Category: Новини

Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, accused Britain’s royal family of raising concerns about how dark their son’s skin might be and pushing her to the brink of suicide, in a tell-all television interview that could send shockwaves through the monarchy.The 39-year-old, whose mother is Black and father is white, said she had been naive before she married into royalty in 2018, but that she ended up having suicidal thoughts and considering self-harm after pleading for help but getting none.Meghan said that her son, Archie, now 1, had been denied the title of prince because there were concerns within the royal family about “about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.””That was relayed to me from Harry, those were conversations that family had with him,” Meghan recounted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on CBS late Sunday.Meghan declined to say who had aired such concerns, as did Harry, who said his family had cut them off financially and that his father, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, had let him down and refused to take his calls at one point.Buckingham Palace had no immediate comment about the interview, which aired in the early hours of Monday morning in Britain.The sit-down conversation with Winfrey was the most anticipated royal interview since Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, shared intimate details of her failed marriage to Charles in 1995, denting the heir’s reputation and the family’s standing in the eyes of the British public.Nearly three years since her star-studded wedding in Windsor Castle, Meghan described some unidentified members of the royal household as brutal, mendacious and guilty of racist remarks.She also accused Kate, the wife of her husband’s elder brother, Prince William, of making her cry before her wedding.While the family came in for open criticism, neither Harry nor Meghan attacked Queen Elizabeth directly.Still, Meghan said she had been silenced by “the Firm” — which Elizabeth heads — and that her pleas for help while in distress at racist reporting and her predicament had fallen on deaf ears.”I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. And I remember how he (Harry) just cradled me,” Meghan said, wiping away tears.’Really let down’Harry and Meghan’s announcement in January 2020 that they intended to step down from their royal roles plunged the family into crisis. Last month, Buckingham Palace confirmed the split would be permanent, as the couple looks to forge an independent life in the United States.Harry, 36, said they had stepped back from royal duties because of a lack of understanding, and he was worried about history repeating itself — a reference to the death of his mother, Diana, who was killed in a 1997 crash as her car sped away from pursuing photographers.Asked what his mother would say about events, he said: “I think she would feel very angry with how this has panned out and very sad.”He felt “really let down” by his father and added: “My family literally cut me off financially.”Harry denied blindsiding Queen Elizabeth, his grandmother, with his decision to shun life within the monarchy, but said his father stopped taking his calls at one point.”I had three conversations with my grandmother, and two conversations with my father before he stopped taking my calls. And then he said, ‘Can you put this all in writing?’”Detractors say the couple wanted the limelight but were not willing to live with the attention it brought. To supporters, their treatment shows how an outdated British institution lashed out against a modern, independent biracial woman.Lies and tearsThere have also been allegations of bullying against Meghan which appeared in The Times newspaper in the buildup to the couple’s appearance. Buckingham Palace said it would investigate the claims, adding it was “very concerned.”Meghan told Winfrey that people within the royal institution not only failed to protect her against malicious claims but lied to protect others.”It was only once we were married and everything started to really worsen that I came to understand that not only was I not being protected, but that they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family,” Meghan said.Meghan denied a newspaper story that she had made Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, cry before the wedding and said it was a turning point in her relations with the media and the palace.”The reverse happened,” Meghan said. “A few days before the wedding she (Kate) was upset about something, pertaining to yes, the issue was correct about the flower girl dresses, and it made me cry. And it really hurt my feelings.”Meghan, who said they were not paid for the interview, conceded she had not realized what she was marrying into when she joined the British monarchy and “went into it naively.”The couple also revealed that Meghan, who is pregnant with their second child, was expecting a girl.Harry said Meghan had “saved” him from his trapped royal life. “I would disagree, I think he saved all of us. You made a decision that certainly saved my life,” Meghan said.”This is in some ways just the beginning for us.”
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Britain’s royal family on Sunday braced for further revelations from Prince Harry and his American wife, Meghan, as a week of transatlantic claim and counter-claim reaches a climax with the broadcast of their interview with Oprah Winfrey.The two-hour chat with the U.S. chat show queen is the biggest royal interview since Harry’s mother princess Diana detailed her crumbling marriage to his father Prince Charles in 1995.Diana’s shock admission of affairs on both sides, and her life in the world’s most famous family, was watched by more than 22 million people in Britain — a record.But that could be eclipsed by Harry and Meghan’s tell-all with Winfrey, who has reportedly sold it to U.S. broadcaster CBS for $7-9 million (£5.1 million to £6.5 million, 5.9 million to 7.6 million euros).Winfrey also retains the international rights, which will feed an appetite of interest about Britain’s centuries-old monarchy — and their troubles — across the globe.”Tin hats on,” one royal aide was quoted as telling the Sunday Times, after a drip of excerpts in which Meghan complained about the strictures of royal life from her gated Californian mansion.Viewers will tune in to see if she and Harry have scores to settle with Buckingham Palace since leaving the royal frontline — and if so, how far will they go?Smear campaign?Close attention will be paid to any suggestion by Meghan, who is mixed race that racism played a part in their shock decision to move to North America.The former television actress, 39, has been portrayed in some British newspapers as headstrong, calculating and spoiled, and the couple reckless and selfish for quitting royal life.But in her defense, Meghan’s supporters, particularly in the United States, have seen hints of racism, claiming the monarchy could not deal with a “strong black woman.”In one excerpt, Meghan, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, accused the royals of orchestrating a calculated smear campaign and “perpetuating falsehoods” about them.That came hours after revelations she was facing an internal palace investigation into claims that she bullied royal household staff after she and Harry married in a fairytale wedding in 2018.Further reports the couple are facing a probe into their charitable foundation have been seen as a counter-offensive by the embattled royals in a bitter battle for public support and sympathy.No winnersJust hours before the broadcast, Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and other senior royals, including his father and older brother William, make their own TV appearance.The Commonwealth Day celebration normally passes with little fanfare in Britain, but this year is being watched closely for signs of implied criticism of Harry and Meghan.Excerpts released Saturday showed William and his wife Kate — with whom Harry and Meghan have reportedly fallen out — praising global health workers for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.That is likely to be viewed in British newspapers in contrast to Harry and Meghan, who have been criticized for complaining about their life, even after signing lucrative deals in the last year.The couple, known formally as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are likely to get more public sympathy — and a greater profile — in the United States.But royal author Penny Junor said the whole affair was “a mess”. “I don’t think there are going to be any winners in it,” she said.’Come out swinging’The Sunday Times said the queen, 94, would not watch the interview, which is due to air in full on Sunday night in the United States and Monday night in Britain.The weekly quoted unnamed courtiers as calling the situation a “circus”, and the palace would “come out swinging” if individuals are attacked.Viewers will also watch to see if Harry sheds light on his rift with William, after reports he and his wife Kate were lukewarm towards Meghan.They are also likely to expand on their attitudes to the media, which they said prompted their departure, and against whom they have launched a slew of legal claims.”My biggest concern was history repeating itself,” Harry, 36, told Winfrey in one excerpt, referring to his mother’s death in a 1997 Paris car crash as she fled paparazzi photographers.Harry and Meghan first stepped back from royal duties in March last year. It was confirmed last month they would not return and were stripped of their royal patronages and honorary titles. 
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Two documentaries shine a light on women defying the odds in the face of brutality and corruption. VOA’s Penelope Poulou spoke with the filmmakers and has the story.
Camera: Penelope Poulou     Producer: Penelope Poulou
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Meghan Markle, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, says she is now “ready to talk” along with husband Prince Harry, ahead of a highly anticipated weekend airing of an interview with Oprah Winfrey.Markle credits her newfound freedom for opening up about the limitations put on her by the royal family and her appreciation for making her own decisions.”It’s really liberating to be able to have the right and the privilege in some ways to be able to say, ‘Yes … I’m ready to talk,’ ” she said.Markle believes now is the time to share her side of the story and how life has changed since leaving the royal family.“We’re on the other side of a lot of, a lot of life experience that’s happened,” Markle said. “And also that we have the ability to make our own choices in a way that I couldn’t have said yes to you then, that wasn’t my choice to make.”Markle and Prince Harry, who tied the knot in May 2018, stunned the royal family in January when they announced they would step down from their official royal duties to live independently in Montecito, California.Since coming to Montecito, the couple announced their new commonwealth project, Archewell Foundation, named after their son Archie. Teaming with chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, the foundation said it would create Community Relief Centers in regions of the world prone to climate disasters.Sunday’s interview comes after Buckingham Palace announced Wednesday it would be launching an investigation into claims Markle bullied her staff while still living as a royal in London.“I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that the firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us,” Markle said.Oprah with Meghan and Harry will air this Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on the CBS television network. 
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