Prince Charles did not watch Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey nor does he intend to, sources close to the future king have claimed. Charles, who was back to work yesterday, did not even ask for a debrief from his private secretary after the program aired in the U.K., a source has told Vanity Fair. While Charles is aware of the headlines and the accusations Harry and Meghan have made against the royal family, he is privately said to be “at a loss” over his son and daughter-in-law’s decision to sit down with Winfrey.
Part of that response may be because Charles is one of several senior royals whose name keeps coming up in the media guessing game over the identity of the unnamed family member who, according to Meghan, voiced concerns about how “dark” their child might be. Harry and Meghan refused to name who made the comments, although Harry has said it was neither Queen Elizabeth II nor the Duke of Edinburgh. Despite the queen’s brief statement Tuesday, which signaled a desire to put the fire out and extend an olive branch to the Sussexes, the rumor mill on social media and the mainstream press continues over who made the comments.
“He will not be drawn into it, but it’s fair to say he is surprised and very disappointed by what has been said. He didn’t watch the interview, but of course he’s heard what has been said. He feels let down by them both,” said a longtime friend of the prince’s, who also added: “There is not a racist bone in his body and to suggest otherwise is very hurtful.”
At the palace aides are still reeling over the interview. Meghan’s comments about race and her suggestion that Archie was not made a prince because of his skin color have had a particularly far-reaching impact. The duchess’s revelation that she was suicidal while pregnant with Archie and turned away when she asked for help has also been hugely damaging. Furthermore, some royal sources fear Meghan’s comments about her relationship with Kate Middleton will prove the nail in the coffin for Harry and William’s relationship.
“I find it hard to see how they can come back from this. William is angry and upset, and he will bear a grudge for a very long time that Meghan has dragged Catherine into all of this,” said a friend.
As much of the world still seems glued to the interview’s fallout three days after its first airing, royal sources say the queen wishes to deal with the situation privately. In the statement released Tuesday, the queen said the royal family was “saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” adding, “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning.” The brief statement also said: “Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously.” Royal insiders say the queen will have further conversations with her family to establish exactly what was said and how to resolve things.
Although Meghan described the queen as warm and welcoming, Charles, William, and Kate all came in for a bruising—with Harry claiming his brother and his father are trapped by the institution. Meghan also lifted the lid on her relationship with her sister-in-law and said that it was Kate who made her cry during a flower girl dress fitting in the run-up to the royal wedding, not the other way around, as had been previously reported. (Meghan added that Kate had apologized.) Harry said he and William are on “different paths” and that their relationship is being given “space” at the moment. However, it was his comments about Charles that hit hardest. Harry revealed how Charles had cut him off financially (something those close to Charles strenuously deny) and stopped taking his calls as the couple worked on their exit plan. He also said that he felt “let down” by his father, who he said had also been treated badly by the media in the past.
Sources close to Charles say that he is “devastated” by Harry and Meghan’s decision to sit for the interview and particularly hurt because he has been so supportive of the couple. He once asked William and Kate to invite Harry and Meghan to their Norfolk home for Christmas in the hope that they could work through a difficult patch in their relationship. Then, when Meghan’s father pulled out of the royal wedding, Charles walked Meghan down the aisle. He has since told friends it was one of the happiest and proudest moments of his life. He has also been a doting grandfather to Archie and greatly misses his grandson now that the couple has moved overseas, sources said.
“He didn’t watch the interview. I believe Camilla watched some of it, but Charles couldn’t bring himself to,” said a source. The royals had braced themselves for the broadcast, but the Sussexes’ revelations were far more serious than anyone expected. The friend said there is still a sense of “shock” within the royal household.
Still, like the queen, the source said Charles will be keen to smooth things over with the Sussexes. “He hates confrontation, and I think he appreciates things are said and done—there are hurt feelings—but he loves his son and his family more than anything.”
More Royals Stories From Vanity Fair
— The New, Sad Irony of the Rift Between Prince William and Prince Harry
— Meghan and Harry’s Devastating Revelations About Racism Within the Royal Family
— Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Security Protection Was Such a Big Deal
— Prince Charles Is in a “State of Despair”
— Buckingham Palace Issues Brief Response to Harry and Meghan’s Interview
— Why Archie’s Title Is About More Than What’s in a Name
— Prince Harry tells Oprah, “I Was Trapped”
— What the Queen’s Statement Reveals About the Royal Family’s Next Steps
— From the Archive: Palace and Prejudice
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