I wanted to stop history repeating itself: first clip from Harry and Meghan interview
THE Duke of Sussex said he feared “history repeating itself” in a reference to his mother as the first teasers to promote the tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey were revealed.
US television network CBS has released two 30-second excerpts from Oprah With Meghan And Harry: A CBS Primetime Special, which is to air next Sunday night in the States (1am Monday UK time).
Prince Harry told the chat show host his and Meghan’s life had been “unbelievably tough” but “at least we had each other” as he spoke of their decision to quit royal life and move to California.
The first video begins with Oprah asking Meghan if she was “silent or silenced”, with her answer not revealed.
She then asks the duchess: “Almost unsurvivable. Sounds like there was a breaking point?” The clip then quickly cuts to the duke commenting: “My biggest fear was history repeating itself.”
In the second excerpt, Harry says he is grateful to have had Meghan’s support throughout his exit from royal life, while also expressing admiration for what his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, had to endure under similar circumstances.
He tells Winfrey: “I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you, with my wife by my side, because I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for her, going through this process by herself, all those years ago. Because it has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we had each other.”
Winfrey says: “I just want to make it clear to everybody there is no subject that’s off-limits.” She also tells the couple: “You’ve said some pretty shocking things here.”
Diana was stripped of the Her Royal Highness title at the time of her divorce from the Prince of Wales in August 1996. She died in a car accident in Paris the following year. Meghan, who was wearing a £3,600 Giorgio Armani belted gown, tellingly did not speak during the two 30-second clips, with her revelations clearly being held back.
Meghan is expected to speak about “stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood” and “how she is handling life under intense public pressure”.
Last month, Buckingham Palace announced that the couple would not be returning as working members of the royal family. They responded by saying “service is universal”.
Last week Harry appeared on US talk show The Late Late Show, telling host James Corden he would “never walk away” from the royal family and he did “what any husband or father would do” by moving to California.
He insisted he had “stepped back not stepped away” because his mental health was being “destroyed” — and maintained that his “life is public service”. Buckingham Palace has declined to comment about the excerpts.