The Queen is determined to get to the bottom of recent events - and no stone will be left unturned following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
- The Queen will not let claims the family is racist go 'unchallenged' as she starts her own investigation into the issues raised
- It comes after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took aim at the family in a 120-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey
- It follows royal news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will take 'proper time off' to spend time with their baby girl
With so much on her plate already this year, including caring for her husband, Prince Philip - who recently left hospital - the last thing the Queen needed was her beloved grandsons taking aim at each other in the glare of the world’s media.
And after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey – and the Duke of Cambridge’s subsequent upset and unprecedented response – that’s exactly what Her Majesty is dealing with.
But Woman columnist and royal insider Duncan Larcombe reveals the Queen is investigating claims from all parties, and is determined to return peace to her family – and knows this has to stop once and for all.
Mud sticks
While Harry and Meghan’s interview was full of scandalous claims, perhaps one of the most damaging to the Royal Family was the allegation of racism and that a senior royal expressed concerns over the colour of their son, Archie.
Duncan says Her Majesty will not let those accusations go unchallenged, and it means she could face one of the biggest decisions of her reign. He said, "For millions, Harry and Meghan’s account is proof the royals are racist. The Queen will investigate those allegations and if she finds them to be true, will have to decide whether to expose the ‘racist’ or run the risk of accepting the royals are harbouring a bigot."
Further clips showed that Harry accused his grandmother of inviting him for a "chat" after flying back from Canada for the first time, only to cancel because she was "too busy".
Daily grillings
As part of her plan to get to the bottom of all the drama, Her Majesty is holding daily conversations with Prince Charles and Prince William.
A palace source tells us that it’s likely the allegations will not be supported and instead the Queen "will put her findings into context and insist that there is no evidence of racism".
The insider says, "We expect her to insist they were not meant in malice."
US presenter Gayle King recently claimed she’d spoken to Harry and Meghan since the Oprah interview, who told her that Harry’s own conversations with Charles and William were "not productive".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auOrYTASVqQ
It seems that, with details of private conversations being leaked and William’s very public insistence that his family is "not racist", the Queen feels obliged to take matters into her own hands.
Duncan says, "Put simply, what she decides to do next will potentially impact the way the ‘institution’ she heads will be perceived by the public and Meghan since the Oprah for years, even generations, to come."
Not going away
If Her Majesty thinks the fallout from Harry and Meghan’s allegations will blow over soon, Duncan feels she is sadly mistaken. Duncan adds, "The only certainty is that this most serious accusation will not simply disappear. The public have a right to know what was said by who because only then can we judge whether the comments were racist and offensive, or indeed whether they happened at all. If the issue is not put to bed, then a question mark will forever hang over the Royal Family itself."
But it seems that one thing she is desperate not to do is push Harry further away from the family. It’s no secret how close Her Majesty and Harry have always been, and Meghan insisted during her chat with Oprah that the Queen was "always wonderful" to her.
A palace insider tells us, "She will speak directly to Harry prior to any statement she issues on behalf of the entire family and will hope the Sussexes will be satisfied with the outcome of her investigation."
So it should be no surprise that the Queen is treading carefully and considering all of the possible outcomes before making her next move. Duncan finishes, "The ball is now in the Queen’s court and the world is watching to see what she will decide."
