BBC News Brazil
Senior members of the British royal family have gathered to discuss the crisis brought on by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle’s interview with American TV presenter Oprah Winfrey.
BBC Royal Family reporter Daniela Relph said it was “increasingly untenable for Buckingham Palace to say nothing” about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex protests (as they are called Harry and Meghan). However, she says the royal family will likely avoid rushing into the crisis.
In the interview, Harry and Meghan spoke about racism, mental health, media treatment and other members of the royal family. One of the main revelations was that an unidentified member of the royal family had reportedly expressed concern over the “dark color” of the couple’s son’s skin.
The statement was made by Meghan to Oprah and later confirmed by Harry in the same interview. According to the presenter, the comment was not made by Queen Elizabeth II or her husband, Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Even the White House has talked about the interview. A spokeswoman for Joe Biden said the US president praises anyone who has the courage to speak out about mental health. White House press secretary Jen Psaki described Prince Harry and Meghan as “private citizens” who “shared their own history and their own struggles”.
In the interview, Meghan said she had suicidal thoughts during Archie’s pregnancy and went so far as to ask for help from the Royal Palace, but did not receive it.
IMPACT OF THE CRISIS
The 1.5-hour interview aired Sunday (7) by CBS in the US and aired in the UK by ITV on Monday night (8). The subject made the cover of major UK newspapers on Tuesday (9).
“The Worst Real Crisis in 85 Years” is the headline of the Daily Mirror tabloid. “Palace in turmoil over accusations of racism,” the Times says – while The Sun asks, “So who is the real racist?” “What did they do?” asks the Daily Mail – which says Buckingham Palace is “paralyzed with horror and dismay” as Prince Harry is accused of “blowing up his family”.
The Guardian warns that the interview threatens to have a “devastating impact” on the reputation of the monarchy and “has shaken the foundations of the royal family”. Telegraph highlights US President Joe Biden’s praise for Meghan’s courage – and says Buckingham Palace is under “intense pressure” to respond to his claims about the couple.
According to the Times, the Queen refused to sign a statement prepared by officials in an attempt to ease tensions – demanding “more time to think about her response.” “It’s so sad to have reached this point,” read the headline of The Express, while the Daily Star joked, “Our television broke last night,” he said. “Did we miss something?”
The Sun, one of Britain’s top tabloids, portrayed Harry and Meghan as a “cruel, pitying and unreliable” couple – but admits that “they got what they wanted” from the interview.
Cropped images from the final edition “can do even more damage,” according to the Daily Telegraph. The newspaper accuses Harry and Meghan of “a deliberate attempt to cause as much damage as possible” – and suggests that the couple’s main complaint “appears to have been the failure to treat them as equals to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge” , referring to Harry’s brother, William, and his wife, Kate.
Metro looks nicer, choosing a recently released photo of Harry hugging his pregnant wife and son for the front page – and the headline, “Just the four of us now.”
SERIOUS SUBJECT
Kate Green of the Labor Party, who opposes Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government, said Meghan’s claims were “really painful, shocking”. She told Sky News: “If there are any allegations of racism, I hope they will be treated by the Palace with the utmost seriousness and will be fully investigated.”
Labor leader Keir Starmer said Meghan’s claims about racism and lack of support for mental health should be taken “very seriously”. Asked about the interview during Monday’s coronavirus briefing (7), Prime Minister Boris Johnson declined to comment but said he “has always had the greatest admiration for the Queen and the unifying role that she plays “.
He said that “when it comes to questions relating to the royal family, the right thing for prime ministers to say is to say nothing,” after being asked whether he thought the royal family was racist.
During the interview, Oprah asked Meghan why she thought the royal family hadn’t made Archie a prince. According to the Duchess, the title didn’t matter to her and she cared more about her safety.
“During those months that I was pregnant, at the same time we had simultaneous conversations that he wasn’t safe, he wasn’t given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how his skin might turn dark when it is born. Meghan said.
According to the Duchess, the observations on the color of the skin were made to Harry, who then reported them to her. Harry and Meghan’s children do not automatically become princes or princesses due to a law that has been in existence since 1917 – unless the Queen intervenes.
‘HARMFUL’
Asked by Oprah if there were concerns her son was’ too brown ‘and that would be a problem, Meghan said:’ If that’s the assumption you’re making, she’s quite safe. . ” When pressed, Meghan refused to reveal who the individual was, saying: “I think it would be very harmful to them (the royal family)”.
Prince Harry also declined to give further details, saying: “This conversation, I will never share it.” “When it happened it was strange, I was a little shocked,” he added.
Harry also said he regretted that none of his relatives came out in favor of Meghan on the “colonial tones” (in which Meghan is portrayed as if she was inferior) in headlines and press reports to her topic. “No one in my family has said anything in those three years. It hurts,” he said.
The couple moved to California after officially stepping down from royal duties in March 2020. Buckingham Palace announced last month that they would not be returning as active members of the Royal Family. In an excerpt not included in the original interview, Prince Harry was asked if the couple left the UK because of racism, and replied: “It was largely because of this.”
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
The couple announced that their second child, due this summer, is a girl. They exchanged vows in a ceremony led by the Archbishop of Canterbury in their “backyard,” three days before their legal marriage in a public ceremony in May 2018.
Prince Harry has said his brother and father are “trapped in the system” of the royal family. He said his family cut him off early last year and his father stopped taking his calls. But the prince said he loved his brother and wanted to heal his relationship with him and his father.
Meghan said she called the Queen after Prince Philip’s admission last month. Meghan also told Oprah that she felt betrayed by the conduct of her father Thomas Markle while preparing for her 2018 marriage to Harry.
In an interview with Good Morning Britain on UK channel ITV on Tuesday (9), he said it was the first time he had heard his daughter speak in several years. “I am very disappointed with this. I apologized for what happened, at least 100 times or more,” he said.
He described the interview as “overdone” and inopportune, but said he didn’t think the royal family was racist. To him, the comments about Archie’s skin color may have just been a “stupid question.”
Asked about Meghan’s claim that she had ‘lost’ her father, Markle said: “I am available anytime for us to meet. I would love to meet them. I would really love to see my grandson. “
He also criticized the Palace’s support as he and his family came under intense media scrutiny, saying: “No one was there to take care of us, no one took care of us.”