Meghan Markle’s father Thomas Markle is accusing Oprah Winfrey of using his daughter and her husband Harry to build her own network and career.
“Oprah Winfrey, for one, I think Oprah Winfrey is playing Harry and Meghan,” he said in a new interview with “60 Minutes Australia.” “I think she’s using them to build her network and build her new shows. I think she’s taking advantage of a very weakened man and getting him to say things that you just shouldn’t be saying on television.”
About three months ago, Prince Harry and Meghan engaged in an extraordinary interview with Winfrey where they spoke about their lives inside the palace, including making bombshell revelations about racism within the royal family.
The interview, which dominated international news coverage for days, attracted a blockbuster audience when it was aired in the UK via ITV. It first aired on CBS and attracted some 17 million audiences, according to the Washington Post. The Wall Street Journal reported that Winfrey’s production company, Harpo, sold the interview right to CBS for a reported fee of between $7 million and $9 million. In the UK, the interview reportedly cost ITV £1million ($1.3m) to secure.
After the interview, Harry spoke to Winfrey again for their new Apple TV+ show, “The Me You Can’t See,” about his personal struggles following his mother Princess Diana’s death in 1997.
Though Harry has said he hopes to lead a conversation about mental health, Thomas believes that he’s being manipulated by the talk show queen.
“I think it’s a setup,” said 76-year-old Thomas. “I think she’s patting herself on the back and making a lot of money from this.”
“I think Harry is being put in a position where he’s saying things he’ll never be able to take back. That’s a horrible thing.”
Thomas and Meghan have been estranged for years. He reportedly staged photos for money ahead of his daughter’s wedding to Harry in 2018. He also leaked a personal letter from Meghan to the media. Thomas, who has reportedly not spoken to Meghan since she married Harry, said in the interview that he is waiting for the couple to get in contact with him.
