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Oprah Winfrey's "sparse" response when asked about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during a TV appearance last week may signal a desire not to be seen as their "unofficial spokesperson" and to protect her own star status, Newsweek's The Royal Report podcast has heard.
The TV veteran has been linked with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since she attended their wedding in 2018. In 2021 the couple sat down with Winfrey for a bombshell interview about their decision to step down as working royals.
During a recent CBS interview with Gayle King, a mutual friend, Winfrey was asked for her opinion on whether or not Harry and Meghan should attend the coronation of King Charles III in May.
"Oprah must get asked about Harry and Meghan all the time since the interview in 2021, and you could forgive her for getting a bit fed up of it," chief royal correspondent Jack Royston said on the latest episode of The Royal Report.
In the interview with King, Winfrey replied: "I think they should do what they feel is best for them and their family. That's what I think. That's what the bottom line comes down to. What do you feel like is the right thing for you?"
She added: "They haven't asked me my opinion."
Royston said this somewhat "sparse and pared-down" response suggested that the star is wary of being seen as a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan.
"This is obviously a slightly cagey response," he said. "I don't know whether Oprah didn't want to be asked or whether she just feels she's not in a position to say. It certainly doesn't sound like she's got Harry and Meghan on speed dial right now—certainly not anymore, anyway."
Royston went on: "Another possibility, though. I feel like maybe Oprah must know there's a risk of her being viewed as a kind of unofficial spokesperson for Harry and Meghan if she gives her opinion too readily and if she's always popping up, articulating what they might think and feel without them having to speak for themselves."
Winfrey has a long-established career of her own and "an absolutely glittering reputation," Royston pointed out.
"She is perhaps as close as America gets to royalty and that reputation long precedes the interview of Harry and Meghan," he said.
"So, maybe the sparse, pared-down response she gave is also just about preserving her own status as a star in her own right, rather than somebody who's in orbit of Harry and Meghan.
"In fairness, who can blame her? From the point of view of American society, she's the royal in the room."
Newsweek has approached representatives of Oprah Winfrey via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more