One of the strangest things about the recent kerfuffle about Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview was that few people brought up the fact that one of the primary reasons Diana wanted to give an interview was because Prince Charles had given a completely terrible interview to Jonathan Dimbleby in 1994. The Dimbleby interview was not as iconic as Diana’s Panorama interview and the Windsors want everyone to forget about both interviews, frankly. The Dimbleby interview was famous (in its time) for Charles admitting that he had been banging Camilla for years and Charles blaming his cold, distant parents for the man he is. It’s absolutely remembered for Charles dithering when asked about whether he wanted to be king. The Dimbleby interview was largely thought of as a huge mistake for Charles. So it’s very weird that Jonathan Dimbleby has some thoughts about the Sussexes’ Oprah interview:
Prince Charles’s biographer has accused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of ‘vicious, cruel and horribly self-serving’ behaviour over their infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey. Jonathan Dimbleby said it was a ‘great shame’ that the couple went ahead with the broadcast earlier this year. Speaking at the Buxton International Festival in Derbyshire this week, the veteran broadcaster, 76, said: ‘I think that the interview was a very great shame. I think it did great damage of a kind that was undeserved to the royal household and specifically to the Queen and her family.’
Mr Dimbleby, whose father Richard became the first journalist to interview a member of the Royal Family in a 1961 Panorama broadcast with Prince Philip, said he had met Harry ‘in the past when he was young’. He said his recollections of Harry were of a ‘charming, very nice’ man ‘who had served very well in the armed forces’.
But he said he was ‘very disappointed’ with his subsequent behaviour, adding: ‘I felt he was being led by the nose a bit by his wife.’ The Oprah chat, which drew in a worldwide audience of more than 50million, was ‘vicious, cruel and horribly self-serving. Harry’s remarks about his father, I simply fail to understand. I think there are certain things you should say and do in private. I believe a lot of the insinuations he made were not consistent with fact.’
Dimbleby literally gave Prince Charles multiple showcases to whine about how his parents were terrible, but sure, shame on Prince Harry for basically doing the same damn thing. I guess the difference was that Harry did it for a rapt global audience and Dimbleby’s dinky little interview with Charles is barely remembered. That’s something that keeps coming up, frankly – journalists and interviewers barely being able to contain their jealousy of Oprah and her ability to conduct an interview watched by 50 million people. And I’m so completely tired of the sexist trope of “dumb Harry is being led around by his Black wife.” Can we just stop. It’s been abundantly clear for a while now that Harry is 100% his own man, making his own decisions and doing right by his wife and children. That’s what upsets them even more.
It’s been a while since I’ve watched any part of this interview. I forgot that Charles is exactly the kind of man who saves his deepest reserves of pity for himself.
Photos courtesy of Getty, CBS.
They said the same about Diana getting rid of Charles’ friends. These people have no shame. Harry is not complaining. On the contrary he is thriving.
I just can’t get over the fact that these people actually expect the sussexes to be okay with being smeared, lied about and trashed day in day out. Every time harry and meghan speak about what that did to them they are being told to shut up. How about charles shut up? Because his friends keep running to the press to say how disappointed he is.
Like every abuser everywhere, the RRs just can’t understand why they (he) left. Yup, the geese and their golden eggs have moved to Cali and they are never coming back. Hazza for a day or two is all they’re ever going to get.
Charles buddies like Nicholas Soames leaked stories about Diana. Some Charles fans still use these stories in their books. LIke the Harvey the Dog Story that DIana alleged “ousted” from the home. This was refuted and Harvey was incontinent and could not be in the house but was moved to a kennel. But it took a life of its own. And Diana was gaslighted much like Harry and Meghan are today.
Charles complaining in the past about the Queen’s parenting is fine, but Harry giving an example of Charle’s poor parental support is not ok. …okay.
He’s just mad because Oprah secured the bag with that interview and Harry and Meghan became more popular as a result. Unlike his interview with Charles, which only confirmed Charles’ status as a douche canoe. If anything did damage to the monarchy, at least to Charles’ reign, it was that.
Yup, the complaining about the interview from every other reporter/journalist/whatever basically boils down to – “I should have been the one to get that interview.” They’re mad as hell that Harry and Meghan went to a black female journalist. (I mean they went to freaking Oprah, lol)
For Harry to come back to Salty Isle, he must be infantilized. I’m curious as to why such and easily-led doofus is essential to monarchy’s success.
These folks really are not used to independent grownups making their own choiCes.
You know? The moment I see a white person taking about Meghan’s experiences, telling Meghan (talking about POC in general) what is and isn’t racism/(t)? I just tune out. Its like these salty white folks can’t help themselves, they just have to come out and tell us POC how we should just sit there and take it (the racism we are subjected to) like a good little girl/boy; its just pain 🤮 😠
The caucacity of RRs. They all need to sit down and shut up.
take a few seats!!!
Can people just stop infantilizing Harry? He probably wanted to do the Oprah interview more than Meghan. Lets not forget that he said the same things in the dax shepard podcast as well mas TMYCS. Meghan hasn’t mentioned these people since Oprah.
Harry’s got people in the media like Richard Eden and some royalists questioning whether they got the whole narrative on the Sussexes wrong and if Harry is the bad guy and not Meghan.
@Amy Bee
Richard Eden is a poisonous snake.😒😒
He’s bringing in this new narrative that’s been set by Mugziteers like Anglunatic Levin, to claim this is Meghan’s masterplan ALL ALONG.
Apparently, Meghan’s plan is to stay quiet and let Harry destroy himself and his reputation.
Then she leaves him a broken man, estranged from his family, divorces him and take him for all he’s got.
Then she runs for office as an emotionally abused wife.
Don’t mistake the hidden agenda behind Eden saying pretend nice things about Meghan for once.
And like I said the other week, HARRY was the one who really blew things up in that interview. Meghan was all “the firm, the institution, Kate is a good person” and then Harry waltzed in and was like “MY DAD SUCKS!!!” He didnt even hesitate.
And frankly a lot of what he said was an extension of earlier interviews he gave before he even met Meghan. They know this and would rather pretend it’s Meghan controlling Harry despite actual evidence to the contrary.
Exactly! Meghan stepped very carefully and chose every word. Then Harry comes in like the Kool Aid man with a huge dash of truth and justice.
@becks 100%. There’s a tik tokker who’s name I can’t remember at the moment but she nailed this perfectly. She basically did an exaggerated impression of the interview and her Meghan was all low key and diplomatic and her Harry swoops in and is like “MY FAMILY RACIST YALL I SAID WHAT I SAID” it was spot on and hilarious.
@Becks1, I will kind of disagree that he swooped in and said his Dad sucks. My impression is that he more or less started off with that the high ranking courtiers/UK Press suck. If I had to rank the level of who sucks it would be 1. William 2. Courtiers 3. The BM/media 4. Charles.imo Harry (& Meghan) were not vicious or cruel to the Queen. Unless, Dimbleby watched a different interview than 50 million other people. It is curious how he said ‘the royal household and specifically the Queen and her family’. So, I’m getting from that..courtiers/ palace staff. Courtiers/palace aides who have a “hidden control”. It’s what Diana talked about in her interview. No one on in the BRF cared that Diana talked about Charles & Camilla-Charles already went there previously. The problem was she talked about the courtiers/grey men running sh#t. Was it the Sun or DM that realeased H & M’s location? The Sun transcript has the DM as the guilty party. So nice of Dimbleby leaving the BM/rotas out of his remarks. It’s so disingenous of the media to keep his aversion of them out of the truth.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14277841/meghan-markle-oprah-interview-full-transcript/
He can be added to the long list of people who are still not acknowledging that H&M’s interview was not an attack on innocents, but a response to what had been done to them. My head spins with dizziness over how everything they said–the refusing help when Meg was suicidal, the refusal to have corrected the crying story, the cutting off their security when they were under threat–is conveniently never mentioned and completely forgotten about.
Right? They are living in alternate realities, or creating alternate realities in which dimbley’s interview with Charles never happened and the Oprah interview had nothing to do with suicidal ideation, cruel neglect, and racism.
They’re living in a made up reality where H&M decided, ‘let’s go on Oprah and smear them all! It will be fun!’
@L84tea: Don’t forget the amount of gaslighting that the Royal Family and the Palace did to Harry and Meghan.
+1000. And it’s not like what was done was done in private, so why should Harry and Meghan keep the impact it had on them private? Who does that serve?
It’s intentional. This is how they rewrite history, even if the events are very recent. By ignoring the the two-years smear campaign which preceded the interview, they can paint the interview as the Sussexes going rogue and attacking the monarchy. They’ve mastered the art of gaslighting.
ditto!!!
Wait, so in Dimbleby’s interivew, Charles criticized his parents and that was OK, but when Harry does the same thing with Oprah, it’s “Vicious, cruel and horribly self-serving”?
Exactly. The biggest hypocrite as he wrote a bio (which Charles cooperated with & which the palaces endorsed) which portrayed Philip as a hectoring bully who forced Charles to marry Diana who he never loved and the queen as a cold, distant mother. Charles also confessed his adultery to him. Meghan really brings out the hypocrisy & bigotry in people. So many have disappointed me with their misogynoir
I think many in the U.K. media are bitter that they gave the interview about the BRF to an American & a black woman.
Weak and sad because as I recall, Philip did not “force” Charles to marry Diana.
What I believe Philip said was either marry Diana or let her go because it wouldn’t be fair to her reputation to string her along. Charles may have felt pressured to marry and produce an heir but he didn’t have to marry Diana. He just felt the little girl Diana would sit back and shut up and let him have affairs and do whatever he wanted.
Charles never takes responsibilities for his own actions, he blames others like his father, mother, Diana, and so on. The Queen Mother helped enable Charles to think he is the center of the Universe and he can’t be blamed for anything. Philip was right, Charles should have let Diana go if he did not love her and knew he would not stop seeing Camilla. Charles did not have to marry at all.
OMG, Jonathan Dimbley is that guy I’ve never heard about….. And everyone makes money on the names of Harry and Meg.
BTW I still can’t understand why ppl call Oprah interview “trashing the family”. Just because harry ruined one’s fairytale as he did when he got married?
Seeing William with hair makes me cackle with glee to see the evil potato that he resembles now
Hah! Evil potato. I think we have a new name for Willie boy.
I never watched that interview but heavens, the hypocrisy.
And these are the hypocrits and sycophants the royals surround themselves with. Honestly, chicken or egg?
Why are racist-misogynist dbags always so willing to call a Black Woman strong and in charge and a white man weak and compliant? Because if that’s true, doesn’t it contradict all those justifications for why white dudes should be running everything?
Not only did Dimbleby do that interview, he wrote the biography that Charles authorized. Dimbleby would be the first in line to interview Harry and Meghan if he had the chance so as Kaiser said it’s jealousy coming from him.
Meg does not need to lead Harry around by the nose. In fact, it would be difficult for her to do so, as Harry loves her, and they are a team, walking side by side and hand and hand together.
It’s a shame not one of these morons understands a true marriage/partnership. I feel for their spouses.
ITA. I’ve had that thought many times. Have none y’all ever been in love? Because you all sound like you don’t even think love and partnership is a real thing. 😯🙄
It seems that Dimbleby does not approve of a man who loves and supports his wife.
Harry is a grown man. An adult.
Why can’t these yapping fools admit that Harry was fed up with being constantly told how to live?
He made his choice, he appears to be happy.
Accept it, get over it.
Oh, wait. They make their $$ by picking it the Royals and papping, constantly stirring crap up.
I hate to say it but H&M are going to be hounded just like Di. Even tho they are no longer working royals.
I’m sure they would much rather Harry be lead around by the balls by The Firm. They’re just mad they can no longer control him.
And Harry talking has little to do with Meghan. He CLEARLY he has a LOT of stuff he’s been wanting to get off his chest for the past 20+ years. Meghan just be minding her own business these days.
What a dinkledorf (his name made me think of it). Back in high school, that’s what we called idiot fools. How about he LOVES his wife, and CARES about her well-being, and was DETERMINED to make things better? Not only that, she had/has expertise he’s benefiting from. Will these constipated and stuffy old coots ever get a clue? Probably not.
And what about the “vicious, cruel and horribly self-serving” attitude and behavior of the British Royal Family and their minions?
I don’t doubt that Harry is able to make up his own mind on things, but I’m stumped as to how it’s a bad thing if he values and considers his wife’s opinions and feelings on things that affect both of them. I would hope that he does.
this all has just shown – they really thought so little of harry. no wonder he wanted out of there. these people surrounding him, the staff but also all the reporters, thought he was an idiot
Inconsistent with what facts? What facts have they given us yet? Aside from the fact that they let lies spread about Karen Kate being the one who cried. The all but admitted it while throwing Meghan under the bus. Need these other facts he’s referring to
That interview! I hadn’t seen it in years, I guess since clips were on the news here in the US at the time. He comes across as so pompously un-self aware and obviously dishonest. Not as bad as Andrew and the pizza party interview, but man, not good.
I haven’t ever seen this clip before and WOW. You nailed it – pompously un-self aware and obviously dishonest. Even the tone of his voice is condescending and false, like he was coached on intonation to garner more sympathy. Just pathetic in every way.
” I think there are certain things you should say and do in private”
Things like abuse trafficked girls?
Things like get yourself exempt from employment law that is in place for all businesses in the land that you are dutiful Queen of?
Things like have “secret” meetings with political lobbying groups to manipulate Scotland into staying part of the union?
Things like laughing and joking with medical personnel about a global pandemic that has killed many and crushed economies?
Things like use an RAF helicopter to fly past your girlfriends house to impress her neighbours?
Things like question what skin colour innocent children will have in your family?
Things like get caught up in tax evasion scandals like the Paradise Papers?
Those kind of things?
STFU Dimbleby!
First time I have ever seen this interview, maybe something should send Jonathan this clip with a screen shot of what he just said about Harry and Meghan and ask him, is this you?
These people keep rewriting the narrative and history but receipts don’t lie. So nice try you old asshole
And if they think so little of Harry as a man, then they should be grateful as heck that he is gone .it really kills these racist that Harry loves his black wife and would move heaven and earth for her.
@Kaiser that line about Prince Charles saving his deepest reserves of pity for himself is sadly bang on.
These people are doing such contortionist work to blame Meghan and Harry for how that awful family treated them that they should consider joining the circus.
As an African American, I have to admit I never had much thought of the Royal family until Harry married Meg. After watching some of this interview, Prince Charles comes across as very whiny. What is the actual perspective of him by the Brits?
Agree with Kaiser’s take on this one. Two things that keep coming up. The professional jealousy of Oprah getting the biggest interview of the year is so palpable, and the fact that she was so skilled at it makes them seethe. A lot of commentators noted how they had forgotten how good an interviewer Oprah is. It wasn’t just an interview but a cultural touchstone that has a lot of repercussions being felt way beyond the royal family. She is really good at this. They keep up with the racist, sexist tropes of Harry being led astray by Meghan’s exotic DNA. Another racist trope that is just unspoken below the surface,is that a lot of people go on about Meghan’s light skin, and how can they be racist because they didn’t know she was black. They think that she deceived the poor white prince by passing and by the time he realized she was “ colored”, he’d been bewitched. People like Dimbleby are just wallowing in the worst racist tropes that have been said about black women since 1619.
Apart from outing themselves as racists they’ve also outed themselves as mysoginists and sexists.
They are such status quo people, to the marrow. ‘So you’re saying the BRF institution is racist and drives your wife to the brink? Lead, young man! Shove her under the rug! This racist, elitist, sexist, classist, white supremacist empire must go on!’ They need to admit that welcoming Meghan into the family was completely insincere – that family didn’t truly accept Harry’s choice or what it meant for the Commonwealth and obviously Harry woke up to that 100%. He’s not stupid or cruel, he loves Meghan so he’s not having any of that. That shows a lot more leadership and strength of character than this Dimwittleby can even begin to grasp.
I rather Meghan lead Prince Harry by the nose to all kinds of success, compared to being led by the rotas (carnival of clowns) heads up BRF arses and hands tight on BRF balls (as in the case of Prince William) pushing them/him towards zero success.
Harry was portrayed as the dumb, party goer, womanizer & royal clown with no power, that is why every ask from him or Meghan was met with total disregard and indifference. Meghan was just a catalyser of Harry’s voice, because he knew he was more that anyone thought about him. Good for you Harry. As a team, you are stronger. The 2 of them shook everything up, it’s too bad Diana was alone, can you imagine? It’s about time someone put back the “untouchable” RF on the ground.
i’m just so tired of this line of attack against the sussexes that seems to pretty much almost exclusively come from men of a certain age. also how about, from now on, we ignore these unbearably misogynistic old lechers (lacey, vickers, woton, jobson, dimble what’s his face, and the rest of them)? agreed?
Just for interest, according to a book written by his ex-wife Bel Mooney, Jonathan Dimbleby attended Charles and Camilla’s wedding as a guest in 2005. Since that happened long after the interview discussed here, that leads me to believe that Jonathan stayed very much in Charles’s “camp” and is probably still there today. Certainly in the ex-wife’s book, she talks about how much she and Jonathan Dimbleby admire and support the royal family. (The book is really about how Bel’s little dog helped her get through her divorce — I’m a sucker for dog/cat stories, so that’s why I read it lol)
Jonathan Dimbleby is talking out of his ass a bit.
You can’t lead a guy out of the royal family unless he wants to be led. Imagine if someone tried to get William to step down – can you imagine him being so in love that he’d give up the throne? Or let’s go to someone line-adjacent, is there a woman alive who could get Andrew to give up his privileges and go out on his own? The monarchy, for all its claustrophobia-inducing restrictions, is still the pinnacle of entitlement and privilege. Few egos are strong enough to give that up.
Condescending hogwash at its best delivered by Charles for posterity!
Ingratiating sycophantic interviewing at its worst by Dimbleby!
They are both embarrassing to not only listen to but to watch!
In their zeal to criticize Meghan, these writers (like DImbleby) show great sexism. An intelligent, bright woman “bosses around” her husband in their worlds. He was Charles authorized biographer and apparently approved of Charles and his attitudes towards Diana yet disparages Harry who loves and supports his wife.
Charles crawling thrive the forest on all fours was absolutely terrifying. Straight out if a scary movie.