duke and Duchess of Sussex lift the lid on life behind Palace walls and make several shocking allegations about the Royal Family, and how they were treated during their time as senior working royals.
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One of the biggest talking points that emerged was when they revealed a senior royal has raised concerns about the colour of their unborn son’s skin. Harry also confirmed his relationship with brother Prince William had turned sour and that his father King Charles, then Prince of Wales, had stopped taking his calls.
After a subsequent Netflix docuseries, which also aired similar damning claims about the Royal Family, and Harry’s memoir Spare, the Sussexes appear to have toned down their major attacks at the Firm. But despite their new track, royal expert Jennie Bond believes that even five years on, the repercussions of the unprecedented interview are still very much being felt.
The former BBC royal correspondent previously told the Mirror: “The interview was the catalyst for what appears to be an irreversible rift between Harry and William, and a deeply scarred, almost non-existent relationship with his father. It was also a breach of trust that will be impossible to repair.
“The implied suggestion that certain members of the family were racist cut deep and will never be forgotten. The rift the interview caused probably does work against Harry and Meghan with some potential projects. If it comes to staying onside with either Harry or William, the future King, a lot of people are going to choose William, with all the kudos that kind of connection brings.”
But even though the interview is still causing huge ramifications, Jennie doesn’t believe that the Sussexes regret airing their grievances. She added: “They had a lot to get off their chests and this was a spectacular blood-letting which probably felt good.
“I think, though, that Harry might have regretted the timing of the interview- with his grandfather lying gravely ill in hospital. Now Meghan is making her own way in her celebrity world, and Harry has a number of charitable projects. So I think they’re pretty OK.”
Harry and Meghan recently completed a pseudo-royal trip to Jordan, which another royal commentator believes could have been sending a secret message to the Prince and Princess of Wales, despite their relationship still being tainted from the years of allegations from the Sussexes.
During their two day trip to the Middle East, Harry and Meghan highlighted the humanitarian efforts of the Jordanian authorities and their ongoing work to provide for Syrian and Palestinian refugees. But royal author Ingrid Seward told the Mirror there was more to their trip than meets the eye.
“Their trip to the Middle East appears to be part political, part message – and is it a secret message to William and Kate, or a blatant one?” she said.
“Of course, they [the Sussexes] wouldn’t have known what was going to happen [with Andrew] when they planned the trip, but the not-so-secret message is: ‘We’re here, we can help, we can do this with you’ – and that can only work to Harry and Meghan’s advantage.”
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