Prince Charles ‘took the lead’ on Buckingham Palace’s response to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, a royal expert said.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made several allegations in the interview with Oprah Winfrey, including that there were ‘conversations and concerns’ about what color their then-unborn child would have.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also accused the Palace of failing to support Meghan when she had suicidal thoughts.
The Queen waited more than two days before releasing a short statement which said that, ‘while some recollections may vary’, the whole family was saddened to hear of the couple’s challenging few years.
Robert Jobson, a royal biographer has said that, while the palace statement was in the Queen’s words, the Prince of Wales is likely to have ‘taken the lead’ on the response.
Jobson said the Royal Family likes to do things as a team and to react ‘as a family’ when being criticized.
“I think the Prince of Wales has also taken the lead on how the Palace has responded,” Jobson said.
“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.”
“The royal family likes to do things as a team, and if the team is being trashed they like to react as a unit and a family,” Jobson added.
The biographer also praised the Queen’s response, describing it as ‘dignified’.
Along with Prince Charles, the Queen was reportedly set to speak with the Duchess of Cornwall as well as Prince William and his wife Kate about Harry and Meghan’s allegations.
On Thursday, the monarch was said to be ‘sad but not angry about the interview.
The skin color allegation sparked a frenzy with viewers speculating about the identity of the family member who made the comment.
But sources have said that the Queen was not angered by the interview and instead has privately pledged to stand by Harry.
“She is not angry, she is just sad,” a source told The Sun. “They have always worried about him (Harry) and the Queen feels very protective about him.”
“They always tried to support him when Meghan came along,” the source added.”They all worried less about him when Meghan was on the scene as he seemed so happy.”
Prince William later said the royals are ‘not a racist family’ with the Queen ordering a private family investigation into the allegations.
Last week, broadcaster Gayle King revealed on US TV that Prince William had taken part in an ‘unproductive phone call with Prince Harry’.
The revelation – which King delivered live on air – has reportedly made William wary of engaging further with the couple, fearing that any talks with his brother will be leaked to American television networks.
Vanity Fair reported that sources have claimed that there is concern within the family that the Sussexes ‘want to keep fuelling the soap opera’.