The duke and duchess of Sussex’s Oprah interview was bombshell after bombshell. It was, without doubt, the most explosive interview given by a member of the royal family since Princess Diana’s infamous Panorama appearance in 1995.
(Of course, the Duke of York’s 2019 Newsnight interview, where he discussed his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was a car crash – but as damaging as it was for him, it had less impact both globally and within the family.)
The repercussions of the Oprah interview – during which Meghan accused a senior unnamed member of the royal family of racism, claiming they asked how dark their as-yet-unborn son Archie would be, and said she was denied help by the Palace when she felt suicidal during that pregnancy – are being felt now, nine months later. And it has caused a huge divide in the royal family.
None of the royals has met Harry and Meghan’s second child, Lilibet Diana, yet. And none of the family has seen Archie for over a year. Harry was also absent from the party hosted by William at Kensington in October, to thank those who have been involved with the Diana memorial. It’s believed the Queen did not see the
Oprah interview – but, obviously, she was fully briefed in terms of its content. The Queen has weathered many crises during her nearly 70-year reign – but this would have been a difficult one because it felt so personal.
Insiders say that she has really been aware of the difficulties between William and Harry, and she’s been deeply saddened by the rift between the brothers.
I know that Princess Anne and the Wessexes have been very disappointed with Harry over the interview. But my understanding is that Zara and Mike
Tindall and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice have really done what they can to try to make sure Harry doesn’t feel excluded. The cousins want nothing more than to see the brothers on good terms.
William and Harry’s relationship was not good beforehand, but the Oprah interview was the final straw for William. The word that kept being repeated by Palace insiders was ‘anger’ – incandescence, in fact. William couldn’t believe Harry was throwing the royal family under the bus with such damaging accusations. He also couldn’t understand why they’d brought his wife into it – Meghan said Kate made her cry before her wedding – when, in the past, Kate has largely acted as a peacekeeper between the Cambridges and the Sussexes. William felt betrayed, too, as Harry knew full well that, in his position, William could not have a right of reply.
The silver lining is that the whole furore has brought William and Kate even closer. The friendship trio of Kate, William and Harry is no more, but Kate has shown where her loyalties lie. There’s very much been a role reversal in their marriage, as Kate has helped William through Covid, and has been a shoulder to lean on as his relationship with his brother struggles.
Over on Harry and Meghan’s side, it’s fair to say the pair feel aggrieved by the criticism that is constantly piled on them by the press, especially when Prince Andrew faces allegations of sexual assault (which he strongly denies).
There’s also a frustration from Meghan and Harry that they do not seem to have been heard by the Palace, and the issues they raised in the Oprah interview appear to have been brushed under the carpet by the family (very much like the Andrew scandal).
Next year is an incredibly important one for the royals. It’s the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, but with Andrew potentially facing a civil court case over Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre’s claims that he sexually assaulted her, and the upcoming season of The Crown – which isn’t expected to paint Charles and Camilla particularly well – it’s not guaranteed to be a jubilant Jubilee year.
As for Harry and Meghan, they’re going to be doing the opposite of keeping a low profile. They have a $150m deal with Netflix, and there are rumours of a fly-on- the-wall documentary (Harry was seen wearing a wire in New York).
I don’t see reconciliation on the cards. We’re left with a king-in-waiting and a rival prince, with two ever growing empires. If there is a reunion for the Jubilee, it will probably be for public appearance’s sake.
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