Ever since Oprah Winfrey’s revealing interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex aired Sunday night, royal watchers have been busy taking in all the shocking details the couple shared about their life in the British royal family.
But there’s at least one person who might not be so shocked about how things turned out for the couple — John Oliver.
In fact, back in 2018, two months before Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle said their “I dos” in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, the comedian was so convinced that joining the royal family would be a bad idea, he told “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert that Meghan might want to reconsider her plans.
“I would not blame her if she pulled out of this at the last minute,” he said at the time. “I don't think you need to have just seen the pilot episode of ‘The Crown’ to get a basic sense that she might be marrying into a family that could cause her some emotional complications.”
Related
Oliver then put his opinion of the royal institution plainly.
“They're an emotionally stunted group of fundamentally flawed people doing a very silly pseudo-job,” said the British-born entertainer, who gained American citizenship one year after his “Late Show” appearance. “That's what she's marrying into, so I hope she likes it. It's going to be weird for her.”
His prediction of “weird” proved an understatement given that the duchess has now opened up about alleged racism within the family and an environment so toxic, that there was a time she didn’t see how she could survive it.
Related
But even without knowing how bad things would get for Meghan personally, it seems the royal family’s past headline-grabbing scandals were enough to convince Oliver that signing up for a role within the family would be ill-advised for anyone.
“I would not marry into the royal family,” Oliver said. “I'm a commoner. I would not be welcomed."
Then, with a smile, he added, “Especially after what I've just said.”