Five years after Oprah Winfrey’s bombshell sit-down with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle upended the House of Windsor, the veteran broadcaster has returned to the footage — and drawn a fresh wave of criticism for doing so. Rewatching clips of the 2021 conversation for a Vanity Fair video published yesterday, Winfrey defended one of the interview’s most quoted moments, insisting the exchange over whether Meghan had been “silenced” aimed to establish the facts with precision. Royal watchers on X were not persuaded.
The revisited moment centers on a question that became one of the interview’s signatures. Winfrey recalled asking Meghan whether her silence was chosen or imposed, to which the Duchess replied with a single word: “the latter.”
Winfrey explained her intent was to clarify whether palace officials actively prevented Meghan from speaking. She structured the question to prevent any future misrepresentation of Meghan’s account. The phrasing was deliberate, she said, designed purely for accuracy. Watching the clip, she also joked about her own facial expression during the exchange.
Fans Accuse Oprah of Backpedaling
The explanation landed poorly with a segment of the audience. Critics on X accused Winfrey of backpedaling and attempting to distance herself from a meeting she once fully embraced. Some felt she looked uncomfortable revisiting the material; others dismissed her reasoning as meaningless word salad. Many complained that her explanation came years too late and that she failed to challenge the Sussexes on their claims during the original broadcast.
Some viewers said Winfrey appeared defensive, suggesting she had faced significant criticism for her approach. Others questioned why she never sought similar clarification about more significant claims, including the couple’s statement that they married privately just before the official ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, an assertion later disputed by officials, along with Meghan’s claim that she never researched the Royal Family prior to her relationship with Harry.
Winfrey discussed the interview as part of Vanity Fair’s “Scene Selection,” a show that walked through the high points of her career. Alongside the Sussex interview, she recalled the celebrated 2004 episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” when she handed out 276 automobiles worth more than $7 million. She also disclosed that the Harry and Meghan sit-down had been rescheduled three times and ultimately ran more than three and a half hours.
An Interview That Shook the Palace
When it aired on the American network CBS on March 7, 2021, the interview sent shockwaves around the world. It was the couple’s first comprehensive television appearance after relinquishing their royal duties and settling in Montecito, and it landed a year after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex departed the UK in 2020. A very pregnant Meghan told Winfrey there had been discussions inside the Palace about the color of their son Archie’s skin, and accused the institution of perpetuating falsehoods about the couple. More than 17 million Americans watched the two-hour broadcast on linear television.
The special solidified Winfrey, 72, as a staunch supporter of the Sussexes during their estrangement from King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales. She had attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018 and was thought to have been introduced to Meghan through CBS. Winfrey had previously requested an interview that was declined, with the duchess reportedly feeling it was not the right time.
Old Wounds Resurface Amid Reconciliation
The timing of Winfrey’s remarks has drawn particular attention. Meghan and Harry have recently attempted to mend relations with the Royal Family through a private meeting with King Charles earlier this month, and the resurfaced footage threatens to reopen wounds just as that reconciliation appeared to be taking hold. One social media user questioned the timing outright, asking why the subject was being raised again. Another simply observed that the interview had not aged well.
Several commenters invoked the late Queen Elizabeth II’s measured response to the interview’s most damaging allegations of racism and mistreatment — that “recollections may vary” — a phrase that has come to stand in for the Palace’s guarded posture toward the Sussexes’ account. Winfrey has consistently maintained her support for the couple’s decision to step away from royal life, previously stating she backed them completely. Whether her latest attempt at clarification settles the debate or simply prolongs it, the 2021 interview shows little sign of fading from view.