Oprah Winfrey’s long game to land an exclusive interview with Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle (aka the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) came to fruition with yesterday’s announcement of a 90-minute special to air March 7 on CBS.
The news brought a typically cool official response from Buckingham Palace, which has never forgiven the couple for turning their backs on their royal duties to pursue money-making opportunities in California.
“The Duke and Duchess are no longer working members of the royal family and therefore any decisions they take with regard to media commitments are matters for them. As non-working Members of the Royal Family they are under no obligation to inform the Royal Household of such plans,” the palace said in a statement reported by royal correspondents.
The Queen’s household also only briefly acknowledged the recent announcement that the Duchess is expecting her second child, news that is sure to be a hot topic for Winfrey’s CBS interview.
The “get” for Winfrey has been the result of years of careful positioning. Her appearance at the couple’s wedding in 2018 surprised many observers, who didn’t know the three were acquainted. In fact, they barely were: she and Meghan had met just once for a closed-door meeting in Kensington Palace, not long before the wedding, The Times of London later reported.
UK tabloids have also alleged that other high-profile guests, including George and Amal Clooney, were similarly brought in as celebrity window-dressing for the event, despite having only a tenuous prior connection to Meghan.
In the subsequent years, Winfrey has relentlessly promoted the royal couple’s projects to her extensive social media following. In December she gushed about a “wellness latte” instant mix in which Meghan owns a stake; she was also reported to have been instrumental in hooking up Harry as a producer on an Apple TV series on mental health.
And they now live near each other in Montecito. Join them for instant mix wellness lattes on March 7, won’t you?
