Oprah's Playful Nod to the 'Sussexes' in Charming Anecdote
In a sizzling hot interview on Kelly Ripa's Let's Talk Off Camera podcast, media mogul Oprah Winfrey unleashed her sass and took a cheeky jab at her royal neighbors, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, affectionately known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
During the chat with Kelly Ripa, Oprah, 71, couldn't help but poke fun at the tongue-twisting surname while recalling an hilarious anecdote about helping the couple deal with a backyard "problem" over Easter weekend.
"I'd run them straight to the Sussexes' - extra 'xesssses', please!" Oprah quipped, mispronouncing the name for good measure. The billionaire mogul then went on to share the story of how she helped the royal couple deal with an unexpected surprise in their backyard: a mama duck and her adorable ducklings!
According to Oprah, Prince Harry reached out to her on Easter Saturday, frantic about the duck problem. "He said, 'Sorry to bother you, O, but we have a duck problem here!' A duck had come into their yard and laid its eggs and had these chicks. And he said, 'Our pond is a stream, we don't have a pond, so can we bring the ducks over to your pond?'"
Oprah agreed to help, but asked Harry to wait until her best friend Gayle King's grandchildren arrived to witness the spectacle. However, Prince Harry was insistent that they move the ducklings immediately.
"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.' And he goes, 'No, we're coming right away, we're coming over!'"
The scene quickly turned into a real-life comedy sketch as the "mama duck" fled and Oprah, Prince Harry, and Meghan were left chasing her down the front yard.
"As he opens the door, the mama duck flies out. And he's got all the baby ducks in a box. 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."
For over half an hour, the trio was seen dashing around the yard, laughing and having a ball as they tried to corral the feisty fowl.
Kelly Ripa quipped that the duck had been incredibly shrewd in choosing Prince Harry's backyard for its new home. "The ducks also hit the jackpot," she said with a chuckle. "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."
TheScholarlyNote.com reported earlier this year that Meghan had requested her celebrity friend Mindy Kaling to address her by her new surname, Sussex, during an episode of her Netflix cookery show.
In the clip, Meghan politely corrected Mindy's mistake, saying "It's so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know I'm Sussex now." Mindy looked taken aback, responding awkwardly: "Well, now I know and I love it."
The late Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex on Prince Harry and Meghan for their royal wedding in 2018. Since then, the couple has only visited the county once when they hosted a series of engagements seven years ago.
As Oprah's friendship with the royal couple is well-documented, it's no surprise that she was thrilled to share her side-splitting encounter with Kelly Ripa. And who can blame her? After all, what could be more fun than chasing ducks around a backyard with two of the world's most recognizable royals?
