Charles & William’s ‘immense sadness’
Royals’ anguish over Harry and Meghan chat after attempts to heal the rift
HARRY and Meghan’s TV chat has upset Charles and William deeply after they tried to heal the royal rift.
The bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey aired in the US last night and is on ITV tonight. Meghan told the chat show queen she refuses to be “silent”.
One royal source branded the show a “sorry saga” and added: “The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge have been left immensely saddened.”
There is a feeling there must have been a better way to solve the issues
ROYAL SOURCE ON HOW THE ROYAL ROW BECAME A FARCE
PRINCE Harry and Meghan’s explosive TV revelations could have been avoided if both sides in the royal row had sat down to try to resolve it, a source claims.
Instead, the situation was allowed to descend into a farce that led to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex choosing the “nuclear” option of telling their side of the story to US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey.
The couple’s tell-all interview, aired in the US last night and due to be shown on ITV tonight here, is said to have left Harry’s dad Prince Charles and brother William “saddened” – after they tried to heal the rift.
And there were fears in royal circles the two-hour chat on the CBS network will do little to repair the damage which has been inflicted by the row with Harry and Meghan.
The Queen was said to have chosen not to watch the chat, but received a detailed report from aides who did.
A Palace source said: “The overriding feeling throughout this whole sorry saga is one where many people, especially the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge, have been left immensely saddened.
“There is a distinct feeling inside the camp there must have been a better way to solve the issues by coming together, rather than the nuclear decision that has resulted in everything being discussed so publicly and without reason.
“When all is said and done, no one is likely to come off smelling of roses.”
Another source added: “The family do feel Meghan and Harry were given a lot of support, but of course questions will be raised as to what else could have been done to smooth the transition for them. A lot of the feeling is that Harry didn’t necessarily explain to her it was a marathon and not a sprint, before they both got totally carried away with thinking everyone was against them.
“There will always be a willingness to repair the relationships, even though they are pretty shattered, but first everyone needs to take a step back to try to understand why it came to this.” Senior royals have called for calm after the much-anticipated interview which was heavily teased last week to ensure maximum impact.
Oprah asked Meghan how she felt about the Palace hearing her “speak your truth today”. The 39-year-old former actress replied: “If that comes with risk of losing things, I mean... there is a lot that has been lost already.” She also spoke of refusing to be “silent” due to the “active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods” about her and Harry. And the Duchess said she felt “liberated” after leaving the Royal Family after just 20 months. Meghan claimed she was stopped from doing an interview with Oprah before her wedding to Harry, 36, in May 2018,
Questions will be raised as to what else could have been done to smooth the transition
SOURCE ADMITS THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED BETTER
alleging Palace aides even listened in on a call between them. Both allegations have been dismissed as “absolute nonsense” by Palace sources.
Meghan’s TV chat came just days after the Palace launched an investigation ordered by the Queen into claims she bullied her staff.
Harry revealed he feared “history repeating itself ” – a reference to his mother Diana’s turbulent relationship with the Royal Family. The Duke told Oprah the process of leaving royal life has been “unbelievably tough” for him and his wife.
Aides had branded the TV chat a “circus” while insisting the Royal Family were much more concerned with the Duke of Edinburgh, who continues to recover from a heart procedure last week.
It is understood senior royals were dismayed at Harry and Meghan’s decision to proceed with the interview, given both of Harry’s parents had engaged in a war of words on the BBC 25 years ago with disastrous consequences.
Princess Diana’s shock admission of adultery being committed by both sides, and her lifting the lid on life within the family, was watched by more than 22 million people in Britain – a record at the time.
The latest interview was filmed at the California home of billionaire Oprah’s best pal and broadcaster Gayle King. CBS reportedly paid the chat show veteran’s personal production company around £7million to screen it.
And it is expected to be watched by a global television audience of tens of millions of viewers as it is screened in 68 countries.
Millions of Brits will tune in to ITV at 9pm tonight, after the broadcaster paid a reported £1million for the secondary rights.
WE can safely assume the Queen is not amused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to be interviewed on US TV.
The Royal Family undoubtedly braced itself as the shocking revelations to Oprah Winfrey flew across the Atlantic.
People will be split, siding with or against Harry and Meghan as they noisily make their new life and fortune as celebrity Royals.
The monarchy has survived more dangerous crises in recent decades and will still be here when the dust has died down from this.
But what is not yet clear is who will be the winners and who are the losers.