LONDON (AP) – Racism. Bullying. Insensitivity.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s allegations of abuse by the British royal household are so serious that some observers say the Buckingham Palace’s silence on the subject only adds to the anger surrounding their TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.
While the palace often tries to stay above controversy by remaining silent and chasing out the storm, the charges against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are so damaging to the royal family that they will have to respond in public, says royal biographer Angela Levin .
But this reaction is likely to be delayed by Queen Elizabeth II’s struggle to balance her sometimes conflicting roles as king and grandmother, says Levin, author of ‘Harry, a biography of a prince’. Yet she says there is little doubt that the 94-year-old monarch will ultimately make her decision based on what is best for the 1,000-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 been holding on to this for four decades. But I think in this climate and 2021 everything is going everywhere. There is so much social media that she can really say nothing in this case. ”
The Times of London reported on Tuesday that a palace statement was delayed because the queen wanted more time. The newspaper did not name a source for the information.
The interview, which aired Sunday night in the U.S. and a day later in Britain, upset the royal family and divided people around the world. While many say the allegations show the need for change within a palace that has not kept pace with the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, others have criticized Harry and Meghan for dropping their bomb, while Harry’s 99-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip. , is being admitted to hospital in London following a heart procedure.
During the two-hour interview, Meghan described being so isolated and miserable within the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts, but when she asked for mental health help from the palace’s human resources, she was told that she was not an employee. She also said a family member expressed Harry ‘concern’ about the color of her unborn child’s skin.
Winfrey later said Harry told her from the camera that the family member was not Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip, sparking a wave of speculation about who it might be.
Harry also reveals the tension the couple endured, severing ties with his father, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his brother, Prince William, which eased the depth of the family divisions that led to the couple moved away from the royal duties and moved. last year to California.
So far, there has been silence from the palace about the interview.
“I think one of the biggest concerns is that you do not want to pour oil on the flames to make it worse,” Levin said.
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