Queen responds to Meghan and Harry's tell-all
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday issued a short response to the explosive interview her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle gave to Oprah Winfrey in which they accused a royal family member of racism.
In the statement, the Queen said (quote), “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. Whilst 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.”
[REPORTER, OFF CAMERA]: “Sir, can I ask, what did you think of the interview?”
Her response came just hours after Harry’s father, Prince Charles, declined to comment on the interview during a visit to a London health clinic.
Meghan and Harry’s tell-all with Oprah - watched by over 12 million viewers in Britain and more than 17 million in the U.S. - has triggered the biggest crisis for the royal family since the death of Harry's mother Diana nearly 25 years ago.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson even did his best to tip-toe around the subject when asked to weigh in Monday: “I’ve spent a long time now not commenting on royal family matters and I don’t intend to depart from that today.”
The brouhaha also appears to have cost at least one prominent British anchor his job, as ITV morning show host Piers Morgan quit Tuesday after Britain's media regulator launched a probe into comments he made Monday in which he cast doubt on Meghan’s claim that she had suicidal thoughts while pregnant with Archie.
Meghan, whose mother is Black and father is white, said Archie, who turns two in May, had been denied the title of prince because there were concerns within the royal family about (quote), “how dark his skin might be when he's born." She declined to say who had voiced such concerns, as did Harry. Winfrey later told CBS that Harry had said it was not the 94-year-old queen nor her 99-year-old husband Philip, who has been in the hospital for three weeks while the crisis unfolds.
Meanwhile, a new photo of Harry and Meghan embracing Archie, his face hidden from view, was released Monday. The couple are expecting a second child, a girl, this summer.
