It’s fair to say that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the Royal Family reeling when they sat down with Hollywood legend Oprah Winfrey for a tell-all interview after stepping back from royal duties.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who moved to America in January 2020, left shockwaves travelling through both the States and United Kingdom when Meghan’s claims of racism within the institution came to light.
The Duchess also claimed she had been suicidal and refused help when she was at her lowest.
Harry, of course, had plenty to say about his dad during the interview, as he explained: “I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar, he knows what the pain feels like.
“I will always love him but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened.”
He added: “He knows what pain feels like, and Archie’s his grandson.”
But what does the family patriarch Prince Charles think of their admissions?
Viral video
(Image: Getty Images)
Though Charles has never formally offered his thoughts on the explosive interview, he has made his thoughts clear in plenty of other ways.
The week after the Sussexes sat down with Oprah, Charles visited a Covid-19 vaccine distribution centre and immediately went viral when one reporter asked his thoughts on his son and daughter-in-law.
In the viral clip, ITV’s Lizzie Robinson asked: “Sir, can I ask, what did you think of the interview?”
Charles could then be seen stopping to listen to her question, before pausing and turning to leave.
Point-by-point statement
(Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)
And many royal sources have had plenty to say on Charles’ thoughts on how to proceed after the interview aired across the world.
According to royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, who spoke to ET, the Prince of Wales wanted to issue a “point by point” statement to address the allegations made by Meghan and Harry.
She told the publication: “My understanding is that Prince Charles did want to issue a more detailed statement [in response] to the Oprah interview and possibly address some of those issues point by point.
(Image: Supplied by Newspix)
“But there was an evening to think about things and in the end, it was decided that a shorter statement would be better, that going at things point by point could be potentially more damaging and give more ammunition for the row to continue.”
In its place, Buckingham Palace released its own statement which read: “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 be much loved family members,” it concluded.
Took issues ‘most seriously’
(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Further reports said that Charles was the royal to have taken the accusations of racism “most seriously”, with a source allegedly “close to the royal household” telling People Magazine: “The prince believes in diversity and his actions show that.
“He was the first person to highlight the Windrush generation and the contributions they made to British society.
“He has worked hard for the Muslim community.
“Of all the members of the royal family, he has taken this issue the most seriously.”
It has further been claimed that Charles “took the lead” on penning a response to the interview, with royal biographer Robert Jobson explaining that the royals like to “do things as a team” and react “as a family”.
He said at the time of the interview: “I think the Prince of Wales has also taken the lead on how the Palace has responded.
“The Queen is 94 and the Duke of Edinburgh is incapacitated, so he will be trying to placate and learn lessons from this so something can be worked out to everyone’s satisfaction.”
‘Fuming’ with Harry and Meghan
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However, in May this year the news broke that Charles was “still fuming” with Harry after the bombshell interview, as royal correspondent Christina Garibaldi explaining that her sources said tensions were still high.
She explained that when Harry visited the UK for Prince Philip’s funeral, so-called ‘peace talks’ between the pair didn’t seem to have worked out.
The Us Weekly reporter said: “Prince Harry and Prince Charles did not resolve their differences when Harry returned to the UK.
“They barely communicated.
“Charles is still fuming about Harry throwing shade at him and the Royal Family in the big interview and won’t let it drop.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Other sources have claimed that Harry has been “forced to write letters” to his father due to a “complete communication breakdown”.
The Mirror reported that the correspondence “outlined [Harry’s] reasons for leaving” while promising to “respect the institution”.
Harry has been to the UK once more since his grandfather’s funeral – in July, he and his brother William headed over to Kensington Palace to see a statue of their mum, Princess Diana, unveiled in the grounds.
But Prince Charles didn’t attend the ceremony, reportedly because he didn’t want to “resurface old wounds”.
An insider told the UK Times: “It brings back memories for him; happy, sad, regretful. Since Diana’s death, he has felt it’s best to keep those memories to himself and leave his sons to it.”
In ‘state of despair’
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Others have drawn similarities between Harry and Meghan’s sit-down with Oprah and Diana’s infamous Panorama interview with Martin Bashir.
Royal experts have claimed the similarities may have left Charles in a “state of despair”.
Sarah Gristwood told Vanity Fair: “Just like Panorama, the fall-out from this feels like a moment when the royal family and the palace establishment have to think again and start re-casting themselves if they’re going to be a position, to borrow Meghan’s words, to thrive and survive in the 21st century.”
She went on to say Charles was in a “state of despair” as she explained: “For Prince Harry to say that he felt let down by his father must have been a difficult thing to say and hard for Charles to hear.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
