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MORE THAN 800,000 people in Ireland tuned in to RTÉ2 last night to watch Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The televisual smorgasbord of palace intrigue in which the couple laid bare their brief lives as a working royal couple attracted 725,000 people who tuned in on TV to watch the two-hour interview.
A further 96,000 people watched it on the RTÉ Player.
Meghan and Harry alleged in the interview that a member of the family – not the Queen or Duke of Edinburgh – made a racist comment about their unborn son.
Palace officials reportedly had a prepared statement highlighting the family’s love and concern for the couple, but it was not signed off by the Queen.
The Times newspaper reported that the monarch wanted more time to consider her response to the lengthy interview.
Winfrey was left open-mouthed when the duchess – the first mixed-race member of the modern monarchy – said a fellow royal was worried about how dark their son Archie’s skin tone might be before he was born.
The interview was aired on Sunday night to US audiences, before being shown in the UK and Ireland yesterday evening.
During the candid interview, Meghan suggested her son was not made a prince because of his race – although rules set by George V meant he was not entitled to be one.
She also spoke about having suicidal thoughts but her approaches to the monarchy for help were turned down.
It is a year today since Meghan and Harry made their final official public engagement as senior working royals, attending the Commonwealth Day service in Westminster Abbey.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki praised Harry and Meghan’s courage when asked if US President Joe Biden had watched the interview.
Psaki told journalists yesterday: “For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health and tell their own personal story, that takes courage.
“That’s certainly something the president believes.”
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No surprise there then. Party of sham
@Kevin Conway: u think it only happens there
Can anyone think at this stage that ANY govt has its peoples wellfare at heart … a resounding NO. All rotten to the core.
@Lydia McLoughlin: wow wow hold yer horses there lydia. Yep u right
@Lydia McLoughlin: critical thought would tell me that if the Democrats are the ones that brought the bill forward, well then they have the publics and interest at heart.
@Lydia McLoughlin: at least Biden is making some sort of attempt to fix it.
@Kevin Conway: I dunno. The pessimist in me always thinks it’s all a front. Promise this, promise that but its only half hearted or it turns out it can’t be done anyway .. our lot are masters at it! Only those consulted benefit by producing report after report to come back and report it can’t be done!
Yes Minister springs to mind!
I just find it interesting this article did not say the reason the Republicans voted against it. Yes we heard why the Democrats think they voted against it but not their own response. Usually when Republicans vote against something that seems to make sense they have a reason that isnt as nonsensical as this article suggests. Im not saying I agree with them I’m just saying this is biased.
@Sean Casey: Yes, it does make sense. They want the dark money since it benefits them more than the Democrats.
@Peter Peterski: Why wasnt Mitch McConnells reasoning covered in the article?
@Peter Peterski: even though the article says the democrats benefited substantially more $1.5 million compared to $900k
@Anthony Mcgee: 1.5 BILLION versus 900 million. Just a tiny bit more.
Unfortunately In the end you get “the best government money can buy”.
Both sides are guilty but it would seem the Democrat party is at least willing to change the rules.
The amount of money (that doesn’t have to be declared where it comes from) that’s spent by on political advertising is phenomenal.
Less than 7 weeks to go until the midterms, in the US you can’t watch TV or watch anything online without being bombarded constantly by political attack ads.
This election cycle I’ve noticed that “radical” seems to be the buzzword. The 2 candidates for senate and the 2 candidates for governor in my state are running ads where they both just accuse and call each other “too radical for Wisconsin”
Political donations are corruption, plain and simple
Breaking news! facts in an article completely contradict the headline…
The irony of the democratic party bemoaning nefarious uses of political funding in American elections, while they themselves are funding extreme far right candidates in the US primaries to both make the Republican party look as far right as possible by association and also because they believe they can motivate undecided voters to vote for the democratic party candidates if the perceived alternative candidate is a far right looney that they themselves promoted into the political spotlight..
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/12/democrats-interfere-republican-primaries/
Just to add, the amount of money spent by the Democratic party funding far right candidates in the current US primaries, is an eye watering $50 million to date.
@David Van-Standen: they want the ‘radical’ Republican candidate to win the Republican primary because they reckon the mad radical Republican candidate will lose to the Democrat candidate in the actual election in November. They are funding the weakest Republican in the primary so they beat them in the election.
It’s not for ideological reasons it’s so they can beat them in the actual election.
The Republicans did the same, backing Bernie Sanders to win against Hillary in the Democratic primaries.
It’s inherently risky, the mad radical they think will lose can end up winning sometimes.
After all, Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016.
@Diaspora’d: thanks, that’s what i said.
I never claimed it was ideologically motivated, just a nefarious use of funding, in an attempt to rig the ultimate outcome in favour of the democratic party, while also slinging muck at the Republican party.
I just cannot figure how the Irish Government hrre have been able to afford Brexit, Covid, and, now the cost of living crisis it seems is going to bring a give away budget! Who is bank-rolling them? and Why?
Remember they announced a surplus of €6.3bn recently!
@Caoimhghin Whyte: the EU massively supported the Covid measures.
The benefits of being in the bloc are there to be seen.
Republicans cannot stand against corruption and still support Trump. They don’t want to live in denial. Might as well defend corrupt money and don’t be called hypocrite later
Just like ours.
Biden could be on fire and the Republicans wouldn’t urinate on him to put it out. They wouldn’t do that for any democrat and that’s what’s wrong with politics in this day and age, the most basic concepts of civility is dead and gone
Dark money is that given to the Democratic party by the likes of Planned parenthood (who make a profit and promote abortion).
Should cap all donations to say around 50′id say
have your say