Meghan Markle says this is why Archie isn't a prince
Prince Harry confirmed to Oprah that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were not part of conversations over his son's skin tone
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey the reason she says Archie does not have the title of prince.
Meghan, who is biracial, described that when she was first pregnant with son Archie, there were "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born." The statement led Winfrey to incredulously ask "What?"
While Winfrey sat in silence, Meghan said she struggled to understand why there were concerns within the royal family about her son’s skin color. She said it was hard for her to "compartmentalize" those conversations.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meghan, the actress who starred in the TV drama "Suits," said she grew concerned about her son not having a royal title because it meant he wouldn’t be provided security.
Meghan said processing everything during her pregnancy was "very hard." More than the "prince" title, she felt the most troubled over her son’s safety and protection.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harry told Oprah that his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and grandfather, Prince Philip, were not part of conversations over his son's skin tone. (Getty Images)
"He needs to be safe," a teary-eyed Meghan recalled. "We’re not saying don’t make him a prince or princess, whatever it’s going to be. But if you’re saying the title is going to affect their protection, we haven’t created this monster machine around us in terms of clickbait and tabloid fodder. You’ve allowed that to happen, which means our son needs to be safe."
On Monday, Winfrey told Gayle King that despite pressing Prince Harry "on camera and off" about who was a part of those conversations, he would not say.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He did not share the identity with me but he wanted to make sure that I knew and if I had an opportunity to share it, that it was not his grandmother [Queen Elizabeth] nor his grandfather [Prince Philip] that were a part of those conversations," Winfrey said Monday morning.
"He did not tell me who were a part of those conversations as you can see I tried to get that answer on camera and off," she added.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meghan and Harry are expecting their second child -- a girl -- in the summer. (Getty)
In the wide-ranging interview aired Sunday, Harry and Meghan described painful palace discussions about the color of their son’s skin, losing royal protection and the intense pressures that led the Duchess of Sussex to contemplate suicide.
The interview with Winfrey was the couple’s first since they stepped down from royal duties and the two-hour special included numerous revelations likely to reverberate on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.