Meghan Markle and Prince Harry WON’T be paid for 90 minute Oprah interview after multi-million Netflix and Spotify deals
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry won’t be paid for their appearance on Oprah.
The pair, who scored multi-million deals with Netflix and Spotify, will be sitting down for a bombshell 90-minute special with the chat show queen – where they are expected to reveal details about their new life.
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According to the Telegraph, the couple will not be paid for the interview which will be aired on March 7.
It has been billed as a prime time special that will see Meghan, 39, speak about topics ranging from “stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work, to how she is handling life under intense public pressure”.
And Oprah Winfrey’s best pal Gayle King today said nothing would be off-limits in the interview.
Speaking on her CBS show, the chat show host said: “I’m told that nothing is off limits. She can ask anything she wants.”
But a source close to the couple today suggested the couple did not want to upset the Queen with the tell-all chat.
It comes as…
- Meghan Markle will record her tell-all interview this week, it was reported
- Oprah’s interview was reportedly in the works for three years
- Royal sources have claimed the interview will signify no way back into official duties for the pair
- The couple could lose their royal patronages after the interview – with reports the news of the interview has made the palace nervous
- News of the interview came a day after the couple announced Meghan was pregnant with their second child
They told The Evening Standard that Meghan, 39, and Harry, 36, still have a good relationship with the 94-year-old monarch and are determined nothing in the interview would upset her.
The Queen is said to have every faith Harry and Meghan will honour royal protocol during the TV interview, the Daily Mail reports.
It is believed the couple want their primetime interview with the chat show queen to mark the start of a new chapter in their lives.
But despite CBS making the bombshell announcement yesterday – just a day after Meghan and Harry revealed they were expecting baby number two – it has been claimed the interview has not been recorded yet.
ITV today reported the sitdown chat was instead expected to be recorded this week.
Royal reporter Chris Ship said the Sussexes had been planning to reveal the Oprah interview after it was recorded but said “it didn’t work out that way”.
It is unclear why the decision was made to announce news of the interview before it had taken place.
CBS said in a statement: “Winfrey will speak with Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, in a wide-ranging interview, covering everything from stepping into life as a Royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is handling life under intense public pressure.
“Later, the two are joined by Prince Harry as they speak about their move to the US and their future hopes and dreams for their expanding family.”
The primetime special, titled Oprah with Meghan and Harry, will be broadcast on March 7 – with ITV reporting that the deal was signed over the weekend.
In the wake of the announcement, one royal insider has said there is “a great deal of nervousness” at the Palace.
One royal source told the Mirror: “One only has to look at the previous instalments of the tell-all interview to know these things never end up with a wholly positive experience for any party.
“Everyone will be watching with intense interest.”
It could mean Meghan and Harry now have “no way back to official royal duties”, royal sources claim.
The couple are set to possibly lose all their royal patronages as it is believed the Queen will ask them give up their links with organisations passed down through the Royal Family, reports the Daily Mail.
If asked by the Queen to relinquish such links, it would see Harry, 36, stripped of his three remaining honorary military titles.
It could potentially even mean he would have to give up his patronages with the Rugby Football Union, Rugby Football League, and the London Marathon.
For Meghan, 39, it would mean stepping down as a patron of the National Theatre, a role she was given in 2019 after being held by the Queen for 45 years.
It is unknown whether the couple would have to forfeit their link with the Commonwealth, but sources suggest they would be forced to give this too, according to the Mail.
The couple quit the Royal Family last year – since forging ahead with their lives signing lucrative deals – thought to be worth well over £100 million – with Spotify and Netflix that give them the capital to pursue their new lifestyle and public goals.
Oprah, who lives close to the Sussexes, is expected to be a considerate interviewer whose questions will not take the form of a cross examination.
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The Duchess’s decision to open up publicly came after a ‘three-year courtship by the chatshow host,’ The Times reported.
Oprah, 67, came into Meghan’s life in early 2018, having reportedly got in touch through the US TV network, CBS.
She even attended the Royal Wedding in 2018, among other famous faces including Elton John and the Clooneys.