Oprah Winfrey defends Prince Harry, Meghan Markle for speaking out despite calls for privacy
Broadcast queen Oprah Winfrey has fiercely defended Prince Harry for speaking out, amid backlash over his calls for privacy.
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Oprah Winfrey has defended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for speaking out against the royal family, despite their pleas for privacy.
In an interview with the US Today show on Saturday, Oprah stood up for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, declaring “privacy doesn‘t mean silence.”
The 67-year-old anchor played a clip from Harry and Oprah’s new AppleTV+ documentary, The Me You Can’t See, which dropped on Friday.
The pair discussed the Duke’s mental health battles that both he and his wife faced during their time in the British royal family.
Harry has received criticism for doing interviews regarding the issue, as he had previously cited privacy as one of his reasons for moving to California last year.
RELATED: Prince Harry reveals “shame” over how he handled Meghan’s mental health
“I ask for privacy and I’m talking all the time,” Oprah said when asked what critics do not understand in Harry’s requests.
“I think being able to have a life that you are not intruded upon by photographers, or people flying overhead, or invading your life is what every person wants and deserves.
“That‘s what people are missing. Privacy doesn’t mean silence.”
Oprah gave the interview just hours after she was interviewed alongside the The Duke of Sussex, 36, on Good Morning America to discuss the first episode of the explosive documentary.
The pair discussed their mental health battles with anchor Robin Roberts.
“One of the things that Prince Harry and I wanted was for people to understand that mental health and mental fitness is a spectrum and we’re all on a spectrum,” Winfrey said.
“Everybody either is or knows somebody who’s going through something.”
RELATED: Prince Harry’s bombshell revelations in The Me You Can’t See
Harry went on to speak about the world-broadcasted death of his mother, Princess Diana, impacted his own mental health.
“There were so many people of all ages that need to heal and that also are for one reason or another unable to heal or maybe unaware that they need to heal,” he detailed.
“If we hold onto grief it manifests itself and appears later in life – that is what I’ve learned from this process.”
Prince Harry accused his family of showing “total neglect” for his mental health woes and claims dad Charles made him ”suffer” in the bombshell documentary set to leave the palace reeling.
In stunningly candid moments, Harry, 36, launches blistering attacks on his close relatives, and admitted to past drug use and booze binges to escape from his anguish.
He reveals that he’s been in therapy for “four or five years”, while also opening up about turning his back on Britain and his family to “break the cycle” of grief being passed down the generations.
Harry also spoke out about his wife Meghan’s mental health struggles, saying: “Meghan decided to share with me the suicidal thoughts and the practicalities of how she was going to end her life.”
“The scariest thing for her was her clarity of thought,” he added.
The Duke also blasted his own dad Prince Charles, saying he did little to help him through his struggles.
“My father used to say to me when I was younger, he used to say to both William and I, ‘Well, it was like that for me so it’s going to be like that for you.’
“That doesn’t make sense. Just because you suffered, that doesn’t mean your kids have to suffer. Actually quite the opposite.
“If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure that whatever negative experiences you had, you can make it right for your kids.
“We chose to put our mental health first. That‘s what we’re doing. And that’s what we will continue to do. Isn’t this all about breaking the cycle?
“Isn’t it all about making sure that history doesn’t repeat itself? That whatever pain and suffering has happened to you, that you don’t pass on.”
RELATED: Lady Gaga reveals pregnancy rape horror story in Prince Harry’s doc
Harry spoke in the documentary about suffering through a “nightmare time” in his life from when he was 28 until 32.
“I‘m freaking out every single time I jump in the car, or see a camera. I would just start sweating,” he said.
The five-part celebrity-packed doc was released on AppleTV+ on Friday.
This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been reproduced here with permission
Originally published as Oprah Winfrey defends Prince Harry, Meghan Markle for speaking out despite calls for privacy
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