Buckingham Palace issued its first statement on Tuesday since Prince Harry and Meghan’s shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey. In it, Queen Elizabeth says: “The whole family is sad to hear how challenging the past years have been for Harry and Meghan.”
“The issues raised, especially those of race, are concerning,” the statement continued. “While some memories may differ, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed privately by the family. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be beloved relatives.”
Although the interview was broadcast in the US on Sunday, it was not broadcast in Britain until Monday evening. On Monday, the official Instagram account used by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, showed that he visited a National Health Service vaccination site in Britain and pointed out his work with a black church organization to encourage vaccinations.
Among the bombshell revelations in the interview, Meghan said there had been “several conversations” among the royals about “how dark” their baby’s skin would be. Oprah confirmed to “CBS This Morning” that Harry said those conversations not involved Queen Elizabeth or her husband, Prince Philip.
Meghan and Harry also revealed what appeared to be other fractures within the family. Meghan declined an attempt to change royal protocols that automatically gave the monarch’s grandchildren a title, starting with their son, Archie. While their son is the queen’s great-grandchild, he is the next king’s grandson, Charles.
Even with that convention I’m talking about – while I was pregnant, they said they wanted to change the convention for Archie. Well, why? ‘ Meghan said. She said she never got an answer.
Meghan also revealed that a story in the tabloids that she once made her sister-in-law, Catherine, cry in a spit over the flower girl dresses for her wedding, was actually ‘the reverse’ – as in, Catherine made Meghan cry. She said that Catherine later apologized and sent her flowers and a note.
Harry, meanwhile, said he was ‘disappointed’ by his father and that while he ‘loves his brother William’ very much, they are ‘taking other paths’.
Harry described an incident last year when the Queen suddenly called off an invitation for the couple to visit, and he blamed the palace staff.
“When you’re head of the company, there are people around you who will give you advice,” he said. “And what also made me very sad is that some of that advice was very bad.”
Roya Nikkhah, a royal correspondent for The Sunday Times, “CBS told This Morning” on Tuesday that the interview was “certainly a crisis” for the British monarchy.
“That interview, and I’ve seen it twice now, has raised many more questions than answers,” she said.
According to Nikkhah, the interview is “extremely divisive” for the British.
“I just saw the results of a poll that just appeared here showing that a lot of young people here support Harry and Meghan during that interview,” she said. “And the older people are now firmly behind the monarchy.”
Although Harry and Meghan praised Queen Elizabeth in the interview, Harry also told Oprah that he and Meghan had been invited to stay with the Queen at her Sandringham estate. However, when they arrived in London, Harry was informed by his secretary that the Queen’s schedule was full, according to her own personal assistant.
Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.