What the Royal Family Has Said About Meghan and Harry’s Bombshell Oprah Interview
Literally nothing was off-limits during Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah, as the royal couple dropped multiple bombshells over the course of two short hours. Just some of the topics they discussed? Prince Harry’s strained relationship with Prince William and Prince Charles, false claims that Duchess Meghan made Kate Middleton cry ahead of the royal wedding, and—most significantly—Meghan’s mental health issues and her experiences with racism in the royal family.
The Sussexes’ interview reportedly caused royal aides to absolutely scramble, while the Queen, Prince William, and Prince Charles were locked in all-day crisis talks. Of course, anyone who watches The Crown knows that the royals typically abide by a motto of “never complain, never explain,” but multiple members of the family—including the Queen—have issued statements about the Sussexes’ claims. On top of that, sources close to the royals are spilling on what’s going on behind the scenes.
Here’s what we know about how each member of the royal family—as well as royal aides—has reacted to the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah.
The Queen
Two days after the Sussexes’ interview, Buckingham Palace issued the following extremely brief statement on behalf of the Queen—in which they didn’t take accountability, included the phrase “recollections may vary,” and made it clear they’d be handling this privately.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much loved family members. ENDS.”
Buckingham Palace have just released a statement: pic.twitter.com/JzlYvef4Wn
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) March 9, 2021
Prince Charles
Prince Charles hasn’t given an official statement about his son’s sit-down interview, but he was asked about it during a royal engagement. Apparently, Charles simply smiled in response.
🎥 Prince Charles did not respond when asked about Harry and Meghan’s interview with @Oprah during a visit to a vaccine clinic this morning pic.twitter.com/5AWKMYRo2b
— Lizzie Robinson (@LizzieITV) March 9, 2021
Meanwhile, insiders have made it clear that Charles is upset about the interview. A source tells Us Weekly that he “does not agree with Harry trashing his whole family in public” and that he “thinks these matters could have easily been addressed in private.” Charles is also concerned that this could be “the first of many interviews coming in the future that will bash the crown and the royals’ way of life.”
Prince William
Prince William—who sources say is “devastated” by the interview—officially broke his silence during a royal engagement four days after it took place. While leaving the engagement with his wife, Kate Middleton, William was asked, “Have you spoken to your brother since the interview?” and responded, “No, I haven’t spoken to him yet but I will do.” He was then asked, “Can you just let me know, is the royal family a racist family, sir?” and responded, “We’re very much not a racist family.”
Breaking: Prince William has become the first member of the royal family to publicly address the race row sparked by Harry and Meghan’s interview. He says he hasn ‘t spoken to his brother yet but will do and royals very much not a racist family. pic.twitter.com/WPtjexzARN
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) March 11, 2021
Since making this comment, a Page Six source says the brothers “have opened communication channels.”
Kate Middleton
Meghan opened up about her relationship with Kate during her chat with Oprah, saying reports that she made her sister-in-law cry were false and it was, in fact, the reverse. Kate hasn’t made any public statements on Meghan’s comments, although a source tells Us Weekly that “William and Kate were in total shock after hearing what Meghan and Harry said. What shocked them the most was Meghan’s suicidal thoughts and their quotes on a royal family member mentioning Archie’s skin color. William and Kate knew about some of their troubles with palace aides but nothing to this extent.”
That said, they “still wish” the Sussexes “had not tried to take down the royal family” on television and “feel that these conversations could have been made in private.”
Another source tells the outlet that the duchesses haven’t spoken to each other “directly in over a year” due to tensions between Harry and William:
“They were never that close, but the reason they’re not speaking is because of the rift between Prince Harry and Prince William. Harry and William have communicated sparingly over the last year, but none of their communications have been friendly in quite some time. There is real animosity that the brothers have toward one another, and that has spilled over to Meghan and Kate’s relationship, making it very hard for them to be friends or even friendly.”
Royal Aides
According to the Daily Mail, Queen Elizabeth II has forbidden palace staff from getting involved in the aftermath of the Sussexes’ interview and is extending an olive branch directly to Meghan and Harry herself. Here’s what a source had to say:
“It is difficult to underestimate how shell-shocked everyone is by what has happened. People are literally reeling from what has happened and some staff would dearly love to publicly rebut some of what has been said about them. But the Queen has taken a very measured, sensible approach. She is leading by example. This is a matter for her and the family to deal with.…There is a long way to go but hopefully things will start to move in the right direction in order for bridges to be built.”
We’ll be adding to this if (and hopefully when) the royal family members take some accountability for the claims made in Meghan and Harry’s interview.
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