Oprah Winfrey has faced a backlash on social media after saying she hopes the Queen’s death will allow the royal family to come together and provide “an opportunity for peacemaking”.
The US talk show host sat down with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2021 for a widely publicised and explosive interview. Winfrey made the remarks while attending the 2022 Toronto Film Festival, during which she was asked about the recent reunion of Harry and Meghan with the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“My father passed recently, this summer,” she told US outlet Extra. “When all families come together for a common ceremony, the ritual of, you know, burying your dead, there’s an opportunity for peacemaking. And hopefully, there will be that.”
The presenter faced backlash on social media over the remarks, with some questioning why she had chosen to bring up previous tensions.
On Twitter, @sofedup2here commented: "So you believe the Queen’s death is 'an opportunity for peacemaking'? You should sit your American behind down!
"You were the instigation of this firestorm between brothers! Mind your business, step back from that of The Royal Family."
Patricia Sullivan tweeted: "An opportunity for peacemaking Oprah???? You started this whole thing with you and Meghan and the salacious BS about the royal family!"
And @incrediblyBori3 said: "Oprah talking about peacemaking? Lol! She got her money from helping throw mud.... now she's trying to get what... positive strokes for appearing caring?"
It comes after she told CBS she was "as surprised as anyone" by the claims the Sussexes made when she interviewed them in March 2021. She told Gayle King on CBS: “I was as surprised by the bombshell as everybody else. I was doing an interview to offer them a platform to tell their story about why they left, and my number one intention was just clarity on 'why did you leave?’”
"And so some of the things that were revealed in that interview came as a surprise to me and those surprises are now referred to as 'bombshell’, but I didn’t set out to do a ‘bombshell’ interview. I set out to do an interview, have a conversation that would allow them to tell their story.”
Gayle replied: “And now people say, ‘reconciliation, reconciliation, we hope the brothers reconcile’, what do you say?”
Winfrey’s 'bombshell' interview in March 2021 saw Meghan reveal she felt suicidal at the height of her crisis in the monarchy. Harry and Oprah later reunited in May 2021 for an Apple TV series entitled The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward, which explored issues of mental health.
In the series, Harry lambasted his father’s parenting skills and criticised him for expecting his sons to endure the pressures of royal life. He also accused his family of “total neglect” when Meghan faced harassment on social media.
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