Harry and Meghan interview fallout

By Jessie Yeung, Aditi Sangal, Tara John, Zamira Rahim and Christopher Johnson, CNN

Updated 12:11 p.m. ET, March 8, 2021
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9:33 p.m. ET, March 7, 2021

Harry says his father, Prince Charles, stopped taking his calls

Prince Harry and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales applaud while attending the 'International Year of The Reef' 2018 meeting at Fishmongers Hall on February 14, 2018 in London, England.
Prince Harry and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales applaud while attending the 'International Year of The Reef' 2018 meeting at Fishmongers Hall on February 14, 2018 in London, England. Matt Dunham/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry discussed his relationship with his father, Prince Charles, following his move to Canada in early 2020.

Before the couple's public announcement of their stepping back from the royal family, Harry said he had had three conversations with the Queen and two conversations with his father, who is next in line to the British throne, "before he stopped taking my calls," Harry added.

His father asked him to put it in writing, which Harry did -- including specifics like the date they planned to make the announcement

When Oprah Winfrey asked why Prince Charles stopped taking his calls, Harry took a long pause.

"Because by that point, I took matters into my own hands," he replied. "I needed to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody, it's really sad that it's gotten to this point, but I've got to do something, for my own mental health and my wife's. And for Archie's as well, because I could see where this is headed."
9:32 p.m. ET, March 7, 2021

I had to walk "in her shoes" to understand the prejudice she faced, says Harry

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan walk down the stairs of the iconic Opera House to meet people on October 16, 2018.
Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan walk down the stairs of the iconic Opera House to meet people on October 16, 2018. STR/AFP/Getty Images

Prince Harry said he had to walk in Meghan's shoes to understand the scrutiny and bias she faced as a woman of color.

"I've spent many years doing the work and doing my own learning. But then my upbringing and the system, in which I was brought up in, and what I've been exposed to, I wasn't aware of it to start with. But my God, it doesn't take very long to suddenly become aware of it," he said of racial issues.

"It takes living in her shoes, in this instance, for a day or those first eight days to see where it was going to go and how far they were going to take it, and get away with it," he said of the British media's coverage of the Duchess of Sussex.
9:31 p.m. ET, March 7, 2021

Prince Harry: "I was desperate" to stop history repeating itself, but received "no help at all"

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit a township to learn about Youth Employment Services on October 2, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit a township to learn about Youth Employment Services on October 2, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

After Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping back from the royal family, they were told while in California that they would lose their security, the couple revealed in their interview with Oprah Winfrey.

It was due to their "change in status," they said -- though the royal institution admitted that there was no change in the level of threat they faced.

When Winfrey asked what the breaking point was, Harry answered, "I was desperate. I went to all the places I thought of to ask for help -- we both did."

"We're in a lot of pain, you can't provide us with the help we need," Meghan added.

They wanted to take a breath from "this constant barrage," Harry said. "My biggest concern was history repeating itself ... what I was seeing was history repeating itself. But (this is) far more dangerous, because you add race in, you add social media ... "

He clarified that by "history," he was referring to his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, while being pursued by the paparazzi.

"When you see something happening in the same kind of a way, anyone would ask for help ... especially when you know there's a relationship there, they could help you share the truth, call off the dogs, whatever you want to call it," he said.

But instead, they received "no help at all."

9:13 p.m. ET, March 7, 2021

Meghan and Harry are expecting a girl this summer

Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017 in London, England.
Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017 in London, England. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Meghan and Harry revealed in their sit-down with Oprah Winfrey that they are expecting a baby girl.

The baby is due in the summer, Meghan said.

9:10 p.m. ET, March 7, 2021

Meghan ends her one-on-one segment: "I'm still standing" and "life is worth living"

In this handout image released on March 5, Oprah Winfrey interviews Meghan Markle.
In this handout image released on March 5, Oprah Winfrey interviews Meghan Markle. Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese/Getty Images

Oprah Winfrey ended her one-on-one segment with Meghan by asking how she felt about sharing her truth publicly, and whether she was afraid of backlash.

"I'm not going to live my life in fear," Meghan replied. "I don't know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there was an active role that the firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us. At a certain point you're going to go, someone just tell the truth."

"If that comes with a risk of losing things, there's a lot that's been lost already," she added. "I've lost my father, I lost a baby, I nearly lost my name, there's the loss of identity. But I'm still standing, and my hope for people in the takeaway from this, is to know that there's another side -- to know that life is worth living."

9:09 p.m. ET, March 7, 2021

Meghan didn't have access to her passport, driver's license or keys when she joined the royal family

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Cirque du Soleil Premiere Of "TOTEM" at Royal Albert Hall on January 16, 2019 in London, England.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Cirque du Soleil Premiere Of "TOTEM" at Royal Albert Hall on January 16, 2019 in London, England. Paul Grover/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Until she moved away from her royal duties, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said she felt trapped and didn't have her passport, driver's license or keys.

"When I joined that family, that was the last time -- until we came here -- that I saw my passport, my driver's license, my keys. All that gets turned over. I didn't see any of that anymore," she told Oprah Winfrey.

Meghan said she was struggling with the intense pressure and scrutiny and she did not receive help from the royal institution even when she asked to be checked into an institution or seek professional help.

9:03 p.m. ET, March 7, 2021

"I didn't want to be alive anymore," Meghan says of life in the royal family

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit a local farming family, the Woodleys, on October 17, 2018 in Dubbo, Australia.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit a local farming family, the Woodleys, on October 17, 2018 in Dubbo, Australia. Chris Jackson/Pool/Getty Images

Meghan revealed in her interview with Oprah Winfrey that life in the royal family had driven her to suicidal thoughts.

When Winfrey asked if there had been a breaking point, Meghan said yes. "I just didn't see a solution. I would sit up at night, like, I don't understand how all of this is being churned out," she said. "My mom and my friends (were) calling me crying saying, 'Meg, they're not protecting you.'"

"It was all happening just because I was breathing," she said.

It drove her to the verge of despair, she said. "I was really ashamed to say it at the time, and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, because I know how much loss he has suffered, but I knew that if I didn't say it, that I would do it -- and I just didn't want to be alive anymore."
"It was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. I remember how he just cradled me, and ... I went to the institution, and I said I needed to go somewhere to get help ... and I was told that I couldn't."

She went to human resources as well to plead her case for leaving or seeking help, and though they expressed sympathy, they told her there was nothing they could do because she wasn't a paid member of the institution, she was family.

"The way you're describing this, you're trapped and couldn't get help, even though you're on the verge of suicide. That's what you are describing, that's what I'm hearing," said Winfrey.

"Yes," Meghan replied. "That's the truth."

"I share this because there's so many people who are afraid to voice that they need help, and I know how hard it is not just to voice it but to be told no," she said.

9:05 p.m. ET, March 7, 2021

The royal institution did not help when the "real character assassination" began, Meghan says

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on December 25, 2018 in King's Lynn, England.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on December 25, 2018 in King's Lynn, England. Stephen Pond/Getty Images

Meghan said the stories about her making Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, cry were "the beginning of a real character assassination" and the royal institution did not publicly challenge it, despite knowing it was false.

"They would go on the record and negate for the most ridiculous story for anyone," she said. "But the narrative about making Kate cry was the beginning of a real character assassination and they knew it wasn't true. If they're not going to kill things like that, then what are we going to do?" the Duchess of Sussex said in her interview with Oprah Winfrey.
8:49 p.m. ET, March 7, 2021

Royal institution had concerns about "how dark" Archie's skin might be, Meghan said

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose with their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor during a photo call in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019 in Windsor, England.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose with their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor during a photo call in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019 in Windsor, England. Dominic Lipinski/WPA Pool/Getty Images

When Winfrey asked why Meghan thought the royal family didn't want to give Archie a title or security, she revealed that race had been a concern within the institution.

There were several "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he was born," she said.

The family had had those conversations with Harry, which were then related back to her, Meghan said. She declined to reveal who was involved with those conversations.

"That would be very damaging to them," she said.

During her tours and visits to the Commonwealth, she saw "how much it meant to them to be able to see someone who looked like them in this position. And I could never understand how it couldn't be seen as an added benefit, and a reflection of the world today."