On Sunday, March 7th, the interview with Meghan Markle, (former Prince) Harry and Oprah was streamed on CBS. Many shocking things were said, some of them were political, while some were more personal secrets the couple kept from the public. The couple was not paid to do the interview, they simply just wanted to voice their side of the story.

Before your mind instantly goes to Meghan and Harry intending to bash the queen, they stated that they have much respect for the queen. Meghan talked about how welcoming and kind she had been to her, and that they speak every now and then. The royal family and the monarchy, the institution itself, are two separate things.

The institution and the press were the real reason they left the family. For example on one occasion, the press had reported that Meghan had made Kate cry, when in reality Kate made a nasty comment to Meghan and she cried. However, the palace never released a statement to defend Meghan, and she was very hurt by that because everyone there knew the truth. Although Kate did apologize to Meghan, and Meghan affirmed that Kate was a welcoming and nice person. The point of this story was to simply expose the lack of support Meghan got from the monarchy on a daily basis.

The Kate incident may be insignificant, but Meghan also mentioned members of the institution mentioned to Harry that they were concerned about the color of Meghan and Harry’s potential child. They did not want to give her protection, or their son protection, possibly because of their race.

This was very concerning to Harry because he does not want history to repeat itself in regards to his mother’s tragic death. Meghan’s mental health was declining as well, and she was asking for help but the palace did nothing to support her. The press would criticize her every move, and Harry was aware of how unhappy she was and her poor quality of life at the time.

Meghan and Harry also stated that they did not want to leave the family all together, they just wanted  to step down as senior members. However, they wanted to continuing supporting the family in a different way. Although the queen made the decision to take away their titles and all of their royal duties. Harry explained he was somewhat hurt by his grandmother’s decision but still has much love and respect for her, and says in the end, it was all up to her.

This is a very short recap of the interview, however the main takeaway is that although Harry and Meghan are not part of the royal family anymore, they simply craved support and freedom, and the family aspect of the monarchy differs from the institution itself.

If  you are interested in watching the full interview, it is on the CBS website and less than two hours long. Meghan and Harry also mention details about their family and their new life in California.