Palace insider says: Don’t expect to see heads on spikes over this

A SENIOR Royal aide has played down speculation of a cull of advisers following the explosive claims made during the Oprah Winfrey interview, saying: ‘My instinct is that no one should be expecting to see heads on spikes.’

The Royal Family and their senior staff have faced a torrid week after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex unleashed a series of accusations.

Most seriously, the couple alleged that ‘questions and concerns’ were raised by an unnamed member of the family about the colour of skin that Archie, their then unborn child, might have.

As The Mail on Sunday revealed last week, senior aides stayed up through the night watching a feed of the interview, which aired on CBS in America at 1am on Monday UK time. The Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William were then briefed on the sensational claims the following morning.

Despite a clamour from the world’s media for comment, Buckingham Palace waited until Tuesday – after the interview had been screened by ITV – before issuing a 61-word response.

Although brief, the statement combined sympathy for Harry and Meghan and a commitment to address the issues raised – but also pointed out that ‘recollections may vary’ on some points that had been alleged. According to reports, a statement had been prepared on Monday but the Queen decided to sleep on its wording.

Despite adopting a ‘business as usual’ approach last week, with the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attending engagements in person, Palace aides are upset at being cast as ‘pantomime villains’ by Harry and Meghan.

In its statement, Buckingham Palace said: ‘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.’

However, it is not yet clear in what form the allegations will be tackled.