Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Drive Themselves Around Santa Barbara After ‘Tough’ Royal Exit
Just as the first promo for their big Oprah interview dropped, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle went for a sunny drive Santa Barbara just like any normal couple.
Apparently there are no more chauffeurs for Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle, despite their mega-money deals with Netflix and Spotify. The former senior working British Royals were photographed driving around Santa Barbara, CA not far from their $14.7 million Montecito mansion on Sun. Feb. 28, with Harry behind the wheel of the black Range Rover and Meghan riding shotgun. They each wore dark sunglasses on the bright day, and pregnant Meghan, 39, donned a chic straw sunhat. It’s unclear where they were headed, though the former Suits star’s mom Doria Ragland was in the back seat behind her daughter. It didn’t appear that their 21-month-old son Archie made the outing with his parents. You can see the photos here.
Meghan looked fresh-faced and wearing minimal makeup. It was a far cry from how glammed up she will appear in the upcoming two hour CBS interview with pal Oprah Winfrey, 67, on March 7. Just as Harry and Meghan were out for a Sunday drive, the first 30 second promo clip dropped, which showed the former actress with a dramatic deep, dark smokey eye, strong coral blush and a pink lip. Meghan wore her dark locks pulled back, with tendrils framing her face for the sit-down.
Meghan donned a $4,700 black Armani dress with white floral-like splotches on one shoulder for her first sit-down interview since she and Harry announced in Jan. 2020 that they were stepping down as working members of the British Royal Family. Their bombshell announcement came just 19 months after their $30 million wedding. Right off the bat in the teaser promo, Oprah asked the provocative question, “Were you silent or were you silenced?” and Meghan was shown giving a stern look in return.
Oprah and Harry did all the talking in the promo, as well a second one that dropped the following morning. Meghan was not shown speaking or giving any responses. She said something during in the interview that caused Oprah to responded with the comment, “almost unsurvivable sounds like there was a breaking point.”
Oprah also explained to Meghan and the audience, “there is no subject that is off limits” and added later, “You’ve said some pretty shocking things here.” Meghan will be featured in the first portion of the interview, and will later be joined by Harry. The 36-year-old made his first interview appearance on American TV for The Late Late Show with James Corden. Like Oprah, James is another close pal of the couple, and both attended their lavish May 19, 2018 royal wedding at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle show off PDA while on a royal tour of Australia in Oct. 2018. Photo credit: MEGA.
Harry told James during the interview that aired on Feb. 25 that he “stepped back” rather than actually quit the British Royal Family. “It was never walking away — it was stepping back instead of stepping down. It was a really difficult environment as a lot of people saw.” He also said of the couple’s move from England to California, “We all know what the British press can be like. It was destroying my mental health. It was toxic.” Their open air double decker bus ride wasn’t all seriousness, as Harry also revealed that his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II gave Archie a waffle maker for Christmas, which has given the tot endless fascination.