With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, American TV host Oprah Winfrey said she hoped the sad event would offer the royals a chance for “peacemaking.” But she herself has had a hand in sowing division among the U.K.’s royal family.
In an interview with Extra published Sunday, Winfrey said the queen’s death might help heal and unify the monarchy.
“When all families come together for a common ceremony, the ritual of, you know, burying your dead, there’s an opportunity for peacemaking. … And hopefully, there will be that,” she said.
Her sentiment, though, did not fool many. Social media erupted with reminders that she was part of the problem, the Daily Mail reported.
It was Winfrey who gave Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a prominent stage upon which to throw their family under the bus last year.
During that high-profile interview — with Winfrey egging them on — the pair lobbed a series of accusations at the royals that made their decision to quit their royal duties in 2020 all the more controversial.
For instance, the couple insisted that an unnamed member of the royal family had raised “concerns and conversations” over the skin color of their son Archie since Markle is part-black. The claim caused accusations of racism to be thrown at the royal family.
Markle said she felt “silenced” and oppressed by the royal family.
“I’ve always been outspoken, especially about women’s rights, and that’s the sad irony of the last four years. I’ve advocated for so long for women to use their voice,” Markle told Winfrey.
Should Oprah stay out of the royal family’s business?
Markle also accused the royal family of not “protecting” her from attacks in the media and even called her family members liars.
“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,” she said. “They weren’t willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband.”
Winfrey’s comments on Sunday sent Brits to social media to blast the TV mogul.
“Oprah talks about ‘burying the dead’ and says she hopes it will help Prince Harry and Meghan ‘make peace’ with the royals. She’s priceless isn’t she,” one social media user said, according to the Mail. “Never scrutinised a word [Harry and Meghan] said… She calls herself a serious talk show host.”
“Oprah forgets she started this. Maybe an apology would help with the peacemaking,” another wrote.
Yet another social media user criticized Oprah over her sudden claims to care about the royals. “Hey [Oprah] if you cared for that family you wouldn’t have given them a platform to badmouth the [royal family]. After your interview the anger between them widened. So stop the BS talk.”
It seems clear that Markle and Harry wanted to lash out at the royal family, and in true Hollywood fashion, Winfrey was right there to help them do so.
The couple could have just moved to the U.S., remained silent about their past issues, and moved forward with their new lives. Instead, they let Winfrey sensationalize the situation for a TV special. All three of them chose to hurt the royal family.
So Winfrey’s calls for “healing” rang hollow as a bell, and not many were taken in by her sudden hope that the division would come to an end.
