Meghan revealed during the seated conversation that life within the Royal Family is so isolating, lonely and lacking in support that she has been having thoughts of suicide. She also said people within the institution had expressed concerns about the color of their son Archie’s skin.
Even before the interview – Meghan’s first since she and her husband announced plans to step down from senior roles in the British royal family – British media had criticized the event. The relationship between the couple and the country’s press, and in particular the newspaper tabloids, has long been tumultuous.
The Daily Mail covered the interview wall to wall and tried to lump all the bombs into one headline like this: “Meghan claims she was suicidal when she was 5 months pregnant, Kate l ’caused him to cry and the Royals refused to make Archie a prince because they were worried about how “dark” he would be, as Harry reveals their new baby will be a GIRL. The web was dominated by coverage, including at least 13 articles on the interview that included photos.
The interview aired Sunday on CBS during prime time in the US and 1 a.m. UK time.
The tabloid’s website also featured a prominent banner that read: “I WANT TO KILL ME,” and featured a looped clip from the interview, which showed Meghan saying, with captions: “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. “
Another post on the website tore up the couple’s discussion during the interview about life in the United States, where they raise chickens.
“Back to basics in their $ 14.5 million mansion,” one headline read.
Monday’s print edition of the Daily Mail, meanwhile, highlighted allegations about concerns about Archie’s skin color: “MEGHAN ACCUSES THE PALACE OF RACISM,” the front page of the report reads. Monday edition of the Daily Mail. While other media used images provided by Harpo Productions, Winfrey’s production company, the Daily Mail chose a tightly cropped image centered on Meghan’s face.
The deluge of stories on the Daily Mail homepage follows a dismissive pre-interview banner headline earlier on Sunday, in which the outlet attempted to castigate the CBS special as “a side show “.
Other newspapers were quick to weigh in on the potential fallout from the interview.
“Meghan Markle may never return to Britain after angering the royals with a bombshell interview with Oprah,” The Sun newspaper wrote, referring to Meghan’s name before the wedding. He quoted “insiders [who] fear that she and Prince Harry may have burned their bridges by failing to tell family members what was in the two-hour conversation before she was shown. “
The post proposed a new nickname for Meghan amid her split from the royal family: ‘Megxile’. Previously, British tabloids had called the couple’s decision to step down from royal duties as “Megxit,” a riff on the term used to describe the UK’s departure from the European Union.
“Queen: duty and family unite us,” reads the front page of the Daily Express newspaper. “This is a public service for you, Harry and Meghan … NOT an interested TV conversation with Oprah.”
Even before the program, British tabloids came armed for the occasion, which was among the biggest royal interviews in decades.
On Monday, the print edition of the Daily Mirror will highlight the “immense sadness” of Charles and William “amid” the fallout from the Oprah interview, “Sky News reported.
The Duke and Duchess have become more and more open about the harsh media scrutiny they have received.
Prince Harry last month told late-night show host James Corden that his experiences made him take a step back from the royal family. “We all know what the British press can look like and it was destroying my sanity,” he said.
And in April last year, Harry and Meghan said they would cut off all relations with four of the UK’s biggest tabloids after years of strained relations. The couple also quarreled with the media in court.
In the interview with Oprah on Sunday, Meghan said it had become painfully clear that there were double standards in the way the media covered her and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Prince William, which is second in line to the British Throne.
“I can see now what layers were in play there. And again, they seemed to really want a hero and villain tale,” Meghan said.
Coverage of the interview with Meghan and Harry was not limited to the tabloids. UK morning shows and news broadcasts also featured prominently on Monday.
How to Get Help: In the United States, call National lifeline for suicide prevention at 1-800-273-8255. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Friends all over the world also provide contact details for crisis centers around the world.
– Brian Stelter contributed to this report.
