Details of royal rift reverberate across the globe
LONDON— Prince Harry and Meghan’s explosive TV interview sent royal shockwaves around the world Monday, rocking an institution that is struggling to modernize with claims of racism and callousness toward a woman struggling with suicidal thoughts.
During the two-hour appearance with Oprah Winfrey, Harry also revealed the problems had ruptured relations with his father, Prince Charles, and brother, Prince William, illuminating the depth of the family divisions that led the couple to step away from royal duties and move to California last year.
The palace has not responded to the interview, in which Meghan described feeling so isolated and miserable inside the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts and said a member of the family had “concerns” about the color of her unborn son’s skin. Archie was born in May 2019.
According to Harry, the family member was not Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip, his grandparents, sparking a flurry of speculation about who it could be.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to comment on the interview, praising the queen but saying that “when it comes to matters to do with the royal family the right thing for a prime minister to say is nothing.”
Asked whether President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, had any reaction to the interview, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Meghan’s decision to speak about her struggles with mental health “takes courage” and “that’s certainly something the president believes in.”
In a rare positive moment in the interview, the couple revealed their second child, due in the summer, would be a girl.