Meghan Markle Says Conversation About Mental Health Was 'Eclipsed' by One of 'Race' After Oprah Interview

Meghan Markle recalls the public reaction to her and Prince Harry's March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey in Harry & Meghan, now streaming on Netflix

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are reflecting on the response to their interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex revisited their revealing sit-down with the media mogul, 68, in volume two of their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, which debuted on Thursday.

Meghan, 41, touched on some of the larger themes of the interview — which she and Harry, 38, watched together for the first time as it aired last year — and addressed the reaction of the public afterward.

"I thought that me being very open about the depression that I experienced and just how extreme that became, I thought that would be the biggest takeaway," she shared in Harry & Meghan.

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But to her surprise, "It was entirely eclipsed by the conversation surrounding race," Meghan said.

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Oprah Winfrey; Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty; Chris Jackson/Getty

Episode 6 also covers the moment when Beyoncé reached out to Meghan the day after her and Harry's interview with Oprah aired.

"Just checking in," Meghan said with a smile of the message. "I still can't believe she knows who I am!"

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Netflix

"Go and call her," Harry suggested. "No, it's okay," his wife replied. "She said she wants me to feel safe and protected. She admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability and thinks I was selected to break generational curses that need to be healed."

"That's well said," Prince Harry replied, as the camera panned away.

RELATED VIDEO: Oprah Winfrey Didn't Expect "Reverberating Impact" of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Interview

Meghan and Harry famously spoke to Oprah for a two-hour television special that aired on CBS in March 2021, their first interview since stepping back from their senior royal roles the year before.

During the wide-ranging conversation, the couple talked about losing police protection, escalating family strain and the sex of their baby on the way (daughter Lilibet Diana, now 18 months old, would be born that June).

In perhaps the most shocking moments of the interview, Meghan revealed that the pressure of her position led to suicidal thoughts and that within the royal family, there were "concerns and conversations about how dark [their child's] skin might be when he's born."

Prince William previously refuted the racism claims during an outing after the interview aired, saying, "We are very much not a racist family."

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Oprah Winfrey. Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions

The former host of The Oprah Winfrey Show attended Harry and Meghan's wedding in May 2018, and admitted that the couple took her by surprise after Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special aired.

During the launch of The Nancy O'Dell Channel on talkshoplive® in April 2021, Oprah agreed when asked if she was "surprised" by how "forthcoming" Meghan and Harry were in their responses.

"I was surprised," she said, adding, "What? You're going there? You're going all the way there."

"The reason why it was such a powerful interview … What makes it powerful is when you have somebody else who is willing to be as open as vulnerable, as truthful as they were," Oprah continued. "The reason the interview was what it was because they answered the way they did."

All episodes of Harry & Meghan are now streaming on Netflix.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.