CBS
- Prince Harry compared himself to Diana in a first look at his and Meghan Markle’s Oprah interview.
- Harry and Markle said it was hard to step back from royal duties but that they had each other.
- “My biggest concern was history repeating itself,” Harry said about his mother.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey that his and Meghan Markle’s decision to step back from royal duties was “unbelievably tough” and he feared “history repeating itself” in a reference to his mother Princess Diana.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex opened up to the talk show host in two 30-second teaser clips released by CBS as part of the two-hour interview special “Oprah with Meghan And Harry: A Primetime Special,” which is set to air on March 7.
Harry tells Oprah in one of the clips: “For me, I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here talking to you with my wife by my side because I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for her [Diana] going through this process by herself all those years ago.”
“Because it has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we have each other,” he says.
—CBS (@CBS) March 1, 2021
In another clip, Harry notes: “My biggest concern was history repeating itself,” likely alluding to the British tabloid coverage of both his mother Diana and now his wife Markle, which led to the couple stepping away from the royal family in January 2020.
At the time of Diana's death, Charles Spencer, the ninth Earl Spencer and younger brother of Princess Diana described the press and paparazzi as "having blood on their hands" in his eulogy.
Harry issued a statement defending Markle against the British tabloid press in 2019, where he said his "deepest fear is history repeating itself."
"I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces," his statement read.
The sit-down Oprah interview will be a first for the couple since stepping down as senior royals. Oprah tells viewers in one of the teasers: "I just want to make it clear to everybody, there is no subject that's off-limits."
Oprah is also seen asking Markle: "Were you silent or were you silenced?"
Viewers will not receive answers to these intimate questions until the special airs on CBS this Sunday.