Buckingham Palace on Tuesday released its first statement since Prince Harry and Meghan’s shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey. In it, Queen Elizabeth says, “The whole family is saddened to know how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.”
“The issues raised, especially that of race, are worrisome,” the statement continued. “While some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and the family will treat them privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be dear family members.”
While the interview aired Sunday in the U.S., it was not aired until Monday night in Britain. On Monday, the official Instagram account used by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, showed him visiting a vaccine site of the National Health Service in Britain and pointed to his work with a black church organization to encourage vaccines.
Among the bomb revelations in the interview, Meghan said there had been “several conversations” between the royal family about the “darkness” of her baby’s skin. Oprah confirmed to “CBS This Morning” that Harry said these conversations did not involve Queen Elizabeth or her husband, Prince Philip.
Meghan and Harry also revealed what appeared to be other cracks within the family. Meghan denounced an effort to change royal protocols this automatically gave a title to the monarch’s grandchildren, starting with his son, Archie. Although his son is the queen’s great-grandson, he is the grandson of the next king, Charles.
“Even with this convention I’m talking about, while I was pregnant, they said they wanted to change the convention for Archie. Well, why?” Meghan said. He said they never gave him an answer.
Meghan also revealed that a story that was reported in the newspapers that she had once made her sister-in-law, Catherine, weep with a spit on flower girl dresses for her wedding, was actually “the opposite,” as in Catherine, made Meghan cry. He said Catherine later apologized and sent him flowers and a note.
Meanwhile, Harry said he was “disappointed” by his father and that while he loves his brother William “in pieces,” they are on “different paths.”
Harry described an incident last year, when the queen suddenly summoned an invitation for the couple’s visit, and blamed the palace staff.
“When you’re the head of the company, there are people around you who give you advice,” he said. “And what also made me very sad is that some of these tips have been really bad.”
Roya Nikkhah, royal correspondent for The Sunday Times, he told “CBS This Morning” Tuesday that the interview was “certainly a crisis” for the British monarchy.
“This interview, and I’ve seen it twice now, has thrown in a lot more questions than answers,” he said.
According to Nikkhah, the interview “is extremely divisive” for the British.
“I just saw the results of a survey that just came out here, which shows that a lot of young people here really support Harry and Meghan in doing this interview,” he said. “And the old people are now firmly, behind the monarchy.”
While 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 on their Sandringham estate. However, when they arrived in London, her secretary informed Harry that the queen’s schedule was complete, according to her own personal assistant.
Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.