Thread by @chrisshipitv

🍿

First up, Meghan says she will reveal whether they are having a boy or a girl when Harry joins Oprah later 👶

Meghan: I didn’t understand what the job was. What does it mean to be a working royal. What do you do?
She also says “I didn’t do any research” before I dated Harry

Megan says when she first met The Queen, it was at Royal Lodge in Windsor. Where “Andrew and Fergie” live.
She said she didn’t realise she had to courtesy to the Queen in private. “But it’s your grandmother?” Fergie came our and helped says Meghan. She did a very “deep courtesy”

Meghan: I grew up in LA – you see celebrities all the time. The Royals - its not the same.
It's a totally different ballgame.
#OprahMeghanHarry

Oprah: What about the story "You made Kate cry?"
Meghan: "I heard about that one. That was a turning point. That was when everything changed.
O: Did you make Kate cry?
M: No. The reverse happened. ... She was upset about something. She owned it and bought me flowers.

Meghan on Kate making HER cry over the wedding flower girl dresses:
Everyone in the institution knew it wasn't true. I am not sharing that piece about Kate to be in any way disparaging about her. I would hope that she would want that to be corrected.

Meghan to Oprah: Kate apologised for making me cry. I have forgiven her. Kate is a "good person".
I can see now what layers were at play there. They really seem to want a narrative of a hero and a villain.
#OprahMeghanHarry

The second part started with Oprah and Meghan feeding chickens that she and Harry had rescued from a battery farm 🐔

💥Meghan: I have always worked. I have always valued independence. I have advocated for so long for women to use their voice. And then I was silent.
Oprah: Were you silent or were you silenced?
Meghan The latter.
#OprahMeghanHarry

Meghan: It was all about how "it looked".
I said 'Has anyone talked about how it feels because right now I couldn’t feel lonlier.'

On the Queen, Meghan said:
I loved being in her company.
She gave me some pearl earring and a matching necklace on the train to Chester.
She has a blanket for warmth in the car and said 'Meghan come on – and she put it over my knees'

Meghan on when she was pregnant:
We had in tandem the conversations of how he won't be given security
And then Meghan says "there were also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he was born."
Oprah says "What?"

On the whole Prince/Princess HRH thing for Archie, Meghan says the convention was actually being changed for their son. "The first baby of colour in this family".
And Prince Harry's son would not be entitled to security.
#OprahMeghanHarry

This is very strong and the Palace will face serious questions:
Meghan: "There were concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie's] skin might be...
Oprah: Who is having that conversation?
M: That was relayed to me from Harry from conversations that family had with him

Meghan: It was only once we were married and everything started to worsen. Not only was I not being protected but they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family. But they were not willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband #OprahMeghanHarry

Meghan says she contemplated suicide:
"I was ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry. But I knew that if I didn’t say it – then I would do it. I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. That was clear and real and frightening and constant thought.

"I thought it would solve everything for everyone" said Meghan of her thought of suicide.
I went to Human Resources but they said: "There is nothing we can do to help you because you are not a paid member of the institution."
Meghan says: "Nothing was ever done."

Meghan says a senior Palace person said she couldn't get treatment because it would look bad:
Meghan: "I went to one of the most senior people to get help. I was told I couldn't because it wouldn't be good for the institution."

Meghan: We had to go to this event at the Royal Albert Hall after I told Harry I didn't want to be alive anymore.
In the pictures, I see how tightly his knuckles are gripped around mine.
We are smiling, doing our job. In the Royal Box, when the lights went off, I was just weeping

Ok people. This is serious stuff
Mental health. Race issues. Loneliness. Lack of support. Thoughts of suicide. Discussion about the colour of Archie's skin. Harry's family prepared to lie.
This is Meghan's side of the story, we have not heard from the other side #OprahMeghanHarry

OK. Harry tells Oprah that he and Meghan are having a girl 👶

Harry has joined:
He says: "To have a boy and then a girl - what more can you ask for?"
Oprah: "Are you done?"
Harry and Meghan: Done. Two is it.
They say the baby is due in the "summertime"
#OprahMeghanHarry

Harry: Courtesy of the Daily Mail, the world knows where we are.
We had our UK security. they wanted to remove it.
Their justification was a change in status.
I said is there a change of threat or risk?
No it hasn't changed #OprahMeghanHarry

Oprah: Did you blindside the Queen when you announced you were leaving?
Harry: I never blindsided my grandmother. I have too much respect for her.
#OprahMeghanHarry

Here, Harry throws his father under a bus
He says when we were in Canada I had 3 conversations with my grandmother (Queen) and 2 conversations with my father (Prince Charles) "before he stopped taking my calls."
He (my father) asked me for it all in writing.
#OprahMeghanHarry

Harry: We told Prince Charles that we would announce our departure and put it all out on 7 January.
In other words, Harry says his father and grandmother knew that the announcement was coming that they were leaving - and they did NOT "blindside" The Queen
#OprahMeghanHarry

Harry says his family are "scared" of the British tabloid press.
"I am acutely aware how scared my family are that the taboids will turn on them".
#OprahMeghanHarry

Harry: It really all changed after our Australia tour.
That brought back memories. Too see how effortless it was for Meghan to come into the family and be able to connect with people. Oprah asks about Charles and Diana's Australia tour #OprahMeghanHarry

I felt trapped says Harry and so are my family. My father and brother are trapped in the system like the rest of my family are. "They don’t get to leave. I have huge compassion for that."
#OprahMeghanHarry

Meghan: They took away Harry's security. I wrote letters to his family – I accept that I couldn't;t have it. But I said "please keep keep my husband safe. Please don’t pull his security. And they said it’s not just possible".
#OprahMeghanHarry

Meghan: I left my career, my life. I left everything because I love him. Our plan was for us to do this forever.
#OprahMeghanHarry

Harry: If it were not for Meghan, I wouldn’t not have been able to leave. I felt trapped as well.
I was trapped but I didn’t know I was trapped.
#OprahMeghanHarry

I can't keep up

And now the money:
Harry: My family literally cut me off financially in the first quarter of 2020.
I have got what my mum left me. I think my mum saw it coming. And I felt my Mum's presence through this process.
#OprahMeghanHarry

Harry on his father Prince Charles:
There is a lot to work though there. I feel really let do. He’s been through something similar.
He knows what pain feels like.
And Archie is his grandson.
I will always love him but there is a lot of hurt that has happened
#OprahMeghanHarry

On that conversation Meghan spoke to Oprah about on their baby's skin colour, Harry says:
That conversation I am never going to share. I am not comfortable with sharing that.
#OprahMeghanHarry

On his relationship with William, Harry repeats what he told @tombradby in Africa: "We have been though hell together. We are own different paths."
#OprahMeghanHarry

They are just speaking to Oprah about the Duke of Edinburgh going to hospital. #OprahMeghanHarry

Harry and Meghan recorded the interview before the divorce agreement with Buckingham Palace: Harry says he is "hurt" but he supports "my grandmother's decision".

Harry on Prince William: The relationship is one of "space at the moment" and time heals all things hopefully.
Meghan: I regret believing them (the Palace) when they said I would be protected.
#OprahMeghanHarry

Meghan: Harry saved all of us, he ultimately called it and said “we have got to find a way. You made a decision that saved my life and saved all of us.”
#OprahMeghanHarry

It's just finished...
I need a moment

A very nice Family Law expert gets in touch to tell me:
1. Harry and Meghan’s garden wedding 3 days before the Windsor one “would not have been legal”
2. Garden unlikely to be licensed
3. Two witness needed and there weren’t any
#OprahMeghanHarry