Gayle King, who is Winfrey’s best friend, revealed this detail on the radio show Gayle King in the House, on Wednesday. She said that the royal couple had no intentions of proceeding with the interview’s airing if the situation turned worse for Philip.
The 99-year-old royal was admitted to a London hospital on the same day Harry and Meghan had their sit-down with Winfrey in California. King, however, clarified that the interview with Winfrey was scheduled before Philip had to go to the hospital. The TV host also wanted to raise this point amid criticisms that the couple should’ve not aired the interview as a sign of respect for Philip’s health crisis.
An added clip from the interview showed Meghan telling Winfrey that she spoke to Queen Elizabeth after learning of Philip’s hospitalization. Meghan said that she woke up ahead of Harry and found a note from the staff telling them of Philip’s condition. The Duchess of Sussex said that she didn’t have to pause and think of the royal protocols anymore and simply called up the queen to “check in.”
After 28 days at the hospital and following heart surgery, Philip has returned to Windsor Castle on March 16. It’s where Queen Elizabeth has been isolating since the first wave of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, royal experts have criticized Prince Harry, Meghan and King for a “shocking breach of trust” after the couple revealed that Harry has had conversations with Prince Charles and Prince William post-interview. King shared on CBS This Morning that Harry’s talk with his relatives was “unproductive” but royal biographer Penny Junor said this unexpected revelation was uncalled for.
Junor said that the royal family will likely think that whatever they tell Harry will become TV fodder in the United States if they keep talking to King. The royal expert said that this will make Harry’s rift with his family harder to mend. Palace sources also told Mirror that no one from the royal family will be giving Harry and Meghan “tit-for-tat” because their conversations will remain private.
King said on her TV show that she wasn’t “trying to break news.” However, as Prince Harry and Markle’s friend, she did call them up to ask how they were feeling and that’s when Harry told her about his talk with Charles and William.