Buckingham Palace faces growing pressure to release a statement after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
During the televised tell-all, which aired on Sunday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex detailed how they were allegedly mistreated by the British royal house, as well as “The Firm”, referring to the oldest members of the family.
The palace often tries to stay above the controversy, remaining silent and facing the storm – “never complain, never explain” However, royal biographer Angela Levin said the couple’s accusations are so damaging to the royal family that she will have to respond publicly.
However, his official statement is probably being delayed by Queen Elizabeth II’s struggle to balance her sometimes conflicting roles as Harry’s 36-year-old monarch and beloved grandmother. But, Levin said there is little doubt that, in the end, 94-year-old man will make her decision about what is best for the 1,000-year-old institution she has led since 1952.
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Queen Elizabeth II (left) has not released a statement since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (right) gave their bombastic interview to Oprah Winfrey.
(Getty)
“The queen has a motto: never complain, never explain,” Levin told the Associated Press on Tuesday. “And she’s been stuck in this for four decades. But I think in this climate and in 2021, everything goes everywhere. There is so much social media that in this case, she really can’t say anything.”
Levin, a veteran real-life journalist, published a book in 2018 entitled “Harry: A Biography of a Prince”, which was based on her exclusive conversations with Harry at Kensington Palace before her wedding in May 2018 with the former American actress, 39.
On Tuesday, the UK Times reported that a palace statement was postponed because Elizabeth wanted more time. The newspaper did not cite a source for the information.
The interview, which also aired on Monday in Britain, shook the royal family and divided people around the world.
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Oprah Winfrey (right) defended the Duchess of Sussex, saying that the future mom was “unjustly portrayed”.
(Getty / AP)
While many say the allegations demonstrate the need for change within a palace that has not kept up with the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, others have criticized Harry and Markle for dropping their bomb while the duke’s 99-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip remains hospitalized in London after a cardiac procedure.
During the two-hour interview, Markle described feeling so isolated and miserable within the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts, but when she asked for mental health help from the palace’s human resources team, she said she was not an employee.
Markle also said that a family member expressed “concern” to Harry about the skin color of his unborn child.
Winfrey, 67, later said that Harry told her off camera that the family member was Elizabeth or Philip, sparking a wave of speculation about who it might be.
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Prince Harry said his grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (pictured), were not the ones who questioned him about Archie’s skin tone.
(Chris Jackson / Pool via AP)
Harry also revealed that the stress the couple endured broke relations with their father, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his brother, Prince William, illuminating the depth of family divisions that led the couple to move away from royal duties and moving to California last year.
William, 38, is second in line to the throne.
So far there has been silence from the palace about the interview.
“I think one of the biggest concerns is that you don’t want to pour oil on the flames to make it worse,” warned Levin.
It is estimated that 17.1 million watched the explosive interview.
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry currently reside in California with their son Archie.
(Getty)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were married at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son, Archie, was born a year later. During the interview, the couple shared that they are expecting a girl this summer.
Markle said that she and Harry were aligned during the courtship because of their “cause-motivated” work. But she did not fully understand the pressure of being linked to the prestigious royal family.
“It is easy to have an image so far from reality,” he admitted. “And that’s what has been really complicated in recent years, when perception and reality are two very different things. And you are being judged by perception, but you are experiencing the reality of it. There is a complete misalignment and there is no way to explain this to people. people. “
The couple’s departure from royal duties began in March 2020 with what they described as British media intrusions and racist attitudes towards the duchess.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.