Queen Elizabeth II breaks her silence and claims to be "concerned" about the Dukes of Sussex
The British Royal House responds to the controversial statements of the Dukes of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, made during an interview with journalist Oprah Winfrey. The British monarch claims to feel "saddened" by the accusations of racism against the monarchical institution.
The response from the British Royal House to the controversial statements of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry has not been long in coming.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Tuesday, March 9, affirming its "concern" and "sadness" at the accusations of racism that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed to have suffered before moving away from public life and royalty. The United Kingdom woke up shaken last Monday after the confessions of Harry and Meghan during a televised interview with the famous American journalist Oprah Winfrey, and that tarnishes the image of the monarchical institution.
Now, Queen Elizabeth II signs a brief note in which she assures that British royalty is saddened by the difficult experiences of her grandson Harry and his wife, the American former actress Meghan Markle, who during the interview claimed to have had suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy due to media pressure and criticism within the royal family, which denied him their help.
Today’s the day.
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) March 7, 2021
Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A Primetime Special airs tonight at 8/7c on @CBS. #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/hHFppSFrW8
However, the most explosive moment of the interview was when Meghan accused - without names - family members of making racist comments about the skin color of her first child, Archie, one year old. Meghan, whose mother is African American, said that "during the months of pregnancy there were concerns and conversations about how dark her skin could be when she was born."
In an attempt to disprove the allegations and clean up its image, Buckingham Palace broke its usual silence and said it would address the issue in private: “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are troubling. Although some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be discussed by the family in private. In addition, they ensure that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their family "will always be very dear members of the family."
According to the British media, the worrying statements about the Duchess's mental health and, especially, about racial issues, have led the monarchical institution to request an investigation to clarify the matter. And it is that Meghan implied that the fact that her son had "mixed race" could be one of the reasons why she was denied the title of prince and the privileges that accompany him.
BREAKING: Buckingham Palace statement following Meghan and Harry interview:
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 9, 2021
"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." pic.twitter.com/Zbu1iNBlHO
The role of the press, especially the British tabloids, has always been a turning point within the royal family, used to grabbing tabloid front pages. According to Prince Harry, the royal family had an "unhealthy" silent deal with the tabloids and were very alarmed about the image they offer of them. "There is a level of fear control that has been around for generations," Harry recounted during the interview.
While this is a serious blow to the - increasingly criticized - image of the British Royal House, funded by British taxpayers, supporters of the family of Elizabeth II claim that the monarchy will survive at least until the highest monarch is Queen. "It is very easy right now - and we are at a time - to have dark thoughts about the future of the monarchy. I think it is quite safe, but it cannot be denied that this is a significant blow and a difficult crisis to navigate for them." a former royal adviser told Reuters.
The 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth will once again try to weather the storm. And it is that criticisms of the institution are increasingly recurrent, whose heritage extends over more than 1,000 years of history, after the so-called “crisis of the statues” that arose during the Black Lives Matter protests last year, when Thousands of people painted graffiti and demonstrated calling for the removal of colonialist and slave-owning symbols, all related to former royals.
But it is now, when the crisis arises within his own family bosom, that the threat to the institution seems more real. A situation with many parallels with the extramarital scandals - in the nineties - of the queen's son, Charles, which ended the life of his wife Diana of Wales, mother of Prince Harry and the future heir to the throne William, for the media pressure to which she was subjected and that many compare with the situation suffered by Meghan.
At the moment, opinion polls show strong support for the queen, even among Republicans. But the generational break in a society that is reviewing its past and whose new generations are aware of the racist and colonialist past of the highest British body could have repercussions in the near future for the royal family, which depends on their ability to adapt to new times. .
