Meghan says rumors drove her to thoughts of suicide; palace had 'concerns' about how dark her son's skin might be

The pressure of being under the microscope drove Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to thoughts of suicide, Prince Harry's wife said in explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday.

She said she had been the victim of "character assassination," and the pressure drove her to the point of self-harm.

"Look, I was really ashamed to have to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, but I knew that if I didn't say that, I would do it," an emotional Meghan said. "I just didn't want to be alive anymore."

In the wide-ranging interview that aired on CBS, Meghan also revealed a troubling allegation about the royal family's view on race.

In the months leading up to their son, Archie's, birth, Meghan said she and Harry were told that royal insiders had expressed "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."

The revelation floored Winfrey, who responded: "What?"

"There are several conversations," Meghan said, "potentially and what that would mean or look like."

Winfrey pressed Meghan to name names but she declined.

"I think that would be very damaging to them," Meghan said.

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Harry confirmed he was questioned about the skin tone of his unborn son, but he didn't identify who made the remarks or when they were made.

"That conversation I'm never going to share. But at the time, it was all good, I was a bit shocked," he said. "I'm not comfortable sharing it."

In the wide-ranging interview that aired on CBS, Meghan also revealed that she was brought to tears before her wedding in an argument with sister-in-law Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.

In the couple's first lengthy interview since they left the royal family, Meghan and Harry opened up about their treatment by Buckingham Palace and their decision to start a new life in the United States.

Months after the wedding, tabloid headlines accused Meghan of bickering with Kate over flower girl dresses, which reportedly brought Kate to tears. Meghan confirmed there was a disagreement about flower girl dresses but insisted she was the one crying.

"It made me cry and it really hurt my feelings," Meghan said.

Kate apologized and even sent flowers, putting the issue to rest, according to Meghan, who declined to explain more about disagreement.

"It wasn't a confrontation," she said. "I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that. Because she apologized, I've forgiven her. What was hard to get over was being blamed, that not only I didn't do it, but it happened to me."

Meghan she she felt she lost her freedom when she married into the royal family and that it was "liberating" to be able to finally speak out.

Both Harry and Meghan denied they blindsided the royal family with their move to dial back their royal duties.

Harry said he had multiple conversations with his grandmother and father, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, about how the decision would be announced. At one point during these extended talks, Prince Charles "stopped taking my calls," according to Harry.

"I took matters into my own hands," Harry said of the royal departure. "I need to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody. It's really sad that it's got to this point. I got to do something for my own mental health, for my wife's and for Archie's as well."

Harry said the detachment has impacted his ties with loved ones in different ways.

He said he and his grandmother, the queen, chatted regularly throughout the pandemic in 2020. She has even shared Zoom calls with her great-grandson Archie.

"My grandmother and I have a really good relationship," he said.

But when Winfrey asked Harry about relations with his dad, the future king, he froze and took several seconds to compose himself. The prince hinted that they're at an awkward point, if even on speaking terms.

"There's a lot to work through there," Harry said. "I feel really let down because he's been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like, and Archie's his grandson. But at the same time, of course, I will always love him, but there's a lot of hurt that's happened and I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try to heal that relationship."

And with his brother, Prince William, another future king, the connection seemed to be only slightly less icy.

"The relationship is space at the moment," Harry said. "Time heals all things, I think."

Winfrey said no subject was off-limits in the interview, which has generated headlines around the world and was as hotly anticipated as the interview between Harry's mother, Princess Diana, and BBC journalist Martin Bashir in 1995.

Royal interviews are historically rare, and the family is scrupulously guarded in what they reveal to the public, but Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 as she was being pursued by paparazzi, shared intimate details about her marriage to Prince Charles.

Meanwhile, the royal family tried to maintain a semblance of normality. Queen Elizabeth II delivered a televised message to mark Commonwealth Day hours before the interview with Winfrey.

Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, 99, Harry's grandfather, remains hospitalized after a heart procedure last week.

In a separate interview last month, Harry, who is sixth in line to the throne, told television host James Corden that Britain's "toxic" media coverage was destroying his mental health and that it was one of the reasons he stepped back from his life as a senior royal.

The couple have pushed back against media coverage. Meghan last month won a privacy lawsuit against a British media company, which published parts of a letter she wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle. However, the coverage intensified throughout the week as anticipation for the interview grew.

It has been less than three years since the couple married in a star-studded wedding at Windsor Castle, which Winfrey attended. Meghan was hailed at the time for modernizing the monarchy.

They announced in January 2020 that they were "stepping back" from their roles as senior members of the royal family, a decision they confirmed last month. Harry and Meghan announced on Valentine's Day that they are expecting their second child.

Harry, meanwhile, is expected to return to the U.K. in July for the unveiling of a statue of Diana.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

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