Oprah Winfrey is once again at the center of online criticism following her recent reflection on the 2021 interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The media personality's explanation for her now-viral question to Meghan about being "silent or silenced" has reignited debate surrounding the explosive royal sit-down.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Winfrey clarified her intent behind the question, stating she asked it for "clarification." She explained that she wanted to ensure an accurate record, distinguishing between Meghan choosing to be silent and being prevented from speaking. "I wanted to be clear because was she silenced? Were people telling her not to talk?... I said it for clarification because I didn't want later to hear, 'Well, no, it wasn't that. It really was that I was silenced. They wouldn't let me talk,'" Winfrey said.
During the original 2021 interview, Meghan described feeling a loss of her voice after advocating for women's empowerment. "I've always valued independence... I've always been outspoken, especially about women's rights," Meghan stated. "I mean, that's the sad irony of the last four years is I've advocated for so long for women to use their voice. And then, I was silent." Winfrey's immediate follow-up, "Were you silent or were you silenced?" elicited Meghan's definitive response: "The latter."
Winfrey also revealed in the original interview that Harry and Meghan were not given advance notice of her questions, aiming to cover "everything" that had transpired. The extensive interview, which lasted three and a half hours, delved into the couple's decision to step back from royal duties, their accounts of a lack of support from the royal family, Meghan's mental health struggles, and alleged conversations about their son Archie's skin tone and security status.
Following Winfrey's recent comments, social media users expressed a range of reactions. Some critics accused her of attempting to distance herself from the interview or of failing to adequately challenge the couple's claims. "Oprah backpedaling?" one user on X commented. Another critic wrote, "You failed to challenge obvious inconsistencies… and handed Harry and Meghan a worldwide stage to tell 'their story' without proper scrutiny or questioning."
Conversely, some supporters defended Winfrey, arguing that Meghan's silence was a result of the restrictive royal environment. "In that royal climate she was silenced she didn't have a voice. The royals can't express their own opinions, everyone knows that," one Instagram user stated. Others lauded Winfrey as a "true icon" and "pioneer."
The 2021 interview remains one of the most significant celebrity interviews of the decade, continuing to shape public perception of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's relationship with the monarchy. Hugo Vickers, author of "Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History," previously noted that the couple's departure and subsequent interview added strain during the late monarch's final years.