One week after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat down with Oprah Winfrey for their controversial tell-all interview, Gayle King is speaking out to claim that they planned to postpone their interview if Prince Philip, who was hospitalized at the time, passed away.
Philip, the 99 year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth, had been hospitalized since February 16 when the interview aired on March 7. On Wednesday, King claimed that Meghan and Harry filmed their interview before Philip ended up in the hospital, and they never would have aired it if he passed away.
“Well, just so you know, they had done that interview before Prince Phillip went into the hospital,” King said, according to People Magazine. “If something, God forbid, had happened to him, the interview would not have run at this particular time. But the interview was done and was scheduled before he went into the hospital. But a lot of people have raised that point.”
Philip returned home to Windsor Castle on Tuesday after spending four weeks in the hospital for an infection and successful surgery for a pre-existing condition.
As for Harry and Meghan to reveal all about their experiences as royals, King said, “I think that Harry and Meghan both have been through so much for the past three years and they really have tried to work it out privately. They really have tried to get help, and nothing was working.
“So I think they wanted people to have some understanding about why they made the decision that they made and what they’ve been going through, and I do think that they accomplished that. I do,’ she added. “I think it was very brave of her and Harry to reveal what they did. It’s unheard of, and it certainly has been a ‘bombshell’, is the word.”
“‘There were six or seven that night,” King continued. “I stopped counting at six. It was bombshell after bombshell after bombshell, but I do believe it was an honest conversation. I’m hoping it will lead to change.”
During their interview, Meghan claimed that she was hit with racism from within the royal family, claiming that an unnamed senior royal questioned how dark her then-unborn son Archie’s skin would be. Harry refused to name this family member, only saying that it was neither Queen Elizabeth nor Prince Philip. Meghan also claimed that she felt so isolated as a royal that she considered committing suicide at one point during her pregnancy.
The royal family responded two days later in a brief statement released by Buckingham Palace.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the royal family said in a statement obtained by Fox News. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
When asked about the interview by a reporter last week, William replied, “We are very much not a racist family. I haven’t spoken to [Harry] yet, but I will do.”
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