Elizabeth II pledges to deal with accusations of racism
Queen Elizabeth II assured Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on Tuesday of her affection, and promised to treat "in private" the accusations of racism launched by the couple, ensuring to take them "very seriously".
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's explosive confessions to Oprah Winfrey, broadcast on Sunday, plunged the monarchy into a new crisis reminiscent of the days of Lady Diana, Harry's mother, in the 1990s, who revealed in public her marital troubles then died in a car accident, chased by the paparazzi in Paris.
Under pressure to come out of its silence, Buckingham Palace issued a statement on behalf of the Queen, a rare occurrence due to the earthquake shaking the royal family, accused of having been unresponsive to Meghan's suicidal thoughts and, to through an unnamed member, for wondering about the skin color of their future child.
"The whole family is saddened to learn how difficult the past few years have been for Harry and Meghan," the very short text reads, noting that the couple and their son Archie "will always be much loved family members."
Established for a year in California, the former Métis American actress Meghan Markle, 39, and Prince Harry, 36 and sixth in the order of succession from the crown, have questioned untenable media pressure, racism British media and the royal family's misunderstanding of their situation to explain their withdrawal from the monarchy.
They painted a grim picture of the "firm" which, according to Meghan, at times moved to tears, refused the help she asked for when she was plagued by suicidal thoughts.
Above all, causing much ink to flow in the UK, they reported on conversations within the royal family about what skin color their 22-month-old son Archie would have before he was born.
On the identity of the person who asked the question, the couple said it was not Queen Elizabeth II, 94, or her husband Prince Philip, 99, who is currently in hospital.
Some in the government fear that these accusations will permanently undermine the aura of the monarchy, in a country recently brought to question its colonial past in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, and question in the wake the organization of the Commonwealth, dear to the Queen.
Young people support the couple
The British are divided over the couple, which sections of the press criticize for weakening the monarchy out of self-interest. The same proportion (32%) found they were treated fairly or unfairly by the royal family, according to a YouGov Institute survey.
But 61% of 18-24 year olds feel they have not been treated fairly.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to be drawn into the debate, merely expressing his "greatest admiration" for Elizabeth II. But considered close to Mr Johnson, Secretary of State for the Pacific Zac Goldsmith tweeted that "Harry is blasting his family."
Seen by 17 million Americans then 11 million viewers in the United Kingdom, the couple's interview echoes that granted by Princess Diana in 1995, where she had stunned by lifting the veil on her life within the monarchy .
"The fallout (from the interview) will be felt through the generations, like Diana's," Diana's biographer Andrew Morton warned on ITV.
