Social media users are sharing reports claiming that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was paid $ 7 million for her recent television interview with Oprah Winfrey. This claim is untrue: although the rights to the maintenance were sold for millions, the production company behind the interview said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex received no payment.
The report shows a collage of photos of Prince Harry, Meghan and Oprah during the interview, and contains the text: ‘Hollywood actress is paid $ 7,000,000 to complain to a billionaire talk show host about how a princess is a victim of became her ‘(here, here, here).
The interview was produced by Oprah’s company Harpo Productions. It first aired on CBS on March 7, 2021 and was watched by at least 49 million people worldwide. The couple made accusations of racism, neglect and feuds in the royal family (here, here, here).
Queen Elizabeth and her family later issued a statement in response to the interview, saying: ‘The issues raised in particular have been raised. Some memories may vary, but they are taken very seriously and addressed privately by the family ”(here).
Chelsea Hettrick, a spokesman for Harpo Productions, told Reuters in an email: ‘We can confirm that no single payment has been made to Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex or any of their charities. or the licensing of footage. . ”
At the beginning of the interview, Oprah says: ‘I just want to make it clear to everyone […] you do not know what I’m going to ask and there is no topic that is off limits and you are not being paid for this interview, to which Meghan replies, “That’s all correct.” (see here 2 minutes 7 seconds and 2 minutes 15 seconds here)
The Wall Street Journal reports that Harpo Productions sold the rights to the maintenance to CBS Entertainment, part of ViacomCBS Inc., for $ 7-9 million (here). CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
VERDICT
Untrue. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said she was not paid to take part in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. The company that produced the interview also said that no payment is made to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work at www.reuters.com/fact-check.