Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s docuseries, Harry & Meghan, is now streaming in full on Netflix—and in the last three episodes, the former royals reveal a few little-known things about their interview with Oprah.
The two sat down with Oprah in 2021, about a year after they officially exited the royal family. During the interview, they shared some jaw-dropping moments from their tumultuous time in England. From the royal family questioning what Archie’s skin tone would be to Meghan explaining that she had sunk into a deep depression, the conversation rocked the foundation the monarchy is built on.
In Harry & Meghan, the pair first note that they first met Oprah when she stopped by Nottingham Cottage, their home in England. After revealing the small size of the cottage, Harry and Meghan shared Oprah’s take on their space: “Oprah came over for tea, didn’t she?” Harry asks. “And when she came in, she sat down and goes, ‘No one would ever believe it!’” Meghan replies.
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“Oprah had originally reached out to us through the communications director when we were at Kensington Palace,” Meghan says. “There was excitement, I remember that.” Harry takes that opportunity to chime in, noting that Oprah was someone special for Meghan. To which she replies, simply: “It’s Oprah!”
Eventually, after they broke from the family, Harry and Meghan agreed to the interview. “Sitting down with Oprah was a reaction to what had happened that year,” Harry says.
Yet, just days before the interview aired, Buckingham Palace opened an investigation into a bullying claim against Meghan. According to former palace spokesman James Holt, who is interviewed throughout the docuseries, that timing was not accidental. “It was done explicitly because of the Oprah interview,” he says.
“That interview, it was less about setting the record straight than at least filling in the blanks that other people were filling in for us,” Meghan says. “The more distance that came between us having a smaller role with the institution, coming over here, the more of a vacuum was being built. People just genuinely didn’t understand why we left.”
Oprah helped Harry and Meghan expose some of the injustices found within the palace walls. But the public perception still surprised Meghan: “I thought that me being very open about the depression that I experienced and just how extreme that became, I thought that would be the biggest takeaway,” she says. “But it was entirely eclipsed by the conversation surrounding race.”
In the Netflix docuseries, Harry and Meghan are shown viewing the Oprah interview for the very first time. “We didn’t see it until the world saw it,” Meghan reveals. Luckily, their closest supporters were there for them. And, as the docuseries notably shows, that support included a check-in from Beyoncé herself—well before Prince William reached out.
“She wants me to feel safe and protected, she admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability, and she thinks I was selected to break generational curses that need to be healed,” Meghan says of Beyoncé’s message to her.
And the couple was grateful to Oprah for being part of their conversation. “Thank you both for trusting me to share your story,” Oprah said when the interview wrapped up. “Thank you for giving us the space to do it,” Meghan replied.
All six episodes of Harry & Meghan are available on Netflix now.
Cassie Hurwitz (she/her) is an assistant editor at Oprah Daily, where she covers everything from culture to entertainment to lifestyle. She can typically be found in the middle of multiple books and TV shows all at once. Previously, Cassie worked at Parents, Rachael Ray In Season, and Reveal. Her love language is pizza (New York slices, Chicago deep dish, and otherwise).
