[ 2021-03-09 ]

Royal family in turmoil over Meghan’s racism claims in Oprah interview
Buckingham Palace was thrown into turmoil
yesterday as it struggled to deal with the fallout
from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s dramatic
allegations of racism in their US interview.

The couple made a string of claims including that
Meghan had felt suicidal but her pleas for help
were ignored by courtiers.

The duchess also claimed that an unnamed member of
the royal family voiced concerns about the colour
of their unborn baby’s skin.

Last night the Queen refused to sign off a
prepared statement that officials had hoped would
de-escalate tensions by highlighting the
family’s love and concern for the couple. She
was believed to want more time to consider her
response.

In the two-hour interview with Oprah Winfrey,
broadcast in the US on CBS on Sunday and shown in
Britain on ITV last night, the couple claimed:

• The duchess contemplated suicide and was
concerned for her “mental welfare”, but
officials did not help because it would not have
been “good for the institution”.

• Members of the family did not want Archie,
their son, to be a prince.

• The Prince of Wales cut off Harry financially
and stopped taking his calls.

• The couple are expecting a girl.

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• The Duchess of Cambridge made Meghan cry
before her wedding.

In the interview Meghan told Winfrey that while
she was pregnant with Archie there had been
“concerns and conversations about how dark his
skin might be when he’s born”.

Winfrey later told CBS, which broadcast the
interview, that off camera Harry had stressed that
“neither his grandmother nor grandfather was
part of that conversation”. The disclosure has
prompted speculation over which royal may have
made the comments.

The prime minister refused to be dragged into the
row. Asked whether he believed the royal family
was racist, Boris Johnson told a Downing Street
press conference: “I really think that when it
comes to matters to do with the royal family, the
right thing for prime ministers to say is nothing
and nothing is the thing that I propose to say
today.”

He added: “I have always had the highest
admiration for the Queen and the unifying role
that she plays.”

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said:
“Meghan Markle is a private citizen and so is
Harry at this point. For anyone to come forward
and speak about their own struggles with mental
health and tell their own personal story, that
takes courage. That’s certainly something the
president believes.”

Hillary Clinton, who was the first female
presidential nominee for a large US political
party, said she found the interview
“heart-rending”, adding that young women
“should not be forced into a mould that is no
longer relevant, not only for them, but for our
society”.

However, Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park claimed
that Harry was “blowing up his family” with
the Winfrey interview. The minister for Pacific
and the environment tweeted: “What Meghan wants,
Meghan gets.”

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said that the
allegations must be taken seriously. During a
visit to a school in Dagenham, east London, he
said: “It is really sad to see the family in
turmoil like this. The issues that Meghan has
raised of racism and mental health are serious
issues.”

Wes Streeting, the shadow schools minister, told
Times Radio that the allegation of racism “needs
to be investigated” by Buckingham Palace.

Additional clips were played on CBS yesterday in
which Harry made further allegations, including
that racism was a “large part” of why he and
Meghan had left the country. In one he said he was
suddenly told that he was no longer invited to
spend time with the Queen at Sandringham after
they returned from Canada in January last year
because she was “too busy”.

The interview was watched by an estimated 17.1
million Americans, according to the data firm
Nielsen. The Super Bowl drew 96 million viewers.

Last week The Times reported that the duchess
faced a bullying complaint from one of her closest
advisers during her time at Kensington Palace. The
October 2018 complaint claimed that she drove two
personal assistants out of the household and was
undermining the confidence of a third member of
staff.

Buckingham Palace announced it would carry out a
review of the bullying allegations. Neither the
Palace nor any senior royal has commented on the
allegations made in the interview.

A spokesman for the couple called the Times
reports “a calculated smear campaign based on
misleading and harmful misinformation”.

Source - The Times, UK

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