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Oprah Winfrey dishes on her disastrous Easter experience with her Montecito neighbors, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, immortalized in a video. Earlier this year, Meghan took to her Instagram to share a clip showing her on the roadside watching in bemusement as a flock of ducks walked by. She accompanied the post with a heartwarming Easter tribute, wishing fans a “Happy Easter full of love and surprises.” While the element of surprise in her clip has since remained a mystery to fans, Oprah is giving a hint about the underlying story and the inspiration behind the duchess’ peculiar Easter caption.
Harry and Meghan have maintained a years-long friendship with the TV legend. The 71-year-old attended the couple’s royal wedding in 2018 and, most notably, conducted their infamous Oprah interview in 2021, following the couple’s royal exit. Since then, they have remained neighbors, seemingly maintaining their friendship despite speculation of a fallout between them.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Turn to Oprah With Duck Problem
Oprah Winfrey clarified the state of their relationship for good with a funny recollection of one of her “neighborly” encounters with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Montecito. During her Wednesday appearance on Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, the entertainment mogul, who resides in the wealthy Montecito neighborhood, recalled how she came to their aid on Easter weekend after discovering hatched ducklings in their backyard.
She recalled receiving a call from Prince Harry on Easter Saturday to confide in her about their “duck problem.” Oprah, who imitated the Prince’s British accent, explained that a duck laid her eggs in the couple’s backyard, which eventually hatched into ducklings. However, knowing they had no ideal pond for them, they asked if she could help house them in her pond, and she willingly accepted.
However, Oprah Winfrey made a simple request to have Prince Harry wait a while until her best friend Gayle King’s grandchildren arrived at her place. The mogul admittedly made the request knowing the kids would love watching them put the ducks in the pond. However, the Duke of Sussex, who shares children Prince Archie and Lilibet with his wife Meghan Markle, dismissed her simple request, insisting they would come over immediately and get it done. Oprah eventually complied with the exiled royal’s demands, and they got to rehoming the ducklings without the kids in tow.
A Funny Easter Affair
The activity did not go as smoothly as they had hoped, but turned into a sweet yet chaotic moment. According to Oprah, the mama duck somehow escaped their grasp, resulting in a hot chase that lasted about half an hour. She divulged,
“We’re chasing the mama duck who is in the front yard and has flown to the other side. We’ve got her ducks. Harry’s running after, Meghan gets out, she’s running after, chasing the mom, and trying to get her to come back to her ducks. And for like half an hour, we’re running around with the ducks in a box. We have video. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Kelly Ripa then joked about the mama duck’s motives, noting that she most certainly knew what she was doing when she decided to nest at the infamous couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s backyard. Likening the duck’s fate to hitting the jackpot, the host said,
“They’re like, ‘Wait a minute, we show up at Prince Harry’s house and now we’re at Oprah’s!” Excuse me. That duck knew what it was doing when it laid its eggs.”
The duck story came up after host Kelly Ripa asked Oprah if she would love to receive baby chicks as a gift. Oprah Winfrey responded with a “no,” adding that she would “run them straight over to the Sussexes.” She took a friendly jab at her royal neighbors, intentionally mispronouncing their Sussex last name by stuttering on the last syllables in her response. The icon followed up with the duck story. Her account ultimately cleared any doubt anyone may have about her blossoming friendship with the Sussex royals years after Megxit, while decoding the mystery behind Meghan Markle’s “weird” Easter video.
