Earlier this week, Oprah appeared to 'mock' Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's 'Sussex' title and now the royal couple have spoken out following rumours they were hurt by the comment.
Speaking on Kelly Ripa's Let's Talk Off Camera podcast, the 71-year-old talk show host kicked things off by recalling a sweet story about the pair in which she claimed Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, had gotten in touch with her around Easter-time, asking if she might be willing to help them relocate a group of ducklings.
"I got a call from Harry, Prince Harry, on Easter Saturday," she told listeners. "'Sorry to bother you, O, but we have a duck problem here. Our pond is a stream, we don’t have a pond, so can we bring the ducks over to your pond?'"
She went on to recall that she had another celebrity gal pal, Gayle King's grandchildren visiting that day: "I said, 'Wait until I can get the kids to come down to the pond so they can see you put the ducks in the pond'.
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"And he goes, "No, we’re coming right away, we’re coming over!"
The anecdote prompted host Kelly to ask Oprah whether she'd appreciate it if someone gifted her baby chicks one day - a supposedly common practice during the Easter season.
"I'd run them straight to the Sussexes," Oprah laughed back.
The producer then repeated the couple's surname again, however, making sure to slur the 's', and add a couple more 'x's' to make light of the moniker's notoriously tricky pronunciation.
Oprah continued chuckling away, however, confirming she means no harm with her comments.
Since then rumours have abounded that Harry and Meghan were pretty peeved by what Oprah said.
One insider who spoke to Rob Shuter’s #ShuterScoop said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were apparently 'stung' by their friend’s joke.
While Oprah 'meant no harm' with the joke, Shuter claims the source said the couple are 'sensitive' to things that 'makes them sound like a meme'.
The insider went on to claim that Harry and Meghan were left 'stung' by the situation given that Oprah was a 'trusted media ally'.
"Let’s just say… the Sussexes probably aren’t clucking with joy," they added.
However, a spokesperson for the Sussexes said it was 'categorically untrue' that they were annoyed at Oprah.
So it looks like they clearly knew it was a joke from a long-time friend and confidant.
Topics: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Royal Family, UK News, Celebrity
Rhiannon Ingle