Prince Harry + Duchess Meghan
The Queen withholds the finished statement from the palace
Queen Elizabeth II
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Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's Oprah Winfrey interview is a blast. Since Princess Diana's legendary "Panorama" interview from 1995, no media conversation has shaken the royal family as much. What reaction will it evoke in London?
There was no doubt in advance that the interview with Duchess Meghan, 39, and Prince Harry, 36, 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. A falling out between Harry and Prince Charles. Of disappointment. From tears for Duchess Catherine. From a lack of support. The rift that goes through the Windsors – it's far deeper than expected.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan: Queen Elizabeth hesitates with a statement
Buckingham Palace is paralyzed with "horror and dismay", writes the Daily Mail on the evening after the interview was broadcast. "People just stagger around," says a source, adding that they are "sad" and "shocked" by the Sussex allegations. Prince Charles, 72, is "in a state of desperation," reports Vanity Fair, referring to a friend of the heir to the throne. Crisis mood among Queen, Elizabeth, Charles, Prince William and their advisors!
The well-informed newspaper "The Times" claims that the palace has now issued a statement highlighting the royal family's love for the couple. De-escalation is the order of the day. But: The Queen allegedly refuses to approve the publication! She wants to think about the matter in peace, not rush anything and also wait for the public's opinion to be heard.
Buckingham Palace is under pressure
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."
What has been said by Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan is too heavy to ignore publicly. The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth of 54 loosely connected states. Many people in the population are people of color. That someone in the royal family has racist ideas is more than a private matter – it is a danger to the monarchy and the integrity of the royals. Also the fact that a suicidal member of the royal family was allegedly not helped, the palace will not be able to leave that way.
Why is the statement taking so long?
If what the British press writes is true – that the royals knew nothing about the content of the Oprah Talk beforehand – the allegations first had to be heard, digested and discussed. This will need time.
When Harry and Meghan went on the air, it was 1 a.m. on March 8th in England. The Queen, as "The Times" wrote in advance, did not stay up and did not take lessons until the next morning. It will be exciting to see whether the palace, as the overriding mouthpiece, will come up with a formal statement. Or whether the Queen might speak up again personally, as with the Megxit. In these days, it seems, anything is possible.
By the way, in 1995 they kept quiet 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. So it remains exciting to see which wording and which steps the palace will decide on when it comes to Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan.
Source used: own research
This article originally appeared on GALA.de.