Meghan and Prince Harry reveal pain, pressure and palace rifts in bombshell royal interview

Monday, March 8, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.     After a week of tantalizing tidbits, some feared there was nothing left for Prince Harry and Meghan to say in their much-hyped interview with Oprah Winfrey. They were wrong.    Here's the latest on the bombshell royal interview and everything else we're watching this Monday morning. 'I didn't want to be alive anymore': Meghan says royal life drove her to thoughts of suicide Life as a member of the British royal family was so emotionally unbearable that Meghan contemplated suicide, she revealed during last night's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.    Prince Harry's wife said she had pleaded with officials at Buckingham Palace for medical help but they refused, saying it would damage the monarchy.   In the wide-ranging interview, which aired on CBS, the couple also revealed a troubling allegation about the royal family's views on race.   In the months leading up to their son's birth, Meghan said she and Harry were told that royal insiders had expressed "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born." (Video)   That revelation even floored veteran broadcaster Winfrey, who responded: "What?"    Harry confirmed that he was questioned about the skin tone of his son, but neither of them would identify who made the remarks.   Meghan also refuted a tabloid-fueled rumor that she made her sister-in-law, Kate, cry before her wedding, telling Winfrey that actually "the reverse happened" and she was the one in tears.    While Meghan said Kate had apologized at the time and she had forgiven her, she said the palace choosing not to correct the tabloid stories was a "turning point."    It was not all bad news. Harry revealed that the baby they are expecting is a girl and she is due this summer. "To have a boy and then a girl what more can you ask for, we have our family," he said.  Monday's top stories 'The world has changed': The scrambled new politics of the minimum wage By Alex Seitz-Wald | Read more The debate over the minimum wage has shuffled norms, divided the business community and made strange bedfellows out of populists on the right and the left. With an increase to $15 an hour left out of the massive Covid relief bill the Senate passed this weekend, President Joe Biden has promised to try again.   Jury selection begins in Derek Chauvin's trial By Janelle Griffith | Read more  The former Minneapolis police officer who was seen on video kneeling on George Floyd's neck for several minutes, faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Jury selection begins Monday in what is expected to be one of Minnesota's highest-profile trials ever. America now knows that nursing homes are broken. Does anyone care enough to fix them? By Suzy Khimm | Read more   The pandemic turned nursing homes into death traps, but it also revealed how America's system for long-term care is fundamentally broken in ways that will continue long after the pandemic fades away. But is anyone going to take the once-in-a-generation opportunity to confront the issues of caring for our elderly?  OPINION Group chats are like fight club. Heidi Cruz found this out the hard way. By Amanda Katz, freelance writer and editor  | Read more For many, group chats have been the saving grace of the pandemic. Just as long as you remember what happens in the chat stays in the chat. Google uses medical leave to oust workers alleging discrimination, employees say By April Glaser and Char Adams | Read more  Current and former employees of the company describe experiences echoing those of two prominent Black women pushed out at the end of last year. BETTER Tossing and turning? Try these 5 foods to help you sleep better By Keri Glassman, R.D. | Read more   For a whole lot of us, getting some real quality zzz's isn't easy. Eating the right foods can help. Want to receive the Morning Rundown in your inbox? Sign up here. Also in the news ... Top N.Y. lawmakers call for Cuomo to step down after he says 'no way I resign' Pope Francis calls for forgiveness in heart of former ISIS 'caliphate' Ouch! Fear of needles may be keeping people away from Covid vaccines  Ohio college student's organs to be donated after alleged hazing incident Curry, Lillard, Giannis put on NBA All-Star show in Team LeBron win SHOPPING Looking to upgrade your outdoor space? Now is the time. Here are the best outdoor furniture sales. One mother-daughter thing We met the amazing mother and daughter duo, Dr. Cynthia Kudji-Sylvester and daughter Dr. Jasmine Kudji when they both graduated from medical school last spring.    NBC News' Kate Snow checks in on the pair now that they have started their new careers at the same hospital in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.    Watch the video here. Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.    If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com   If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.    Thanks, Petra Cahill Download the NBC News App Follow NBC News Privacy | Unsubscribe | More NBC Newsletters | Contact View in browser