Oprah and Gayle Say Prince Harry "Did What Was Right" For Meghan and His Family

From Oprah Magazine

• Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle ignited a media storm with their decision to step back as senior royals.

• In a candid speech, Prince Harry explained their decision in more detail: "There really was no other option."

• Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King expressed their support for the couple in a new video captured by TMZ.
  

Fear not, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Oprah is on your team. In a recent video published by TMZ, Lady O and Gayle King came to Harry and Markle's defense, cosplaying as the knights in shining armor we hope ride into all our fairy tales.

"I support them 1,000 percent," Oprah said, referring to the couple's recent precedent-shattering decision to step back from their duties as senior royals. According to Oprah, Harry "did what he needed to do for his family."

Over the weekend, the terms of Harry and Markle's arrangement (a.k.a. "Megxit") were ironed out in talks at the family's Sandringham estate. Instead of holding the "progressive roles" the couple envisioned in their first announcement, a hybrid between royal and civilian, Harry and Markle are embarking on a life in North America almost completely detached from Buckingham Palace.

Speaking at a charity fundraiser on Sunday, January 19, Prince Harry addressed the decision (and its aftermath) for the first time. “It brings me great sadness that it has come to this,” Harry said. “The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges.”

Harry emphasized just how arduous the decision-making process was, ultimately concluding there was "no other option" for him and his family. "I hope that helps you understand what it had to come to, that I would step my family back from all I have ever known, to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life," Harry said.

Listening to the speech, Oprah empathized with Prince Harry and the enormity of his choice to break with his family. "Who doesn't feel what it takes to make that decision? To give up everything you've known in your whole life to say, 'I'm going to choose this new life and what I believe to be the truest vision for myself,'" Oprah told TMZ in a street interview.

With that in mind, Oprah said it's time for the rest of us to stop judging their bold move (lookin' directly at you, Markle haters and British tabloids).

"When a person has sat and thought, 'What is the best decision I can make for my family?' And then he makes that decision, none of us have any right to say anything to that. That's his decision for his family. Who are any of us to stand in judgement of that?"

Gayle, O's Editor at Large and Oprah's best friend, chimed in with her own message of support, too. While Harry and Markle's decision is news to onlookers, King reminded us that it's been in the works for some time.

"They didn't make that decision in a vacuum," King said. "There have been several discussions."

Though Page Six reported that Oprah was initially part of those discussions, stepping in as an advisor, Oprah denied those claims. In an interview with People, Oprah said, “Meghan and Harry do not need my help figuring out what’s best for them.” She added, “I care about them both and support whatever decisions they make for their family.”

Oprah, who was a guest at the couple's very exclusive wedding, has been a longtime supporter of the couple. "You couldn’t be in that chapel, or even watching from afar, and not feel the power of love," she wrote while reflecting on the powerful ceremony, witnessed by over 50 million people around the world.

Even more than the wedding, though, Harry's drastic decision is the ultimate declaration of devotion. He's leaving his familiar life behind in the hopes for a better future for his wife and their 1-year-old son, Archie. Or at least, that's how Oprah and Gayle see it—and so it's probably how we should see it, too.

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