Oprah defends Prince Harry amid criticism over couple’s desire for privacy: ‘Doesn’t mean silence’

Winfrey says: ‘I ask for privacy and I’m talking all the time’

Oprah Winfrey has spoken out in support of Prince Harry after the Duke of Sussex opened up to the TV host about his and his wife Meghan Markle’s mental health struggles.

The Duke of Sussex spoke candidly about his lifelong battles with mental health and anxiety, as well as his grief over the death of his mother and his and Meghan’s eventual decision to step back from the royal family during the new Apple TV+ docu-series The Me You Can’t See.

During the multiple part series, Harry also discussed the racism that his wife, who is half Black, faced during their time in the UK, and the lack of support that he felt he received from his family.

The royal’s bombshell revelations came just two months after he and Meghan had spoken with Winfrey during a wide-ranging CBS interview, in which they shared similar sentiments about their time as senior royals.

On Friday, Winfrey spoke with Today’s Hoda Kotb, where she defended Prince Harry’s decision to continue using his platform to speak out against existing mental health stigmas while simultaneously asking for privacy for his family.

In response to Kotb’s question about what the critics are “not understanding about what’s going on,” Winfrey said: “You know, I ask for privacy and I’m talking all the time.

“So I think being able to have a life that you are not intruded upon by photographers or people flying overhead or invading your life, is what every person wants and deserves. That’s what people are missing.

“Privacy doesn’t mean silence.”

The TV host’s defense of the couple comes after Meghan previously argued that “everyone has a basic right to privacy” during their March conversation.

At the time, after Winfrey suggested that the couple should have an expectation that they would “lose privacy” for speaking out publicly about their time as senior royals, the duchess said: “I think everyone has a basic right to privacy. Basic. Right? And we’re not talking about anything that anybody else wouldn’t expect.”