Meghan Markle’s Oprah Winfrey interview has sparked viral attention, particularly one poignant moment.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals in 2020, followed by a headline-making interview with Oprah Winfrey. Recently, the interview resurfaced in a TikTok video, where Meghan discusses the palace’s alleged refusal to assist her with negative media coverage.
She said: “I did anything they told me to so – of course I did because it was also through the lens of,’ ‘And we’ll protect you.”
She added: “So, even as things started to roll out in the media that I didn’t see – but my friends would call me and say, ‘Meg, this is really bad’ – because I didn’t see it, I’d go, ‘Don’t worry. I’m being protected.’
It followed the famous question Oprah asked: “Were you silent or silenced?” Meghan replied: “The latter.” Oprah probed: “So, how does that work? Were you told by the comms people or the – I don’t know – the institution, were you told to keep silent? Were you told to say nothing?”
Meghan explained: “Everyone from my world was given very clear directive from the moment the world knew Harry and I were dating to always say ‘No comment’.” Elsewhere in the new TikTok video, Meghan was seen talking about how she was refused help for her mental health during her time in the Royal Family.
Meghan said in the clip: “It was all happening just because I was breathing. I went to the institution, and I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help.
“I said that, ‘I’ve never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere’. And I was told that I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
The Duchess of Sussex said she spoke to “one of the most senior people just to get help”. She recalled their response as: “My heart goes out to you, because I see how bad it is, but there’s nothing we can do to protect you because you’re not a paid employee of the institution.”
Meghan added: “This wasn’t a choice. This was emails and begging for help, saying very specifically, ‘I am concerned for my mental welfare’.”
