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Queen Elizabeth's plan for Harry, Meghan's Oprah talk revealed: ‘Was adamant…’
In the Oprah talk, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had talked about a racist member of the royal family.
Queen Elizabeth II chose to delay her response to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 because she was "adamant" on waiting until it aired in the UK, according to a new book. Royal author Valentine Low made the claim his book Courtiers.
In an extract published by the Times of London, Valentine Low revealed the royal family's frantic reaction to the interview. In the talk, the pair had talked about a racist member of the royal family who commented on the skin color of the couple's future children.
“A palace team had watched the interview overnight. Senior officials had spent the morning locked in conference calls as they debated how to respond. A draft statement was ready by 2pm on Monday. Much to the frustration of the media, however, the palace remained silent,” Valentine Low wrote.
Read more: Prince Harry doesn't want Meghan's celebrity life: ‘Ill-suited, uncomfortable’
The reason for this silence was the queen, the author claimed, explaining, "One of the reasons was that the late Queen was adamant that she was going to watch the programme first.' And she was going to watch it with the rest of the population, on [television network] ITV on Monday evening."
After the late monarch watched the interview, the drafted statement of response was debated by the senior royal households, the author said.
“While they were as concerned as anyone about not getting into a tit-for-tat with Harry and Meghan, William and Kate were clear which side of the debate they were on. They wanted it toughened up a bit. They were both of one mind that we needed something that said that the institution did not accept a lot of what had been said. He [William] said, 'It is really important that you guys come up with the right way of making sure that we are saying that this does not stand.' She [Kate] was certainly right behind him on it'”, the commentator wrote.
The Palace had then said, “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. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always remain much loved family members.”
