By Nate Day | Fox News




Meghan Markle has spoken out regarding her and Prince Harry's exit from the royal family, the move's fallout and more.

The Duchess of Sussex recently sat down with Oprah Winfrey for "Oprah with Meghan and Harry a CBS primetime special" and spoke about her beginnings as a royal.

"I went to it naively because I didn't grow up watching the royal family," Markle, 39, said.

She also reflected on meeting Queen Elizabeth II for the first time.

Markle recalled having an opportunity to meet the Queen by chance thanks to a gap in scheduling.

"There wasn't actually a huge formality the first time I met Her Majesty," she recalled, noting that she was surprised to learn from Harry that certain traditions like curtseying were also performed in private.

Additionally, Markle addressed a rumor that she had made her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, cry at her and Harry's wedding over her demands.

The Duchess revealed during the special that it was actually Middleton, 39, who actually made her cry.

"I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details because she apologized," Markle explained.

She added that it was "hard" to get over the incident because "everyone knew in the institution it wasn't true."

"Why didn't they say anything?" Oprah asked the former "Suits" star. "That's a good question," Markle responded.

During the discussion, Markle also discussed her inability to speak out about difficulties arising in her life, which she found ironic since she's been such an advocate for women speaking out.

When asked whether she "was silent or silenced," Markle responded: "The latter."

She continued, pointing out that there is a difference between the royal family and the people who run the royal institution behind-the-scenes.

"The Queen has always been wonderful to me," the former actress said, recalling the monarch gifting her a pair of pearl earrings and a matching necklace.

"She was always warm, inviting and really welcoming," Markle clarified.



Meanwhile, just hours before Prince Harry and Markle's sit-down with Winfrey was set to air, Queen Elizabeth II stressed the importance of unity and family in a royal address that aired.

Prince Harry and Markle departed royal life a year ago over. The sit-down with Winfrey is a chance for the couple to explain what led them to quit royal life, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.

It's unclear what public reaction, if any, the queen and other royal family members will have to the interview. The U.K.’s Sunday Times newspaper, citing an anonymous source, reported that the queen wouldn't watch it.

Also in the interview, Markle revealed that the Crown hoped that she and Harry's son Archie would not become a prince -- or princess, as they were not aware of the baby's sex at the time -- and that they were told the baby would not receive security.

The star remembered feeling worried about her child's safety due to her treatment by the tabloids.

Additionally, the Duchess claimed that there were "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born."

Markle is the first person of mixed race, being half-Black, to marry into the royal family.



"In the months when I was pregnant, all around the same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."

Markle said that she was not privy to such conversations, but that Harry was. She would not reveal who had the conversation with Harry, however, as she felt it would be too "damaging" to do so.

Yet another bombshell came in the form of Markle revealing that she "didn't want to be alive anymore" during her earlier days as a royal.

"Look, I was really ashamed to have to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, but I knew that if I didn’t say that I would do it," she said. "I just didn’t want to be alive anymore."

Furthermore, Markle said that she tried to seek help, but was allegedly told by a "senior" member of the institution that her receiving mental health care would reflect poorly on the family.

Ultimately, she turned to a close friend of the late Princess Diana's though she continued to have troubling thoughts.



Markle and Winfrey were then joined by Harry, and the married duo announced that they're expecting a baby girl. She is due in summertime.

Harry admitted that he also "went to a very dark place" when Markle was feeling suicidal and was hesitant to speak up to his family about the issue.

He added that he's "acutely aware" of the fact that his family is "scared" of the British tabloids turning on them and pointed out that some tabloids are chummy with the Crown.

The Prince said that he saw similarities between the way his late mother, Diana, was treated and the treatment Markle is receiving, leading to him eventually stepping down from his royal duties after continuously asking for help.

Additionally, his announcement of saying goodbye to his duties did not come as a surprise, he said.

"I never blindsided my grandmother," Harry said. "I have too much respect for her."

Harry also discussed his father Prince Charles and brother Prince William

"My father and my brother, they are trapped [in the royal family]. They don't get to leave," Harry said. "And I have compassion for that."

Nowadays, he's laying low when it comes to his relationship with William.

"The relationship is space at the moment and time heals all things, hopefully," he said.

As far as his relationship with Charles, Harry noted that there's "a lot to work through."

"I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like ... Archie is his grandson," the Prince said. "I will always love him. There’s a lot of hurt that’s happened. I will continue to make it one of my priorities to heal that relationship."

Markle added that she feels regret for believing in the Firm when they said they'd protect her.

Fox News has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.