Buckingham Palace has responded to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Sunday Interview with Oprah.
In a statement on Tuesday, released on behalf of the queen, the palace wrote, “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.”
The statement also addressed the most alarming topics discussed in the interview. “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.”
During the interview, which was viewed by 17 million people in the U.S. and 11 million in the UK, Markle revealed there were “concerns” within the palace about how dark her son Archie’s skin would be before he was born. Around that same time, Markle discovered her son would not recieve an official title or the security that comes with being part of the royal family.
“All around this same time, we have in tandem the conversation of, ‘he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title,’ and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born,” Markle said.
Harry later added he would not be revealing who made the comments to him about his son’s skin color, with Markle saying it would be “damaging” to the person. Oprah clarified “it was not his grandmother, nor his grandfather that were part of those conversations.”
During the interview, Harry also discussed his exit from the royal family and becoming financially independent of them. At one point, he said his father Prince Charles stopped “taking his calls” but that they are now mending their relationship.
“Of course, I will always love him, but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened,” Harry said. “And I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.”
