Duchess tells Oprah interview is ‘liberating’
A new preview clip of the forthcoming interview between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Oprah Winfrey has been released by CBS.
The interview will mark the couple’s first televised interview since they stepped down from their royal duties at the start of last year.
A trailer released on Monday showed Winfrey saying to the couple: “You’ve said some pretty shocking things here,” building anticipation for the interview.
Now, in a clip featuring just Winfrey and Meghan, it has been revealed the TV juggernaut initially approached the duchess for an interview in February or March 2018, before her wedding to Prince Harry.
Winfrey says in the clip: “So I just want to say that I called you Feb or March 2018 before the wedding asking would you please give me an interview – and you said I’m sorry its not the right time and finally we get to sit down and have this conversation.”
The Duchess replies: “I remember that conversation very well, I wasn’t even allowed to have that conversation with you personally,” before claiming that other people were present for the conversation with Winfrey.
Winfrey confirms that other people were indeed in the room at the time and that Meghan had, “turned [her] down nicely”.
Winfrey says: “[You] said perhaps there will be another time when there is the right time. What is right about this time?”
Meghan replies: “Erm, well so many things. That we’re on the other side of a lot of life experience that has happened and also that we have the ability to make our own choices in a way I couldn’t have said yes to you then. That wasn’t my choice to make.
“So as an adult who lived a really independent life to then go into this construct that is different than I think what people imagine it to be, it’s really liberating to be able to have the right and privilege in some ways to be able to say ‘yes’.”
Harry and Meghan have spoken to Winfrey for a two-part primetime special due to be aired by CBS on 7 March.
According to the network, the interview will cover, “everything from stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is handling life under intense public pressure”.
A spokesperson from Buckingham Palace declined to comment after being approached by The Independent.