In a very short statement released by Buckingham Palace on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, the 94-year-old monarch says issues raised by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be dealt with privately.
"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 says.
"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."
Pressure had been mounting on the Palace to respond to Prince Harry and Meghan's allegations of ill treatment by the royal household in the interview which aired in the US on Sunday.
It was understood the Queen had been in crisis talks with senior members of the family for two days and it had been her call to delay making any statement sooner.
Palace staff are believed to have suggested putting out a statement on Monday night (Tuesday AEDT), when the interview aired to an audience of 11 million in the UK. The Times of London says it was the Queen who wanted more time to consider what they would say.
'She can't not say anything'
While the Palace often tries to stay above controversy by remaining silent and riding out the storm, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's charges are so damaging to the royal family that it had no choice but to publicly respond, royal biographer Angela Levin said.
The author of Harry, a Biography of a Prince said there had been little doubt that ultimately the 94-year-old monarch would make her decision based on what was best for the 1000-year-old institution she has led since 1952.
"The Queen has a motto: Never complain, never explain,'' Levin told The Associated Press.
"And she's stuck with this for four decades. But I think in this climate and 2021, everything goes everywhere. There's so much social media that in this instance, she really can't not say anything."
The Palace wanted to avoid inciting any further tension or a statement that may further undermine the monarchy.
"I think that one of the major worries is you don't want to throw oil on the flames to make it even worse," Levin said.
The other issue raised is that the UK's opposition party, Labour, has called for an investigation into allegations raised by the Duchess of Sussex, particularly the allegation of racism.
It was just last week where they put out that controversial rare statement saying they were very concerned about allegations Meghan had been bullying staff and they were launching an HR investigation into that.
They may now feel pressure to launch a similar HR probe into the new allegations as well.
Wall-to-wall coverage continues in the UK, adding to the enormous pressure on the royals to respond.
Overnight, Meghan's estranged father Thomas Markle gave his own bombshell interview with scathing criticisms of his daughter and son-in-law, and commentary including that he did not believe the royal family was racist and dismissed an allegation of racism as "bullsh--".
Meghan told Winfrey that when she was pregnant with her son Archie, there were "concerns and conversations" within the palace about how "dark" her child's skin would be when he was born.
"I have great respect for the royals and I don't think the royal family are racist at all," Mr Markle told Good Morning Britain from Rosarito in Mexico.
"The thing about what colour will her baby be or how dark will her baby be, I'm guessing and hoping it's just a dumb question from somebody. It could just be that simple, somebody's asked a stupid question rather than it being a total racist."
Controversial breakfast television host Piers Morgan, meanwhile, stormed off his own show after a spat with another presenter over his treatment of the Duchess.
- Reported with Associated Press
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMimAFodHRwczovL3d3dy45bmV3cy5jb20uYXUvd29ybGQvaGFycnktbWVnaGFuLW9wcmFoLWludGVydmlldy1sYXRlc3Qtd29ybGQtd2FpdHMtb24tcm95YWwtc3RhdGVtZW50LWJ1Y2tpbmdoYW0tcGFsYWNlL2QwYjUzOGZhLTIwODYtNDUyNi05Y2YwLThiMGFkMjA2ZjBiMNIBRWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLjluZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9hcnRpY2xlL2QwYjUzOGZhLTIwODYtNDUyNi05Y2YwLThiMGFkMjA2ZjBiMA?oc=5
2021-03-09 17:42:39Z
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