Meghan: ‘Royal aides perpetuated media falsehoods’
MEGHAN Markle has accused Buckingham Palace of “perpetuating falsehoods”, alluding to her belief that royal aides leaked stories about her and prince Harry and failed to defend them from untruths.
In a preview clip from her interview with Oprah Winfrey, to be broadcast in the US on Sunday, Meghan referred to the royal family as “the Firm”.
She admitted that speaking out came with “risk” but said a lot had been “lost already” and that they should not be expected to remain silent.
It was the second excerpt of the interview released by US network CBS ahead of the two-hour special, which will be broadcast here on Monday on ITV. The 30-second clip was the first time Meghan has been heard giving a full answer to one of Winfrey’s questions.
It is thought to have been released in reaction to this week’s revelations that Meghan had been accused of bullying staff, although the interview was recorded before the allegations became public knowledge.
“They obviously want to maximise their content,” a source close to Meghan said of CBS. “They are very clever at making intoxicating TV.”
The interview has caused consternation in palace quarters, not least as it coincides with the duke of Edinburgh’s longest ever hospital stay.
Royal aides have signalled their intention to distance themselves from the programme.
One said: “We are trying to maintain a dignified silence. It’s a media circus and we do not want to be drawn into it.”
Members of the royal family have not requested, and have not been offered, advanced sight of the CBS recording or a transcript and are expecting to watch it just “like everybody else”.
The rights to the two-hour programme, which was extended by 30 minutes after the interview was conducted, have been sold in more than 17 countries from Australia to Norway as well as Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Sussexes are not being paid for the interview, which will net a fortune for CBS and Winfrey’s production company Harpo.
In the latest clip, Winfrey asks: “How do you feel about the Palace hearing you speak your truth today?”
The duchess replies: “I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us.
“And if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean, I’ve... there’s a lot that’s been lost already.”
Meanwhile, it understood the royal couple expect to be notified if formal allegations of bullying are likely to be made against them by Buckingham Palace.
The couple have not been contacted about the investigation into claims that their staff were bullied and left “broken”, “terrified” and “shaking”.
The unprecedented inquiry will be headed by a HR manager from the royal household, who will invite their employees past and present to be interviewed about their experiences in a bid to improve policies and ensure “lessons have been learnt”. (© Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2021)