Meghan and Harry already knew she was withdrawing from their titles and sponsorships when they sat down in her “no off-limits” interview with Oprah Winfrey, as The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
But it is understood that the Sussex have been overwhelmed by the tone of the heavily worded statement in which the announcement was made on behalf of the Queen.
Sources say their shock explains at least in part the anger and pain the couple showed during the trailers posted before tonight’s CBS interview.
The Queen held several private conversations with Harry in the previous weeks in which she explained that it would be impossible for him and Meghan to maintain their sponsorships if they confirmed that they would move away from official duties.
The Sussex knew they had been stripped of their titles before the interview with Oprah (pictured)
But the statement announcing the move, released by Buckingham Palace on February 19, was potentially explosive from the royal family’s point of view and risked the kind of reaction on screen that American viewers are likely to see this year. night.
References to “a life of public service” were a particular argument for Harry, who served on two tours of Afghanistan with the British Army.
It is also believed that the couple has been upset that the queen has decided to sign her ad saying that “we are all saddened by her decision” instead of wishing them a good future.
The timing also caused outrage, as it was not until the end of this month that the couple’s decision to retire from royal duties was to be reviewed.
For her part, billionaire Oprah, a chat veteran with more than 40 years of television experience, described the show to colleagues as “the best interview she’s ever done.”
Within hours of the Buckingham Palace statement, he had been photographed aboard a plane at Santa Barbara Airport, 15 miles from the £ 11 million Sussexes mansion.
Reports suggest that Oprah had only met Meghan once before being invited to the royal wedding in May 2018, when she was described as a “friend of the couple.” They are believed to have been introduced through the American network CBS and met when Oprah met in London.
The 67-year-old said she had previously requested an interview with Meghan, but her request was rejected and the duchess reportedly told her “it wasn’t the right time”.
“I remember that conversation,” Meghan explains to Oprah in one of the trailer for the interview. They didn’t even allow me to have that conversation with you personally. There had to be people sitting.
Meghan goes on to say that now is the right time because we have the ability to make our own decisions in a way that I could not have said yes (to a prior interview request). This was not my choice.
“So as an adult who lived a truly independent life, and then I went into this construction different from what I think what people imagine it to be, it’s really liberating to have the right and the privilege to say,‘ Yes, I’m ready to talk. “
In addition to losing his military titles, Harry was also forced to relinquish his position as patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League.
The couple had been president and vice president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, an organization created by the Duke’s office in 2018 and which was expected to give them both an international role.
But these also returned to the queen, while the duchess lost her position as patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
The decision also meant that Meghan was stripped of her sponsorship at the National Theater, a role the queen gave to the former actress after playing for 45 years.
After the announcement of the queen, the Susxes, clearly chopped, gave an answer shortly after. “As evidenced by their work over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service in the UK and around the world and have offered their continued support to organizations they have represented regardless of role. official “. he wrote.
Prince Harry, represented by James Haskell, was also forced to resign as patron of the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Football League.
‘We can all live a life of service. The service is universal. “
Commentators described the separation shooting as “insulting” and “horribly disrespectful” to the queen.
The Sussex later claimed it had been taken “out of context”.
But it was notable that, in the newly updated Archewell Foundation logo of the couple, the word “Service” appears prominently.
The couple keeps their patrons private. These include the role of Harry in Sentebale, a mental health charity, and the Invictus Games Foundation. Meghan is also a patron of Smart Works, which offers clothing and training for job interviews to women in need, and to animal charity Mayhew.