LONDON (UK ) – Queen Elizabeth said on Tuesday the British royals were upset by the daunting revelations of her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan. She promised to privately address what they have divulged about a racist remark about their son..
Harry also said he had felt trapped in his royal life.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement issued on behalf of Elizabeth.
“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst 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.”
The Palace considered that this was a family matter, a royal source said. It was added that the royals should be provided the opportunity to discuss the issues brought up privately as a family.
“It could hardly be more damaging to the royal family, not least because there is little it can do to defend itself,” The Times said in a lead article under the title “Royal Attack”.
“The key to the monarchy’s survival over the centuries has been its ability to adapt to the needs of the times. It needs to adapt again,” The Times said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Charles refused to comment when asked by a reporter about his response to the the interview, as he was visiting a COVID-19 vaccine pop-up clinic in London.
A royal source said the queen wanted to take some time before the Palace let out a response, adding that it needed careful consideration.
A former senior royal aide said it was likely that the three most senior royals, the queen, Charles and Prince William, second in line to the throne and Harry’s elder brother, would have called in meetings with their private secretaries and communications chiefs to come to a decision on their response.
The former aide, said, adding the queen would have had the final say. “This is pretty important and they’ve got to judge it right.”
Harry said in the interview he did not know where to confide in when he was hit by troubling media coverage and felt hurt when his family could not condemn racist reporting.
He said the royal family had silently agreed with the British tabloids and that the family was paranoid about the media overly writing or reporting about them.
“There is a level of control by fear that has existed for generations,” Harry said..
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson watched the interview, his spokesman said, however, would not be further commenting on it.
“Now people are getting a much clearer picture of what the monarchy is really like. And it doesn’t look good,” said Graham Smith, head of Republic, a campaign group which seeks to abolish the monarchy.
A YouGov poll found a majority of young people think that the way the royals treated the couple was unfair, while half of older people had a contrary opinion.
