"They made the Queen pass for a racist." What's behind Meghan's interview
The royal family relives the pain of November 1995, after the interview that Harry and Meghan gave to Oprah Winfrey. The Firm, the real "company", is accused. But what's true? We talked about it with Lavinia Orefici, an expert on the royal family
The English royal family will hardly forget this date, which will be added, on the shelf of painful memories, to that of November 20, 1995, the day when Lady Diana, dressed in black, confessed in front of the BBC cameras all her pain for the failure of the marriage with Carlo. On Sunday, history repeated itself, but this time it was Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle who spoke in front of Oprah Winfrey's shocked face on CBS.
At the center of the narrative are the terrible "crimes" committed by "The Firm", the royal company, the "villain" of this fairy tale.
The interview comes a year after the Megxit, made official on March 30, to the disbelief of the lovers of the royal family, who do not understand why. After asking for and obtaining privacy and freedom, why go to Oprah Winfrey, the most famous anchor in America, to spout some personal facts?
"The purpose is perhaps precisely to pass for victims. The accusations are very heavy, knowing full well that the British monarchy does not respond. But they are without evidence", Lavinia Orefici, an expert on the English royal family, told ilGiornale.it.
They talked about similarities with Diana's BBC interview. What are they in your opinion?
"I don't see any. Diana and Meghan Markle are two completely different women in age, origins, relationships. Diana's '95 interview was a glaring mistake but Lady D ended up in a loveless marriage, she got married very young . Meghan was twice her years old when she joined the royal family, she was divorced, she had already lived other lives. Diana was a character extremely loved by the people, also thanks to the game she had built with the press, who gladly she had her use. Meghan apes Lady D, but the comparison doesn't exist. "
Meghan called herself naive. Is she really like that?
"Diana also said it, immediately after arriving at Buckingham Palace: 'I am naive, I have not studied so much, I am a little ignorant and not particularly intelligent'. Meghan has made very serious accusations knowing that the British monarchy is not responding".
She, on the other hand, she answered but slightly late. Why has it been several days since it aired?
"Britain only saw the interview on Monday, so in the end we talk about 24 hours later. They say that Queen Elizabeth II wanted to think carefully about the words to use. The press release is perfect: in five lines she basically said that they they will wash the dirty clothes in the family, not giving the Sussexes a chance to reply ".
It seems that the wedding they broadcast on TV was a facade. The real one was held a few days earlier
"She seemed very happy on the day of the wedding. Then, in Great Britain one cannot marry more than once. This statement puts the Archbishop of Canterbury in difficulty. From sources, it seems that in the previous days there was an exchange of vows and not a wedding. There is a difference. "
Meghan confessed that she suffered from depression and thought about suicide several times. She didn't get the support she hoped for from Harry's family, because the situation would have been inconvenient. How much is it true?
"There are battles after battles waged by the royal family over mental health: they know how sensitive this topic is and how little it has been talked about. William was close to his brother Harry when he was depressed. He is involved in a lot of campaigns to support those who suffer. of mental disorders. In her Christmas speech, Queen Elizabeth II made a clear reference to people alone during the lockdown. The facts of the royal family speak for themselves, those narrated by Meghan Markle less ".
The strongest accusation is that of "racism", so much so that it is the only one that is also underlined by Buckingham Palace in the reply message. Does the royal family have a racist past?
"Harry needed the Queen's permission to get married and I think she has arrived. Meghan Markle is also the first to set foot in Sandringham for Christmas, before the wedding was celebrated. Neither Diana nor Kate Middleton had this honor." .
Who do you think it was to express the concerns about little Archie's skin?
"We do not know if they referred to the family in the 'strict' sense. It should be emphasized that in the interview they spoke of 'someone from the family'. The family and the institution are the same thing, and Queen Elizabeth is leading them. By not naming names, Harry dropped it all on her, making it seem like the queen is racist. The next day Oprah Winfrey made it clear that Meghan and Harry's allegations did not refer to grandparents. ), but few have seen that broadcast ".
So who is the other character in this story, The Firm?
"It is an institution in step with the times, which over the centuries has renewed itself: the heir to the throne, William, married a commoner; Queen Elizabeth made a cameo for the 2012 Olympics with Daniel Craig. antiquated machine that lives out of this world ".
Is Harry a pawn or a co-star?
"Harry did not participate in the entire interview for not being present at the moment of the worst accusations, launched by his wife. But anyway he was there and this does not remove him from the positions of Meghan. In general the protagonist is her, he is the character who allowed her to play this role. Meghan will be happy, she has gotten a lot of support in the US, but Harry may regret it. From his interview it seems that he had a hellish existence. Surely, compared to Jeff Bezos, his life is more burdens, but also many privileges. Then, no one forced him to stay, but by going away he should not have tarnished the monarchy ".
So what are the Dukes of Sussex's relationship with the family? With Elizabeth II everything seems ok. Relations with Prince Charles are more strained. Harry said he was very disappointed because he feels similar to his father. In what?
"He probably does not feel understood by the royal family, like his father as a young man. But Harry has been a privileged one, they have forgiven all his exuberance of the past, including the Nazi disguise and the fistfights outside the clubs. Probably also because he is not the heir to the throne. "
He spoke again of his brother William. Does he think their tensions depend on the non-idyllic relationship between Meghan and Kate?
"Meghan and Kate are two different women who have nothing in common. As for the fight over the bridesmaids' dresses, they were both under great pressure: Meghan for the wedding and Kate for the latest pregnancy. So this is gossip."
What's the problem then?
"What Harry did to his brother will not be easy to heal: from this interview the anti-monarchists emerge victorious. There is great damage to the institutions, therefore to the Queen, to Charles and William, who will become king. Meghan and Harry have removed that veil of magic around the royal house, in an era like this, where there is a need for seriousness, a sense of duty. For what? To come out as victims. They are happy. The only nice thing about this interview is the announcement of the arrival of a child, breaking the protocol. It seems to me the only good news to give ".
