THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex's deeply personal interview with Oprah Winfrey has sent shockwaves across the globe, with damaging revelations about the Royal Family.
The no-holds barred interview with Harry and Meghan, covering topics including racism, mental health, them being targeted by a hostile national press and Royal Family dynamics, was first aired on TV in America on Sunday night, and will be shown on ITV on Monday night.
But amid the turmoil the couple said they have suffered in the past few years, which has culminated in them formally stepping down from royal duties and moving to California, there was reflection of a happy time the Duchess of Sussex enjoyed – when she visited Chester with the Queen in June 2018.
Posies were presented to Her Majesty and The Duchess by two members of Storyhouse’s Youth Theatre, Lilja Fagan, age seven, of Newton Primary School, and Nye Egan-Simon, six, of Oldfield Primary School.
June 14 saw the first of only a few times the Queen and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex made an official royal visit together, when they officially opened the Mersey Gateway Bridge in Widnes before heading to Storyhouse Chester to officially open the culture hub, before dining at Chester Town Hall.
And it was on that day, Meghan revealed in the Oprah interview, that she received a welcome present from the Queen for that occasion.
The Queen and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex learn about the work carried out by Storyhouse Young Leaders. Pictures: Simon Warburton.
She said the Queen gave her “some beautiful pearl earrings and a matching necklace” for the couple’s first joint engagement together, and that the monarch also shared her blanket while travelling together between visits.
On the day of the royal visit, the Queen unveiled a plaque to officially open Storyhouse, before pausing to mark a minute's silence in memory of the Grenfell Tower victims who had died one year ago.
Once inside, the Queen and the Duchess of Sussex toured around the various rooms in Storyhouse, with Meghan meeting a Syrian refugee women's group supported by forfutures, and members of the Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, before enjoying a medley of songs from A Little Night Music in the theatre itself.
The Queen and Meghan seeing the work done by the Fallen Angels Dance Theatre.
They concluded their visit by watching an enthusiastic musical display by pupils of Kelsall Primary School, University Church Free School, The Queen’s Lower School, Chester Blue Coat CE Primary School, Upton Westlea Primary School, St Clare’s Catholic Primary School, St Werburgh’s R C School, Newton Primary School, Dee Point Primary School, Cherry Grove Primary School and The King’s Junior School.
The youngsters and Storyhouse actors had performed Drop in the Ocean, from their stage show Swallows and Amazons.
The Queen and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during their visit to Storyhouse in June 2018. Pictures: Simon Warburton.
Once the Queen and Meghan left Storyhouse, they arrived at Chester Town Hall for lunch, with salmon for starters and chicken and potatoes for mains on the menu.
The Queen officially opens Storyhouse Chester. Pictures: Simon Warburton.
The remainder of Meghan and Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey contains a number of astonishing admissions, hitting out at the institution and members of the royal family.
Appearing vulnerable at times, the duchess revealed that working for The Firm – as the royal family is sometimes known – ultimately left her feeling that ending her life was an option, and how she had not been protected by the monarchy.
Asked explicitly by Winfrey if she was thinking of self-harm and having suicidal thoughts at some stage, Meghan replied: “Yes. This was very, very clear.
“Very clear and very scary. I didn’t know who to turn to in that.”
A member of the royal family – who both Harry and Meghan refused to identify – was worried about how dark their son Archie’s skin tone might be before he was born.
Meghan told Winfrey there had been “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born”.
Harry suggested his family were jealous of Meghan’s popularity with the public – just as the appeal of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, had reportedly been seen as a threat.
And he revealed he has become estranged from his father, the Prince of Wales, saying: “I feel really let down”, but added that he would make it one of his priorities “to try and heal that relationship”.
Describing how she had been misrepresented in the press, Meghan said the Duchess of Cambridge had made her cry ahead of her wedding – the opposite of reports circulating ahead of the Sussexes’ nuptials that Meghan left Kate in tears at Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress fitting.
In a lighter moment, the couple, who announced in February that they are expecting their second child, said they are due to have a baby girl in the summer.
They also disclosed that they were married by the Archbishop of Canterbury three days before their formal ceremony in 2018, a month before Meghan's royal visit to Chester.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here