Prince Harry + Duchess Meghan
What do the royals say about the interview?
Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince Charles, Duchess Meghan and Duchess Catherine
© Getty Images
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's Oprah Winfrey interview is a blast. Since Princess Diana's legendary "Panorama" interview in 1995, no media conversation has shaken the royal family so. What reaction will it evoke in London?
There was no doubt in advance that the interview with Prince Harry, 36, and Duchess Meghan, 39, will cause a sensation. But what the couple actually said on TV on March 7th US time far exceeded expectations.
There is talk of racism against Archie. Meghan's thoughts of suicide. About a falling out between Harry and Charles. Of disappointment. From tears for Duchess Catherine. From a lack of support. The rift that goes through the Windsors is far deeper than expected.
The palace and the matter of communication
Usually the palace does not comment on private matters. If the press follows up, the best that can be heard is "no comment". The purpose of the silence is to prevent a topic from gaining momentum. No response, less reporting. In England this is called "Never complain, never explain", in German: "Never complain, never explain yourself."
In 1995 they remained silent about the Diana interview, despite the princess's explosive statements. There was a reaction in another form: The Queen sent her son Prince Charles and her daughter-in-law letters asking them to divorce. The couple did as they were told.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are divorced from the palace with effect from April 1, 2020. The Megxit. So what will the Queen or the Palace do?
Because of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, the palace is under pressure
In London, there is no question about that, there is a mood of crisis. It is an exciting question whether the palace will deviate from its previous route of silence. What has been said seems heavy – probably too heavy to ignore publicly. If what the British press writes is true – that the royals didn't know anything about the content of the Oprah Talk beforehand – the PR disaster will have to subside in London first.
When Harry and Meghan went on the air, it was 1 a.m. in England. The Queen, as "The Times" wrote in advance, did not stay up and did not take lessons until the next morning. It is now up to the Queen, Charles and William and their advisors to weigh up the next steps and, in the likely case of a statement, to find the right wording. It will also be exciting to see whether the palace will be the superior mouthpiece with a formal statement. Or whether the Queen will perhaps speak again personally, as with the Megxit. In these days, it seems, anything is possible.
Source used:own research
This article originally appeared on Gala.de.