In the 2021 interview, Meghan said members of the royal family had “concerns and conversations” when she was pregnant with her son, Archie, about how dark his skin would be ― a claim that was widely understood and reported as an allegation of racism and prompted global uproar.
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In an interview that aired on UK television Sunday, Harry denied that was the implication. When ITV’s Tom Bradby noted that the Duke of Sussex had “accused members of your family of racism” in the Winfrey interview, Harry pushed back.
“No, I didn’t. The British press said that,” Harry said. “Did Meghan ever mention that they’re racist?”
Bradby mentioned Meghan’s revelation that “there were troubling comments about Archie’s skin colour.”
“There was concern about his skin colour,” Harry replied.
“Right. Wouldn’t you describe that as essentially racist?” Bradby followed up.
“I wouldn’t,” Harry said. “Not having lived within that family.”
“The difference between racism and unconscious bias, the two things are different,” he continued. “But once it’s been acknowledged, or pointed out to you as an individual, or as an institution, that you have unconscious bias, you therefore have an opportunity to learn and grow from that in order so that you are part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Otherwise, unconscious bias then moves into the category of racism.”
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The Sussexes have declined to name the members of the royal family involved in the conversations about Archie’s skin, though the couple clarified after the interview that the comments were not made by Queen Elizabeth or Prince Philip.
Prince William responded to the claims by saying that the royals are “very much not a racist family,” while Buckingham Palace issued a statement after the interview saying that “the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning” and would be “addressed by the family privately.”
Amid ongoing backlash at the time, royal sources told media the palace was considering appointing a diversity tsar as part of an effort to modernise the monarchy.
The Duke of Sussex spoke to ITV’s Tom Bradby in an interview that aired two days before the official publication of his autobiography, “Spare.”
Jane Barlow – PA Images via Getty Images
While Harry defended his family in Sunday’s interview, he also called out the royal institution for its failure to take the opportunity for change, noting that no diversity tsar materialized.
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“Everything they said was gonna happen hasn’t happened. I’ve always been open to wanting to help them understand their part in it, and especially when you are the monarchy ― you have a responsibility and quite rightly people hold you to a higher standard than others,” he said.
He pointed to a recent racist incident as a “very good example of the environment within the institution.” In December, a royal aide who had served for decades as the late Queen Elizabeth’s lady in waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, apologised and resigned after she was called out for repeatedly asking Black charity founder Ngozi Fulani where she “really came from” during a palace reception.
Later in the interview, however, Harry defended Lady Hussey and insisted she meant no harm.
“All we’ve ever asked for in the last … few years is some accountability [from the monarchy],” he said. “And I’m very happy for Ngozi Fulani to be invited into the Palace to sit down with Lady Susan Hussey to reconcile because Meghan and I love Susan Hussey. She thinks she’s great.”
“And I also know that what she meant – she never meant any harm at all, but the response from the British press and from people online because of the stories that they wrote was horrendous. Was absolutely horrendous the response.”
Harry has given a series of interviews as part of a media blitz to promote his new memoir, “Spare,” which accidentally went on sale in Spain several days before its official Jan. 10 publication date.
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More bombshells from Prince Harry’s leaked memoir, “Spare”:
Britain’s ex-head of counter terrorism has revealed that police investigated multiple “disgusting and very real” threats against Meghan Markle.
The outgoing Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner, Neil Basu, said the danger posed to the Duchess of Sussex would have left her feeling “under threat all of the time”.
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Basu confirmed the threats came from the far right and they had led to prosecutions.
The comments throw new light on Prince Harry’s frustration over a decision not to allow him to pay for police protection for himself and his family when in the UK.
The Duke of Sussex, who quit as a senior working royal in 2020, won the right to challenge the Home Office in the High Court after being told he would no longer be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting.
He continued: “I’ve talked publicly for many years about the threat of extreme right-wing terrorism in this country.”
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Asked if there were serious and credible threats from the far right directed at Meghan, he replied: “Absolutely. If you’d seen the stuff that was written and you were receiving it, the kind of rhetoric that’s online, if you don’t know what I know, you would feel under threat all of the time.”
Asked if there had been genuine threats to Meghan’s life, he replied: “Absolutely. We had teams investigating it. People have been prosecuted for those threats.”
“There were many serious, credible threats against Meghan Markle emanating from the far-right?”
“Absolutely.”
Former head of counter terrorism for the Met Police, Neil Basu, tells @cathynewman about the “disgusting and very real” threats Prince Harry and Meghan Markle faced. pic.twitter.com/JPqfBFaCDO
The Sussexes personally fund a private protection team in the US for their family.
Harry told Oprah Winfrey the couple have signed multimillion-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify to pay for the security.
But he and Meghan lost their taxpayer-funded police protection in the UK in the aftermath of quitting as senior working royals.
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Speaking to Winfrey during the couple’s sit-down interview in 2021, Harry said he was told that “due to our change of status – we would no longer be ‘official’ members of the royal family”.
He said he had been shocked by this and “pushed back” on the issue, arguing that there had been no change of threat or risk to the couple.
Meghan, during the same interview, told how she had written to her husband’s family urging them not to “pull his security”, but had been told “it’s just not possible”.
The couple have offered to pay for police protection in the UK themselves, rather than ask taxpayers to foot the bill, his legal representative has said.
In September 2021, he filed a claim for a judicial review against the Home Office decision not to allow him to personally pay for police protection for himself and his family while in the UK.
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A government spokesperson said at the time: “The UK government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements. To do so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.
“It would also not be appropriate to comment on the detail of any legal proceedings.”
Prince William and Prince Harry gathered outside Windsor Castle with their partners in an unexpected show of unity following the death of their grandmother, the Queen.
The new Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, greeted mourners and well-wishers together late Saturday afternoon, as they looked at the many floral tributes left by the public.
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All four royals were dressed in black as they walked along the gates of Windsor Castle.
After arriving at the same time, the couples walked along separately, with William and Kate speaking to people on one side of the crowd and Harry and Meghan speaking to people on the other side.
William and Harry, who are thought to have experienced a rift in recent years, also joined forces in July 2021 to unveil a statue marking what would have been the 60th birthday of their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
On the walkabout in the Windsor grounds on Saturday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex held hands as they looked at the tributes, with Harry at one point affectionately putting his hand on his wife’s back.
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The new Prince and Princess of Wales were given bunches of flowers by members of the crowd as one visitor waved a Welsh flag.
William was also seen lightly touching Kate’s back at one moment as she crouched down to speak to a child at the front of the gates.
At one moment, he was also given a small Paddington Bear.
The royal couples look at the piles of floral tributes lining the road in Windsor.
Kirsty O’Connor via PA Wire/PA Images
It was the Cambridges’ first public appearance together since they were announced as Prince and Princess of Wales by King Charles III on Friday, and the first time both women have appeared in public since the Queen’s death.
Princes William and Harry both travelled to Balmoral on Thursday to be at their grandmother’s bedside, but neither of their wives joined them in Scotland.
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On Saturday morning, Prince William, alongside Camilla, Queen Consort, was a witness to the formal proclamation of his father’s accession to the throne.
Earlier on Saturday, the first heir to the throne also issued a deeply personal statement speaking of the loss of the Queen – his “Grannie” – and what she meant to him and his family.
“So much will be said in the days ahead about the meaning of her historic reign. I, however, have lost a grandmother,” he said.
“She was by my side at my happiest moment. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life.”
Wellwishers and the media were surprised to see the royal couples together.
But according to the PA news agency, a royal source said the new Prince of Wales asked his brother and his wife to join them in viewing the tributes.
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The source said: “The Prince of Wales invited the Duke and Duchess to join him and the Princess of Wales earlier.”
Meghan Markle was spotted in Ulvade, Texas on Thursday, just days after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a local elementary school.
The California-based Duchess of Sussex donated food at a community center that was hosting a blood drive, and laid flowers at a memorial for the shooting victims, according to BuzzFeed News.
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Blood drive volunteers told the news site that Markle quietly visited the center’s kitchen to drop off two large crates filled with sandwiches, drinks and desserts for blood donors.
“I had no idea who she was. She just was carrying on a conversation like her and I knew each other for years,” volunteer Gloria Contreras told BuzzFeed. “We were just talking about, you know, the situation and what happened what we were doing here.”
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A representative for Markle confirmed to several news outlets that the duchess visited Uvalde in a “personal capacity as a mother” to offer her condolences to the community.
CHANDAN KHANNA via Getty Images
Meghan Markle placed flowers at a makeshift memorial outside Uvalde County Courthouse in Uvalde, Texas, on May 26.
Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A representative of Markle said the duchess visited Uvalde in a “personal capacity as a mother.”
“She was just really sweet,” another volunteer, Georjean Burnell, told BuzzFeed News. “She just kind of walked in with her crew and started putting ice waters in the bucket with us and laying out chips for the people who were needing snacks before and after donating.”
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“It’s funny, we didn’t even know it was her until after she left and now we’re so sad,” Burnell added. “I mean, to be honest, we thought she was our neighbour.”
A number of people remain hospitalised after the shooting. Uvalde Memorial Hospital received 17 children, two of whom were dead on arrival, a hospital executive told reporters earlier this week. Several patients were also transported to University Hospital in San Antonio, which is roughly 80 miles from Uvalde.
After five years at the helm of GMB, Piers announced suddenly in March 2021 that he would be stepping down as host with immediate effect.
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News of his exit came the day after he made headlines for casting doubt on claims made by Meghan Markle that she had experienced suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior member of the Royal Family, with Piers’ remark eventually inciting a record number of complaints to Ofcom.
During a press event to promote his show Piers Morgan Uncensored, the divisive broadcaster was asked about his exit from GMB, which he branded “ridiculous”, “absurd” and “a farce”.
“I used to think that I was uncensored,” he claimed. “And then, of course, when I left Good Morning Britain it turned out that I actually was being censored, in the sense that I was told I had to apologise for disbelieving Princess Pinochio, or I would have to leave the building. So I took the ‘leave the building’ option.”
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He described the decision as a “sad moment” for himself, the show and his “poor TV wife” Susanna Reid, joking: “It was a very dramatic divorce. And I thought it was the wrong call by ITV.
“They had the hottest show on TV, it had just beaten the BBC to become the number one-rated breakfast show in the country. I wasn’t expecting a carriage clock, but I wasn’t expecting to be escorted out of the building. So it was all a bit dramatic.”
Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid pictured on his final day as a presenter on GMB
ITV/Shutterstock
He continued: “It’s interesting to me that Ofcom, the government-appointed TV regulator, five months later, found in my favour, and said that it would have been a chilling infringement on my rights to free speech had I not been able to say, ‘I don’t believe somebody’. So the whole thing seemed to me a bit ridiculous.”
He said: “The moment you try and get me fired, as Megan Markle did on Good Morning Britain, where she personally writes to the boss of ITV and demands my head on a plate, that is cancel culture right there. And the idea that ITV rolled over to it is ridiculous.
“But that’s why I’m here, and I feel, in a way, grateful to them, because I think this is a very exciting new platform and opportunity.”
Meghan Markle
NDZ/Star Max via Getty Images
“The mystery about the ITV thing was that I was hired specifically to have strongly-held opinions,” he added. “So, that’s why I felt the way I had to leave in the end was so absurd. And the more you look back on it, the more you go, ‘what was that all about?’.
“I thought the whole thing was a farce, and I’m delighted that as a result of the farce, we’ve ended up with a whole network that is now dedicated to preventing that kind of farce from recurring.”
Making a somewhat questionable comparison, Piers added that he felt “like Nelson Mandela when he came out of prison”, joking: “It’s like the long walk to free speech freedom.”
Piers went on to insist that he would not be “looking to steal Good Morning Britain viewers”, before throwing some shade at the daytime TV show, which has brought in a string of rotating guest hosts since Piers’ exit.
“I would be looking to pick up all those who’ve stopped watching [GMB],” he claimed. “Which, judging by when I walk around and judging by their ratings, is a lot of people.
“So if you loved Good Morning Britain when I was on it, and you miss me in that way, you know where to find me. There are a lot of people who I think were annoyed about what went down. And they’d be the ones I’d be after.”
Piers Morgan in the GMB studio
Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Since stepping down from GMB over a year ago, Piers has made a number of seemingly conflicting comments about the nature of his exit.
The morning after the news of his exit, Piers told reporters: “I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree. I’m just going to take it easy and see how we go.
“If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly-held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it,” he added at the time.
“Effectively I was censored at my previous job,” he claimed. “[I was] told to apologise to Meghan Markle for an honestly-held opinion, which obviously I wasn’t going to do.”
Piers Morgan Uncensored will launch on TalkTV at 8pm on Monday 25 April.
We’re used to people using shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent to launch themselves into the spotlight – but what you might not realise is that plenty of household names made their TV debuts in a very different way.
Long before shows like Cutting It, Wild At Heart and Britain’s Got Talent came calling, Mandy made her TV debut when Cilla Black tried to find her a match on Blind Date.
During her 1991 appearance on the show, Amanda introduced herself as a drama student who loved singing the blues as well as classics like Knees Up Mother Brown (??), as well as confessing her ultimate celeb crush was Jack Nicholson.
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Sadly, though, it wasn’t to be, with the future BGT star going home without a date… which her potential suitor seemed more than a bit gutted about when he clapped eyes on her for the first time.
But Mandy isn’t the only member of the BGT panel with a surprising game show appearance near the top of her CV.
Simon Cowell’s very first TV appearance was as a contestant on Sale Of The Century, two years before his eventual co-star’s stint on Blind Date.
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He may be best known now for his business decisions, but his time on Sale Of The Century ended in him leaving with 20 quid’s worth of cooking utensils. We wonder when the last time he picked them up was…
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Olly Murs’ optimism came back to bite him somewhat when he was a contestant on Deal Or No Deal, during which he turned down an offer of £26,000 and ended up pocketing just a tenner.
The future chart-topper appeared on the Channel 4 game show two years before shooting to fame on The X Factor, and after becoming a household name, he was invited back to compete in a celebrity special.
Unfortunately, he fared even worse second time around, ending up with just 50p. To make it up to his chosen charity, Olly pledged to donate £5000 of his own money.
We know him best as a member of JLS, who became one of The X Factor’s most successful acts ever in 2007, but Aston has actually been singing on screen for a lot longer than that.
As a teenager, he appeared on Stars In Their Eyes Kids, telling host Matthew Kelly: “Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be Michael Jackson.”
He performed a cover of The Jackson 5’s Rockin’ Robin, ultimately finishing in second place.
","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHJKumWfqs0","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"The Crystal Maze – 1990 Christmas Kids Special","author":"The Crystal Maze","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Fj33A7O3kzdeXp0jVgi-g","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"To celebrate this coming holiday season, here’s the 1990 Christmas kids special featuring the original Maze Master, Richard O’Brien. He guides a team of intrepid child contestants through the epic game show adventure in this Christmas special!\n\nFollow our social media for the latest Crystal Maze news!\n►https://twitter.com/thecrystalmaze\n►https://www.facebook.com/TheCrystalMazeTV/\n►https://www.instagram.com/thecrystalmazetv/\n\n#TheCrystalMaze #CrystalMaze #ChristmasSpecial","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bHJKumWfqs0/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"124","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"
And speaking of celebs who appeared on TV classics as teenagers, let’s talk about Michael Underwood, who was a contestant on a kids’ special of The Crystal Maze when he was 15.
The presenter was the first of the young contestants to take on a challenge, but failed to win his team any crystals in either of the physical or skill-based tasks he took on.
Michael’s presenting career began almost a decade later, when he began hosting the dream-fulfilment show Whatever You Want.
Minus his trademark beard, Joe Wicks suffered a very stressful blunder when his buzzer appeared to not be working, leaving him rather vexed, as you can see in the video above.
","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdNP53mu4jg","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Stephen Merchant on Blockbusters!","author":"ZooRoo999","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQqQyA3llsp1CskXVhobxaA","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"Stephen Merchant from the Office and Extras is defeated on the gameshow Blockbusters by Roopam and Claire (the Thelma and Louise of Blockbusters) hosted by Michael Aspel. 1997.\nFor Stephen’s commentary on his Radio 6 Show see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEYHMX3V5c0.","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SdNP53mu4jg/hqdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":480,"thumbnail_height":360,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"
Just four years before The Office would achieve huge success, Stephen Merchant was a contestant on Blockbusters back in 1997.
Despite getting off to a good start, it wasn’t ultimately a strong showing for the comedy writer and actor, finishing with 15 points to his opponents’ 50.
","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L28b4c9y2II","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Countdown – Tuesday 26th August 2008 – Part 1 Of 3 [HD]","author":"countdowngoofs","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrkzdOoeTcrvSLrRDi80vag","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"Broadcast on Tuesday 26th August 2008 – Part 1 Of 3 – Des O’Connor & Carol Vorderman host the show in which contestants race against the clock to pit their wits against vowels, consonants and numbers. With Susie Dent and dictionary corner guest Arthur Smith – All copyright remains with Yorkshire Television & ITV Productions – PLEASE COMMENT!","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L28b4c9y2II/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"
Another comedy star with a previous game show appearance in their past is Taskmaster favourite Alex Horne.
Alex did a great job on Countdown, winning three consecutive shows in 2008 during Des O’Connor and Carol Vorderman’s tenure, before he was eventually bested.
Having gone on to become a popular comic, Alex has returned to Countdown several times, appearing as a guest in Dictionary Corner as well as a panellist on the show’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats specials.
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Mark “The Beast” Labbett is one of the UK’s most famous quizzing experts, so it’s probably no great surprise that before finding fame on The Chase, he gave a few game shows a go, including Mastermind and Fifteen To One.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was perhaps his most successful attempt. Having failed to land in the hot seat when he played Fastest Finger First in 2005, Mark – who was then working as a supply teacher – returned a year later, leaving with an impressive £32,000.
Much later, he made an appearance on the rebooted version of the show in 2020, serving as Charlotte Church’s “phone a friend” during a celebrity special.
Her specialist subject was “The Life And Works Of Lorenz Hart”, the lyricist behind standards including Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, The Lady Is A Tramp and My Funny Valentine. Sadly, no clip exists of Anne in action, but enjoy this snap of her looking ever-so-80s in the Mastermind studio all the same.
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Then in his early 20s, comedian and actor Stephen Fry appeared as a contestant on University Challenge in 1980, representing Queen’s College, Cambridge.
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He’d later achieve huge success as a quiz show host, when he began presenting the hit panel show QI.
Miriam Margolyes – University Challenge
Miriam Margolyes
Another iconic Cambridge alum to compete on University Challenge was the always-outrageous Miriam Margolyes.
We say “always-outrageous” because Miriam has long claimed that this appearance on University Challenge was the first case of anyone saying the f-word on the BBC after struggling to contain her disappointment about a botched answer.
The moment itself was censored, though Miriam has insisted it was very much apparent what she was saying – though sadly a clip of the explicit outburst doesn’t appear to exist.
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Around the celebrations for Sir Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday, the BBC dug out this old clip of him competing on Blankety Blank, where he tried to match his answers to celebrity panellists like Freddie Starr, Ruth Madoc and Roy Kinnear.
He went out on the first round during a 1983 Christmas special – but at least he got to keep the iconic Blankety Blank cheque book and pen, eh?
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Deal Or No Deal worked a little differently in America, where contestants had briefcases opened by models, rather than boxes being unveiled by their fellow players.
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One such model was the future Duchess of Sussex, then an aspiring actor by the name of Meghan Markle. She would, of course, later achieve success as part of the cast of Suits, before her humanitarian work led her to meeting (and, indeed, marrying) Prince Harry.
Piers Morgan has spoken out about his much-publicised exit from Good Morning Britain, admitting he found his departure a “bruising” experience.
The former daytime star quit GMB in March 2021, after casting doubt on claims made by Meghan Markle that she had experienced suicidal thoughts during her time as a senior member of the Royal Family.
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He announced he was immediately stepping down on the same night Ofcom announced they would be launching an investigation about his remarks, with the TV watchdog eventually receiving a record number of complaints about the incident, including one from the Duchess herself.
Speaking to the tabloid a week before the launch of his column, Piers said: “The column is called Uncensored because it does what it says on the tin.
“Effectively I was censored at my previous job and told to apologise to Meghan Markle for an honestly-held opinion, which obviously I wasn’t going to do.”
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Alongside a few predictable jibes at the Duchess of Sussex, Piers added: “It was a pretty bruising experience on Good Morning Britain but I’m now working somewhere where I’m free to express my opinions.”
HuffPost UK has contacted ITV for comment.
Piers presented Good Morning Britain for six years alongside Susanna Reid
ITV/Shutterstock
Since he stepped down from GMB in March 2021 – following his infamous walk-off live on air – Piers has made a number of seemingly conflicting comments about the nature of his exit.
The morning after the news of his exit, Piers told reporters: “I had a good chat with ITV and we agreed to disagree. I’m just going to take it easy and see how we go.”
“If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly-held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it,” he added t the time.
After it was reported that Piers would not be invited back to GMB despite Ofcom’s ruling that his comments were not in breach of their code, the divisive presenter then insisted he wouldn’t return even if he were asked – unless ITV were to apologise to him publicly.
Prince Harry is working on a memoir that will cover his life as a member of the Royal Family and marriage to Meghan Markle.
On Monday, it was reported that the Duke of Sussex was collaborating with the novelist J. R. Moehringer on a book about his life in the public eye.
The publisher Penguin Random House said of the venture (via Page Six): “In an intimate and heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating and influential global figures of our time, Prince Harry will share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him.”
They added that the memoir will span “from childhood to the present day”, “including his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the frontlines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father”.
PETER NICHOLLS via Getty ImagesPrince Harry pictured in March 2020
According to Page Six, a manuscript from Prince Harry was expected next month, but this has been pushed back to October due to his hectic schedule.
The book’s release is scheduled “for late 2022”.
Breaking news! Random House is honored to announce a forthcoming memoir by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, to be published globally in late 2022. pic.twitter.com/NUzXwntuKq
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have welcomed their second child, a baby girl. The new baby, born in California, is the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild and Prince Charles’ fifth grandchild.
“It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world. Lili was born on Friday, June 4 at 11:40 am in the trusted care of doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara,” a spokesperson for the Sussexes said in a statement to HuffPost.
“She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz. Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home. Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet,” the statement continues. “Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”
“This is the second child for the couple, who also have a two-year-old son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke and Duchess thank you for your warm wishes and prayers as they enjoy this special time as a family.”
Lilibet was first used when Princess Elizabeth was just a toddler and unable to pronounce her own name properly. Her grandfather King George V would affectionately call her ‘Lilibet’ imitating her own attempts to say Elizabeth.
archewell.comThe official statement from Meghan and Harry published on the Archewell website.
The Duke of Edinburgh also referred to his wife as Lilibet, writing to his mother in law after their wedding: “Lilibet is the only ‘thing’ in the world which is absolutely real to me.”
Lili’s middle name Diana honours Harry’s later mother Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997 when Harry was just 12. Lili has been born almost a month before the princess would have celebrated her 60th birthday on July 1.
Lili’s cousin Princess Charlotte also has Diana as one of her middle names, as well as Elizabeth. She is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.
Anyone wishing to send a present to Meghan and Harry is asked to support organisations working for women and girls.
A message on the Archewell website reads: “For those inquiring on sending gifts, we would ask that you support or learn more about these organisations working for women and girls: Girls Inc., Harvest Home, CAMFED or Myna Mahila Foundation.”
The couple announced on Valentine’s Day that they were expecting their second child in a heartwarming post on social media.
“We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child,” a spokesperson for the couple told HuffPost in a shared statement at the time.
MISAN HARRIMANA photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that accompanied the couple’s pregnancy announcement on Valentine’s Day.
Archie, who turned two in May, is seventh in line to the throne, though he does not have a title. Meghan and Harry’s daughter will be eighth in line to the throne, ahead of Prince Andrew in ninth.
While it was previously thought that the couple didn’t want to give Archie a title, Meghan told Oprah Winfrey that the royals actually made the decision ― which would mean Archie wouldn’t have royal security, either.
“He needs to be safe,” the duchess told Winfrey. “If you’re saying the title is what’s going to affect their protection — we haven’t created this monster machine around us, in terms of clickbait and tabloid fodder. You’ve [the Firm] allowed that to happen, which means our son needs to be safe.”
The Diana Award, established to continue the legacy of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, added their congratulations.
Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
We extend our warmest wishes to The Duke, The Duchess and little Archie.
Prince Harry touched on nearly every major aspect of his life during a wide-ranging interview on the Armchair Expert podcast with hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman.
In the one-and-a-half hour episode, which was released on Tuesday, the Duke of Sussex talked about myriad disparate topics, including Joe Rogan, Princess Diana, the benefits of therapy, nude pictures taken of him in Las Vegas, his first incognito supermarket date with Meghan Markle, unconscious bias, and his military service.
Harry also discussed his “biggest issue” with royal life, which he compared to being a cross between The Truman Show and a zoo, and explained why he disliked it even in his early 20s.
WPA Pool via Getty Images
Prince Harry on royal duty in Nottingham in 2016.
“I think that the biggest issue for me was that, being born into it, you inherit the risk. You inherit the risk that comes with it ― you inherit every element of it without choice,” Harry said.
“Because of the way that the UK media are, they feel an ownership over you. Literally, like, full on ownership. And then they give the impression to some of their ― or most of their readers ― that that is the case. But I think it’s a really dangerous place to be, if you don’t have a choice.”
“But then, of course, then people quite rightly, will turn around, and be like ‘So what if you didn’t have a choice? It’s privilege!’” he added.
“I was in my early 20s and I was a case of, ‘I don’t want this job, I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be doing this,’” Harry said later in the interview. “Look what it did to my mum. How am I ever going to, you know, settle down, have a wife and family, when I know that it’s going to happen again?”
The Duke of Sussex said he had those thoughts because he’s “seen behind the curtain” and “seen the business model.”
Max Mumby/Indigo via Getty Images
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in December 2017, shortly after they got engaged.
“I know how this operation runs and how it works. I don’t want to be part of this. And then once I started doing therapy, suddenly it was like the bubble was burst,” he said. “And I plucked my head out of the sand, gave it a good shake off. And I was like, ‘Okay. You’re in this position of privilege. Stop complaining or stop thinking as though you want something different ― make this different. Because you can’t get out.’”
Through his relationship with Meghan, he began to examine what was really hurting him.
“She could tell that I was hurting and that some of the stuff that was out of my control was making me really angry,” he said. “For me prior to meeting Meghan, it was very much a case of ― certainly connected to the media ― this anger and frustration of ‘this is so unjust.’
Chris Jackson via Getty Images
Harry and Meghan in January 2018.
Harry said “helplessness” is his biggest weakness, and listed off the three times when he’s felt “completely helpless.”
“One when I was a kid in the back of the car with my mom being chased by paparazzi; two was in Afghanistan in an Apache helicopter; and then the third one was with my wife,” he said.
“And that’s when you think to yourself: ‘Shit. I’ve got the privilege, I’ve got the platform, I’ve got the influence and even I can’t fix this, I can’t change this.’ And you start getting in your head about it and that’s when it starts taking a toll.”
While the duke said he’s been overly self-critical in the past, “the good thing is the course is being altered now.”
Supporters of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who stepped back as working members of the royal family in January 2020, will likely hear more candour from the royals in the months to come.
Harry has a new multi-part docuseries about mental health coming out in partnership with Winfrey later this month, in which the two will interview stars like Lady Gaga and Glenn Close, as well as regular people who face mental health struggles.
Last year, Harry and Meghan signed major deals with Spotify and Netflix, which have them producing and appearing in content for both platforms.
For more of the duke’s Armchair Expert interview, listen below:
