Meghan Markle LATEST - ‘Queen should have been told about Oprah’ claims royal expert as Harry ‘upset’ over losing titles
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle should have told the Queen about their ‘explosive’ interview with Oprah Winfrey, a royal expert has claimed.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have agreed to a ‘tell-all’ interview with America’s biggest celebrity interviewer, just weeks before the couple’s Megxit review is due.
Appearing on Lorraine, royal editor Russell Myers, said: “If you’re going to set off a nuclear bomb like this, doing a huge interview which will no doubt garner attention across global networks, the decent thing to do would be to tell the Queen, tell your granny you’re going to do it,” the Daily Mail reported.
Russell continued: “It’s absolutely horrifying news, I would say, for the royal family. The very fact Oprah has been given carte blanche to ask anything, will be making the royal family very, very nervous indeed.
“It’s a funny change of tact when you have been complaining about privacy and intense media scrutiny, to sign up with potentially the chat show queen of the world, to be streamed to millions and millions of people.”
The hypocrisy of the privacy-loving couple signing up for a the 90 minute special, which airs on US TV next month, could prove too much for the Palace to bear and they may now be stripped of all their royal patronages - including Harry’s three beloved military titles.
Buckingham Palace would not comment on the couple’s Oprah interview.
Follow our Harry and Meghan live blog below for the very latest news and gossip about the royal couple…
QUEEN HAS CALLED EMERGENCY MEETING
The Queen has reportedly called an emergency meeting over Meghan and Harry’s royal patronages.
The 94-year-old monarch has ordered emergency talks with royal aides to draw up new plans over which family members will take over the honorary royal roles currently held by her grandson and his wife.
A series of announcements were expected from Buckingham Palace before March 31 - the deadline set last year for a 12 month review of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to quit The Firm.
A royal source said: “There has been much consideration for some time on these matters and they will be settled before March 31.”
PREGNANCY NEWS FOLLOWS MISCARRIAGE
Meghan and Harry’s wonderful news comes just months after Meghan revealed her “unbearable grief” after suffering a miscarriage in July.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, wrote of the moment she knew she was “losing” her second baby in a deeply personal essay for the New York Times.
In the moving piece, she wrote: “After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right.
“I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second. Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand.
“I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal.”
COUPLE’S NOD TO DIANA
The couple announced they are expecting their second child, with a secret nod to Princess Diana.
Meghan and Harry shared a black and white picture of themselves under a tree, with Harry resting his hand on Meghan’s head as she cradles her bump.
But fans on Twitter were quick to point out the meaning behind choosing Valentine’s Day to announce their happy news.
Exactly 37 years ago today Princess Diana and Prince Charles announced they were expecting their second child - Prince Harry.
The news dominated the headlines back in 1984 when they revealed Prince William would become a big brother, and in a secret nod to the peoples’ princess, the Sussexes did the same.
OPRAH INTERVIEW ‘INAPPROPRIATE’
Nearly half of Brits think Meghan and Harry’s explosive Oprah Winfrey interview is “inappropriate”.
According to a YouGov survey, 46 per cent of surveyed Brits said it was inappropriate for the couple to give the interview to discuss their experiences with the Royal Family.
Those in the 50 to 65 age bracket and 65+ bracket were most likely to say they believed the interview was inappropriate.
Another 29% said it was appropriate, with those aged 18 to 24 most likely to say it was OK.
Meanwhile, 25% of those surveyed said they “don’t know”.
ROYAL TRUST CONTINUED
It has been reported Prince Harry still has a good relationship with the Queen despite Megxit, which saw the couple walk away from their roles as senior members of the Royal Family last year.
And Harry, who is widely reported to have a strained relationship with his brother Prince William, is said to be keen not to upset the 94-year-old monarch.
But an insider said: “It’s hardly likely to build bridges but there is always the chance the finished product is very tame.”
ROYAL TRUST
The Queen is putting her faith in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle that they won’t damage the Royal Family in their upcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey.
But royal sources have today said Meghan and Harry will not say anything that undermines the Queen.
Veteran royal watcher Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, told the Express: “The Queen will put faith in the loyalty of her grandson and the fact that he will always be a member of the Royal Family and, she will hope, won’t want to damage the monarchy.”
He added: “This isn’t going to be an unscripted interview. It’s going to be carefully thought out and choreographed. But looking at the history of royal interviews, you just wonder if this will trip them.”
MEGHAN’S PREGNANCY DRESS
Meghan Markle wore a bespoke Carolina Herrera dress in the portrait which accompanied her pregnancy news with Prince Harry.
The floaty, floor-length dress was one of several made especially for the Duchess by the Venezuelan-American label during her first pregnancy with Archie, which she has never publicly worn before, the Evening Standard reports.
100TH BIRTHDAY NO SHOW
Prince Harry is likely to miss the Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday after announcing he is expecting a second child with wife Meghan.
He is also expected to miss Trooping the Colour in June.
But, Harry still hopes to attend the unveiling of his mother’s statue at Kensington Palace on July 1, which would have been her 60th birthday.
EIGHTH IN LINE
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s new baby will be eighth in line to the throne.
The first seven places will remain unchanged — the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Harry, and Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
Harry has retained his place in the line of succession despite quitting royal life.
The baby boy or girl will enter the line of succession behind their older brother Archie.
COULD IT BE TWINS?
A number of bookies have cut the odds on Meghan and Harry welcoming twins.
A spokesman for mybettingsites.co.uk said: “It’s the size of Meghan’s fast-growing baby bump that has fuelled suspicion that she is actually much further along in her pregnancy, or due twins, making May the most popular bet for the birth.”
POSSIBLE MAY DUE DATE
Odds have been slashed on Meghan Markle being further along in her pregnancy than expected.
Usually, according to Royal protocol, an announcement is made around the three-month mark.
However, May is now the clear favourite in the betting race as odds are as short as 4/9 (an implied probability of 69.2 per cent), ahead of April at 6/4 (40 per cent).
In the last 24 hours, an impressive 78 per cent of all bets have been on a May birth, according to mybettingsites.co.uk.
WHERE WILL THE COUPLE’S SECOND BABY BE BORN?
The couple confirmed they were expecting their second child with a black and white picture of themselves under a tree.
Their due date is not known, but the birth will be a little different now that Meghan and Harry live in California.
HELLO reports they could consider several luxury options including Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles where Kim Kardashian and Victoria Beckham have delivered children.
Other options include The BirthPlace, Santa Monica, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, The Natural Birth Center, and The Portland Hospital if they decide to return to the UK.
BURDEN IS ON MEGHAN TO ‘MAKE THINGS RIGHT’
Meghan’s half-sister Samantha has blasted the duchess for “isolating the entire family” saying it’s “only humane” to make things right.
She called for Meghan to resolve things with their father Thomas Markle, adding only the Duchess of Sussex could make things right.
Speaking to Australian morning programme Sunrise, the American said: “I’m hoping that she will resolve things with our father, because it’s only called for. That needs to be repaired.”
The 39-year-old added: “I think the burden is on her - she’s the one that isolated the entire family, and she’s ignored my father since his heart attack.
“It’s only humane to make that right, and no one can do that but her.”
MEGHAN AND FATHER ‘WERE INSEPERABLE’
Meghan and her father Thomas “were inseparable” almost instantly after he birth, according to her sister Samantha.
US Weekly reports that Thomas “wore a lot of hats” in the family at the time and was “both maternal and paternal” toward his youngest daughter.
In her memoir, The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister Part 1, Samantha reveals Thomas called Meghan his “bean”, which meant a beautiful bean that would grow into a beautiful baby.
THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING
The couple’s explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey has reportedly been in the works for three years as they played “a long game”.
The Duchess’s decision to open up publicly came after a “three-year courtship by the chat show host,” The Times reports.
The Times writes: “Winfrey played a long game. For some time neither spoke about doing an interview.”
TELL-ALL OPRAH INTERVIEW
Meghan and Harry will use their tell-all chat with Oprah Winfrey to “get what they want to say off their chests”, it was reported today.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will sit down with the chat show queen in a 90-minute interview to be broadcast next month - with pals of Oprah suggesting “nothing will be off-limits”.
It is believed the couple will use the interview to start a new chapter in their lives as the 12-month Megxit review is finalised.
One source told the Mail the Oprah interview would give the couple the chance to “get whatever it is they want to say off their chests and move on”.
GREAT-AUNT MEGHAN
Meghan Markle is to become a great-aunt after her cannabis-loving nephew revealed his wife is pregnant.
Tyler Dooley, who runs a legal multi-million dollar hemp farm in Medford, Oregon and is the son of Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Jr, announced he’s to become a dad on social media yesterday.
On Instagram, Tyler shared photos of his heavily pregnant wife enjoying a baby shower with friends.
She wore a sash saying “mommy to bee”, while the room was filled with cakes, presents and a banner welcoming the “sweet little bee… on the way”.
MEGHAN ‘LIKES TO TAKE SIDES’
A royal expert has claimed that Meghan Markle’s “most difficult” struggle in fitting in with the Royal Family was that she “likes to take sides”, breaking the royal tradition of impartiality.
Entertainment reporter Ashley Pearson said in the 2020 documentary, Meghan Markle: Changing Traditions, that Meghan’s tendency to voice her opinions has landed her in trouble, the Express reports.
She said: “Meghan is actually engaged and interested in the politics and the storylines of where they’re going.
“I think, in all honesty, one of the most difficult and challenging things in this whole experience for Meghan, is the royal tradition of not taking a side, of not showing your political leaning, of not having opinions.
“That is something that I think Meghan has already and will very much continue to struggle with.”
PROMO FEARS
One of the reasons behind Harry potentially losing his honorary military roles was the fear they would be used to promote his Netflix documentaries and US talk shows, it was reported this week.
A source said: “There would always be a suspicion military titles and patronages could end up being used on a documentary or television show somewhere.
“Is this picture going to be used to promote something next time he has something coming out?
“There will always be that doubt. You can’t allow people to accuse you of doing it for your own interests. It’s unworkable.”
WHICH HONOURS WILL HARRY LOSE?
Prince Harry is expected to lose his honorary military titles in the Megxit review.
Currently, his honours include Captain General of the Royal Marines.
He is also honorary air commandant of RAF Honington in Suffolk and the Royal Navy’s commodore-in-chief of Small Ships and Diving
The Royal also currently wears The Star of the Grand Cross Knight, Commander of the Royal Victorian, Corps badge of the Royal Marines, Shoulder straps featuring silver-embroidered rank badges, and Army Air Corps wings.
His medals include the Knight of the Commander of the Victorian Order, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Queen’s golden Jubilee medal, and the Queen’s diamond Jubilee medal.
UNIFORM BAN
Prince Harry won’t be able to wear his military uniform at official events if stripped of his honorary titles in the Megxit review.
The Duke of Sussex is said to be “upset” at the prospect.
‘YOUTUBER WITH AN INFLATED EGO’
The Sun’s Rod Liddle says “Prince Harry’s acting like some YouTuber with an inflated ego”.
He said Harry is surprised that he’s not going to get to keep his military titles because he is “a bit thick”.
Liddle argues Harry lost the right to those honorary titles when he left the Royal Family.
HOW OLD IS ARCHIE?
Meghan and Harry welcomed their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor on May 6, 2019 - meaning he is 21 months old.
He was christened exactly two months after his birth.
Archie is seventh in line to the throne and is the eighth great-grandchild to Queen Elizabeth II.
The release of the official birth certificate revealed that the young royal was born at Portland Hospital in London at 5.26am.
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Credit: AFP or licensors BROTHERS’ RARE JOINT STATEMENT
At the announcement of Princess Diana’s statue last year, William and Harry released a rare joint statement.
They said: “Our mother touched so many lives.
“We hope the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on her life and her legacy.”
It was the first time the brothers had spoken publicly together since Harry moved to the US with wife Meghan and son Archie after quitting royal life.
