Duchess of Sussex says she was scared to go out to ‘Lion King’ premiere as it happened during ‘cruel chapter’

30 August 2022

The Duchess of Sussex says she was scared to go out to the ‘Lion King’ premiere as it happened during a “cruel chapter” in her life after she had her son Archie.

The Duchess of Sussex says she was scared to go out to the ‘Lion King’ premiere as it happened during a ‘cruel chapter’ in her life after she had her son Archie

She added she was told by an actor in the 2019 Disney remake of the animated classic people in South Africa “rejoiced” in the same way they did when Nelson Mandela was freed after they heard she was marrying into the royal family.

The Duchess, 41, known as Meghan Markle before she married the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, told The Cut magazine: “I just had Archie. It was such a cruel chapter. I was scared to go out.”

Her interviewer for The Cut, Allison P Davis, said the Duchess went on to recount how an actor from South Africa at the 2019 film showing approached her and pulled her aside.

The Duchess said: “He looked at me, and he’s just like light. He said, ‘I just need you to know, when you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison’.”

Apparently the Duchess did not name the cast member in her chat.

The interview also revealed the Sussexes’ son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, three, is attending pre-school, playing doctors with his mother and beatboxing with his father.

Mum-of-two the Duchess, who also has one-year-old Lilibet with Prince Harry, said they are teaching him “manners make a man”, and she reminds him to say “please” and “thank you”.

The interview also told how the Duchess’ nicknames for Prince Harry are “H” or “my love”, and she compares them to “salt and pepper” as they always go together.

She said: “That’s me and Harry. We’re like salt and pepper. We always move together.”

Prince Harry, 37, who briefly joined his wife in her interview, also told how he reassured his wife she is “a model” after she expressed doubt over her abilities in front of the camera following her “10-hour” cover shoot for The Cut, which took place the day before the interview.

Interviewer Allison said in her 6,400-word profile the Duke “marvelled” that his wife had been “gone for, like, 10 hours” for the photoshoot, before he said the first thing the Duchess said after returning home was: “I’m not a model”.

The Duke said: “I was like, ‘No, you are, of course you can be a model’, which Allison said led to “earning himself so many points” with the Duchess.

Prince Harry added about his reassurances to the Duchess: “And she’s like, ‘I’m a mom!’ And it’s like, ‘You can be both’.”