Meghan Markle’s mother Is Allegedly Planning a Tell-All Interview with Oprah.
Meghan Markle’s mother is believed to be preparing for an interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which she will discuss the racist response to her daughter’s relationship with Prince Harry.
According to The Mirror, Doria Ragland, 61, met with the TV host, 64, at her estate in California for several hours last weekend to “thrash out” ideas for a tell-all interview.
The yoga therapist, who will attend the Royal Wedding on May 19, was seen leaving Winfrey’s house with gifts.
“They got on really well. The most important and significant issue they spoke about was race and how badly some people had reacted to Meghan and Harry,” a source tells the publication.
“What happened … was disgusting and they and all of their families were horrified. It’s an issue close to both Doria and Oprah, who have both suffered racism.”
The “groundbreaking” interview is expected to air after the royal wedding, but would require approval from Buckingham Palace first, the source added.
When Markle, 36, marries Prince Harry, 33, on May 19, she will become the first mixed-race member of the Royal Family.
While this is a development celebrated by many, the American actress has also been subjected to negative public and media commentary focused on her race.
This discourse became so pervasive in the early months of the couple’s relationship that the prince was forced to publicly defend his girlfriend after just six months of dating.
A statement released by Harry’s Communications Secretary in November 2016 condemned the “wave of abuse and harassment” Markle had been subjected to, much of it racist.
“Some of this has been very public – the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments,” it read.
“[Harry] knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game – it is her life and his.”
The issue arose again in January when racist texts from the girlfriend of Henry Bolton, then-leader of UK political party UKIP were made public.
Outcry over the messages, which claimed the “race obsessed” Markle would “taint” the Royal Family with her “seed”, saw Jo Marney suspended from the party and Bolton eventually stood down from his role.
Speaking to the BBC following the announcement of her engagement to the prince, the former Suits actress described the public focus on her race as “disheartening”.
“You know, it’s a shame that that is the climate in this world to focus that much on that or that that would be discriminatory in that sense,” the actress said.
“[But] at the end of the day I’m really just proud of who I am and where I come from, and we have never put any focus on that.
“We’ve just focused on who we are as a couple.”
