Oprah Winfrey has been criticized for saying she hopes “burying the dead” will help Prince Harry and Meghan Markle finally make “peace” with the royals – a year after the couple’s explosive interview with the host apparently ended had contributed to the family quarrel.
The couple’s relationship with the royal family – particularly Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, who Harry and Meghan were pictured with on Saturday following the death of Queen Elizabeth II – seemed to be breaking up after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they would be stepping down from royal duties and relocating to the United States in early 2020.
But Harry, 37, and Meghan, 41, who are now raising their two children in a $14 million mansion in Los Angeles, California, later spoke about their decision on Oprah’s show.
They made a number of bombastic allegations, including that an unnamed royal had expressed “concerns and conversations” about how dark Archie’s skin would be before he was born, and that Kate once made Meghan cry over a flower girl dress before her wedding to Harry.
The 68-year-old TV personality opened up about where Prince Harry and Prince William stand on Sunday, and she said she is hopeful their grandmother’s tragic loss could bring them back together.
“I think in all families — you know, my father passed away recently, this summer — and when all families come together for a common ceremony, the ritual of burying your dead, there’s an opportunity to make peace,” he said she extra . “And hopefully there will be.”
Now commentators are asking why Oprah has reinserted herself into the ongoing royal family saga given her perceived role in widening the rift between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rest of The Firm.
Her words drew heavy criticism on social media, with many users accusing her of escalating existing tensions after the couple retired from royal life.
Her statement comes more than a year after the couple’s explosive interview with the host (pictured) appeared to have contributed to the family’s spat
Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan, 41, have reunited with Prince William, 40, and his wife Kate Middleton, 40, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. They are seen together on Saturday
Oprah Winfrey said she hopes “burying the dead” will help Prince Harry and Meghan Markle finally make “peace” with the royals
Oprah talks about “burying the dead” and hopes it will help Prince Harry and Meghan make “peace” with the royals. She’s priceless, isn’t she,” said one user. ‘Never questioned a word [Harry and Meghan] said… She calls herself a serious talk show host.’
“Oprah forgets she started it. Maybe an apology would help with peacemaking,” quipped another.
One user commented, “Oprah, you have had many opportunities to ask genuine questions and to challenge some of the things that have been said. But you didn’t. And trying to convince the public that this wasn’t choreographed to the nth degree? come on sister You can’t fool us anymore…’
Some were visibly outraged: “Hey @Oprah if you cared about this family you wouldn’t have given them a platform to belittle the RF family. After your interview, the anger between them spread. So stop the BS talk.’
“Oprah had a gall when she offered Meghan the platform to destroy our Queen and Royal Family — and encouraged her!” read another comment.
Others simply poked fun at Oprah’s perceived hypocrisy, posting memes and GIFs illustrating how the talk show host is now trying to “make an about-face out of the drama she was soaked and bathed in last year.”
Twitter users flocked to Oprah, criticizing her for fabricating and aggravating drama between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the royal family
The Queen, who reigned on the British throne for more than 70 years, died “peacefully” in her sleep last Thursday at the age of 96, and her entire family has reunited following her death.
The two brothers, along with their wives, attended the hordes of grieving fans who lined up outside Windsor Castle on Saturday in what marked the first time the quartet had been seen side-by-side together since March 2020.
During the Oprah interview, which aired in March 2021, Meghan addressed previous rumors that she had brought Kate to tears in the days leading up to her wedding to Prince Harry, explaining, “No, the opposite happened.”
Though she didn’t share many details about the rip, she said the disagreement relates to the flower girls’ dresses.
“I’m not saying that to put anyone down because it’s been a really tough wedding week and she was upset about something,” she told Oprah, adding, “It made me cry and it really hurt my feelings.”
“But she owned it, and she apologized, and she brought me flowers and a letter of apology.”
The couple later spoke about their decision on Oprah’s show – during which they made a series of bombastic allegations against the royals
Now Oprah, 68, has spoken about where Prince Harry and Prince William stand and said she is hopeful the tragic loss of her grandmother could bring them back together
The two brothers, along with their wives, visited grieving fans outside Windsor Castle on Saturday, marking the first time the foursome has been seen together since March 2020
The Queen (seen September 6) died “peacefully” in September aged 96
The siblings’ relationship (seen on Saturday) appeared to be breaking up after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping down from royal duties, leaving the monarchy to relocate to the States in early 2020
During the interview, Meghan also said she felt she was “silenced” by the royals and that she was “given a very clear direction from the moment the world knew she and Harry were dating.” always saying ‘No comment’.”
“I’ve always been outspoken, especially when it comes to women’s rights, and that’s the sad irony of the last four years – I’ve campaigned for women to speak out for so long,” she continued.
She also said it felt like she wasn’t “protected” by them while “other family members” were.
“It wasn’t until we were married and things really took a turn for the worse that I realized that not only was I not being protected, but they were willing to lie to protect other family members,” she explained. “They were unwilling to tell the truth to protect me and my husband.”
During the Oprah interview, which aired in March 2021, Meghan claimed the royals had “expressed concerns and conversations” about how dark Archie’s skin would be before he was born
She also said Kate once made Meghan cry over a flower girl dress before her wedding to Harry. The couple can be seen during the interview
While pregnant with her first child, Meghan claimed some of the royals had expressed concerns about how dark Archie’s skin might look given she’s half black.
“During the months I was pregnant, around the same time, we’ve been talking in parallel about the fact that he won’t be given any security, he won’t be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be, when he is born,” she said.
The couple didn’t say who voiced concerns about Archie’s skin color, but Prince Harry privately told Oprah it wasn’t the Queen or Prince Phillip.
Meghan also revealed she had suicidal thoughts after joining the royal family, telling Oprah, “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. That was a clear and real and scary and constant thought.’
Earlier this year, a royal expert revealed to The Mirror that Kate found it “shameful” when Meghan spoke about her with Oprah, adding that she “won’t forget” how she was treated but wanted to end their feud.
Last December, a source told People magazine that Kate was “really, really upset” by the family’s estrangement.