Just as Oprah is said to have had Meghan in her sights to interview for years, it had taken many years for Kenneth Harris to persuade the former king of England to speak out. Apparently, the night before the interview was recorded in October 1969, when all the crew were already gathered in Paris, the 75 year-old duke got cold feet and tried to back out. But it was too late. His reservations are evident throughout the interview, which is an exercise in his discomfiture. Slumped in a yellow chair, in a pale grey suit, he is constantly looking down at his hands, studying his nails, fidgeting. With his hangdog eyes and stutteringly slow delivery, clocks chiming in the background, it makes for occasionally awkward viewing. It is the duchess, elegant in a cream dress with pale blue scarf who radiates humour and natural warmth.
From the clips we have seen of Meghan interviewed by Oprah in a lush Californian garden, her sphinx-like poise smacks of artifice. You sense her containment and self-control. In contrast, Wallis appears relaxed and self-deprecating. When she is asked by Harris, who addresses her with the regal ‘Ma’am’, “Can you remember the first thing [the Duke] said to you?” she responds with comedic timing: “No. I don’t remember the last things he said to me.” Later, when asked: “what is the secret to looking young?” Wallis shoots back “I haven’t found it yet.”
Perhaps the most touching moment comes when Wallis further considers that the…
