Oprah Is A Guest At The Royal Wedding & That’s Actually Not As Surprising As You Think

With the royal wedding officially underway, we're finally beginning to see just how epic the guest list really is — as well as the fact that it includes Oprah Winfrey. The legendary Oprah Winfrey! At the royal wedding! As far as good luck wedding day charms go, having Oprah at your wedding is surely the most significant. But her presence does beg the question: Is Oprah friends with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry? While her presence might seem surprising — she hasn't been mentioned as a close friend of the couple or either of their families — there could actually be a good reason she got an invite (other than the fact that she's, you know, Oprah Winfrey).

According to reports published in the Daily Mail and W Magazine earlier in May, Oprah reportedly spent six hours with Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, planning a "tell-all interview" about the racist abuse Markle was subjected to after her relationship with Prince Harry became public. While neither Ragland nor Oprah have confirmed these rumors, an Oprah-produced special about this important subject isn't all that far-fetched — and now, the former talk show host's presence at the wedding certainly gives the rumors more credence.

Markle and Prince Harry's wedding is turning out to be quite the star-studded event, with everyone from Victoria and David Beckham to Idris Elba to Tom Hardy to Amal and George Clooney in attendance. Oprah's arrival may have seemed like more of a surprise than a given, but if you've been following the rumors circuit at all in the past month, it makes sense. Buckingham Palace may not have commented on the rumors that Oprah was discussing a special on the racist abuse Markle received after her relationship with Prince Harry was made public, but if there's anyone who can do a special like this justice, it's Oprah.

As a source told The Mirror, Oprah and Raglund got on well, and spent hours discussing what the interview would cover:

"Oprah and Doria spent a long time chatting and they got on really well. The most important and significant issue they spoke about was race and how badly some people had reacted to Meghan and Harry... It's an issue close to both Doria and Oprah, who have both suffered racism. If the ­interview happens it will be groundbreaking, it just needs the green light from Meghan, Prince Harry and the Palace."

It's hard to imagine Raglund would meet with anyone about her daughter without Markle's knowledge, so, along with Oprah's presence at the royal wedding, it's more than possible that this isn't the last we'll hear of these rumors. Plus, Prince Harry himself spoke out about the racist abuse Markle was receiving through an official statement released through Buckingham Palace in Nov. 2016, condemning the vitriol Markle and her mother, Raglund, were receiving online and in the press — so an interview with Oprah about the experience would make sense. In his statement, Prince Harry referred to the dangerous attention Markle and her mother were receiving, saying,

His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public - the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments. Some of it has been hidden from the public - the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.

Of course, Markle and Prince Harry's relationship prevailed, and the two announced their engagement a year later, in Nov. 2017.