Where Was Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Oprah Interview Filmed?
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have delivered their highly-anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey. Over the course of two hours, the two spoke candidly about their decision to step back from the royal family and the motivations behind it.
The couple was at a serene and picturesque location that, at first glance, seems like it could have been their mansion in the coastal city of Santa Barbara, California. But Oprah says no. So where was Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Oprah interview filmed then? Here’s what we know.
The setting of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Oprah interview, revealed
The morning after the interview aired on CBS, Oprah appeared on CBS This Morning to recap her conversation with the couple. During the segment, she also refuted rumors that it occurred at their mansion, saying it was really filmed at a friend’s house.
Despite rumors that it was shot at Gayle King’s “California mansion,” both she and King pushed back on the speculation.
“It was filmed at a friend’s house,” Oprah insisted. However, she wouldn’t name that person due to safety concerns, explaining: “I’m not going to disclose the friend because I don’t want people going trying to find the friend and the friend’s house.”
In the interview, the couple sat with Oprah on a patio in front of a large lawn with stone pot plants and other gorgeous greenery.
What they discussed in the interview exactly
Throughout the interview, which aired on March 7, the Sussexes discussed the struggles they faced as royals from both inside and outside of the palace.
Meghan spoke with Oprah first, detailing her journey from the day in May 2018 when she married Prince Harry to now. She described being optimistic about royal life in those early days, but over time, she said, she started to feel lonely and isolated.
At the same time, she was dealing with an onslaught of negative press from British tabloids, which often ran headlines that were racist and stories she says were pure lies.
When she would relay her concerns and feelings to members inside the palace, she claims there was never any action, even though the communications team would refute “the most ridiculous story for anyone, things that are super artificial and inconsequential.” The attacks and her inability to respond eventually had her considering suicide.
“I just didn’t see a solution,” Meghan told Oprah. “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
Prince Harry, who also admitted that royal life took a toll on his mental health, said he “went to all the places which [he thought he] should go to to ask for help,” but the response was the same.
With that, they felt stepping back was best for them. “We did what we had to do,” Prince Harry told Oprah of their decision.
He and Meghan announced their plans in January 2020 and did so two months later. They’ve lived in Santa Barbara since the summer of 2020 along with their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, who we learned in the interview will soon have a little sister.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
