Oprah Winfrey has shared her thoughts on whether or not Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should attend King Charles’ coronation on May 6 in London.
Winfrey, who is reported to have close ties to the royal couple following her bombshell interview in 2021, was asked in a recent clip Tuesday if they thought they should attend mutual friend Gayle King’s coronation ceremony CBS morning show.
A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan confirmed earlier this month that the couple had received “email correspondence” from Charles’ office “regarding the coronation,” amid mounting speculation about whether they would be welcome following their allegation-filled docuseries or not and memoirs.
“Do you think they should go, do you think they shouldn’t go? Do you want to say something? I’m listening,” King asked Winfrey, who was on the morning show to promote her 100th book club selection, Hello pretty by Anna Napolitano.
“I think they should do what they think is best for themselves and their families. I think so,” the TV veteran advised.
“That is what ultimately matters. What do you think is right for you?”
“You didn’t ask my opinion,” she concluded.
Both Winfrey and King have been socially linked to Harry and Meghan. In 2018, Winfrey was a celebrity guest at the couple’s Windsor Castle wedding, sitting in the choir stalls at St.
In 2019, King was among a select few guests to attend Meghan’s exclusive New York baby shower, a gathering she defended when it sparked criticism of the Duchess in the UK for her perceived extravagance.
The couple gave their first in-depth interview together to Winfrey in 2021, following their dramatic exit from the monarchy a year earlier. The issues discussed dominated coverage around the world, with Meghan’s standout claim, which appeared at the time, that a member of the royal family had made racially insensitive comments about the skin color of her and Harry’s future children.
The interview saw a surge in anti-racist criticism of the monarchy, which in turn provoked a rare response from Queen Elizabeth II through Buckingham Palace. A statement released after the interview aired read:
“The whole family is saddened to learn how challenging the past few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly those of race, are worrying. While some memories may differ, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed privately by the family.”
In 2023, promoting his record-breaking memoir spare partAsked about the racist allegation against the royals, Harry denied the couple had done so, instead stressing that the press had falsified that narrative.
“You talk about accountability, in the Oprah interview you accused members of your family of racism…” ITV’s Tom Bradby asked the royal in an interview for British television.
“No I haven’t. The British press said so. Has Meghan ever mentioned that you are racist?” he replied.
“She said there were disturbing comments about Archie’s skin color,” Bradby said.
“There were – there were concerns about the color of his skin,” Harry explained, to which Bradby challenged, “Wouldn’t you call that essentially racist?”
The prince went on to explain that since he “lived in this family” he did not consider the comments to be racist, instead saying that the situation was an example of “unconscious bias” that the family member in question should work on.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6, the same day as Harry and Meghan’s son Prince Archie celebrates his fourth birthday.
Asked in January if he would travel to the UK amid his ongoing security lawsuit over police protection and strained relationships with his family members, Harry told Bradby: “A lot can happen before then. But you know, the door is always open.”
news week emailed representatives of Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is latestpagenews’s royal reporter in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and keep reading his stories news week‘s Facebook page of the royals.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced Royal Correspondents to answer? Email royals@latestpagenews.com. We’d love to hear from you.
