The tsunami was more than predictable when on March 7, 2021 lThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat in prime time on the US network CBS in front of Oprah Winfrey, a good ally of the couple and also the country’s star communicator. A year had passed since they consummated his departure from the Royal House and they knew that with their televised statements the patina of cordiality and even a certain consensus with which they packaged the agreement by which the Sussexes renounced their royal obligations was going to blow through the air. His statements were falling like meteorites and their effects seem far from being minimized.
Listen to the first chapter of the podcast here: ‘Harry and Meghan: check on the Queen’
SEE GALLERY
Meghan Markle, very pregnant with her second child, started strong. “I don’t know how they could expect that, after all this time, we would just be quiet if the Firm (as the British Royal House is known) is playing an active role in perpetrating lies about us… And if this carries the risk of losing things … there is much that has already been lost, ”he explained to Oprah, anticipating that prudence was not going to govern the interview. Except in one detail. Only the Queen was safe. She was the only one who received good words both from her grandson, with whom she always had a special connection, and from Meghan.. Even so, it was very difficult for Elizabeth II to come out unscathed after the harsh words directed not only at the monarchical institution, but also at senior members of the Royal Family.
The most surprising statements of the interview of the Dukes of Sussex
Prince Harry said he was disappointed in his father, Prince Charles, from whom he expected more understanding and support when he began to feel “trapped” in the institution in which he was born. He also spoke openly about his estrangement from his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, again assuring that they were on “different paths”. However, It has been in regard to the treatment of his wife and also towards his first son Archie, where the gap that has only grown has really opened. Mental health occupied a good part of the interview. Meghan confessed that she came to think that she did not want to continue living and ended up asking for help that she assures that she never came because, they said, “it would not be good for the institution.” Those were the times when public opinion went from Meghanmania to exacerbated criticism with amazing ease and while she tried to deal with a situation that was beyond her, Harry had only one thing in mind: “My biggest concern was that history would repeat itself.” (…) And when I talk about history repeating itself, I mean my mother.”
SEE GALLERY
The ghost of racism that Buckingham strives to avoid
The arrival of their long-awaited first child did not serve to tame the waters that seemed to be drowning them. The reproaches at this point came from the depths, so much so that they even incurred some inaccuracy. A hurt Meghan Markle claimed that during her pregnancy they told her that Archie would not be a prince, which she interpreted as an affront. The truth is that only the children and grandchildren of the Queen, as well as the descendants of the first-born of the heir, automatically receive the title of prince or princess. But beyond monarchical protocols, what really stunned the presenter and everyone and made the Palace take immediate action was when they sowed suspicion of racism by a member of the Royal Family. Someone had asked what color Archie’s skin would be, but they never revealed who it was. The sinner is not known, but the revelation was a real political weapon against the Monarchy.
The bomb interview of the Dukes of Sussex, nominated for an Emmy
After the devastating interview, Buckingham was preparing to weather the storm and it took him 36 hours to ponder his answer. The first thing was a conciliatory statement from the Queen in which she, however, already pointed out what had hurt them the most: “The whole family is saddened to learn how difficult the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues that have been raised, especially in the racial aspect, are worrying. Although some memories of what happened may vary , are taken very seriously and will be treated privately by the family. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of the family.” Not in vain has it been the only one to which the Windsors answered directly. “We are not a racist family at all,” said Prince William in his first act after the interview. And for the avoidance of doubt, not a month had passed when it came to light that Buckingham was going to incorporate a new adviser to his team that it be in charge of defending and guaranteeing the diversity of the monarchy as part of the project it supports to improve racial representation in the institution.
And the reunion came
Time heals everything, but the aftermath of the words of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex airing their disappointments in the palace have not yet healed. Since then There have been two reunions between Prince Harry and his family. The first was on the occasion of the sad death of his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh. In Windsor after the ceremony, we were able to see a conversation between the two brothers that seemed relaxed, but we also saw how they walked separately in the funeral procession, instead of going side by side. The other was a few months later to inaugurate the statue in tribute to his mother, Diana of Wales. Again there was talk that there could have been an approach, although the only thing that was seen, at least publicly, was coldness within that memory of the Princess of Wales that will always unite them.
SEE GALLERY
Shortly after, Meghan gave birth to Lilibet Diana, named after her grandmother and great-grandmother, who, however, has not yet met her personally. The little girl has not yet traveled to the United Kingdom and only one member of the family has crossed the pond since then. Is about Eugenie of York, who always maintained a very close relationship with his cousin and his wife, although it is unknown if he has been able to meet the little girl. It is true that the travel restrictions of the pandemic have not helped, but it does not seem that this has been the true impediment of the Sussexes.
SEE GALLERY
Final chapter: security
Prince Harry has recently opened another front: that of his security. It is not the first time that this issue has come up and, without a doubt, it is something that worries the Dukes and what they already talked about in the famous interview. The youngest son of Charles of England does not feel safe in London, where he would only have his private security. According to his lawyers, he will not return to his wife and children until the Interior provides him with police protection, so that the intelligence services can work as they do with the rest of the members of the Royal Family to detect any threat on them. This legal battle that he currently has with the British Government could make him not attend the mass in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh which is scheduled for next March 29, which would stage the rupture more than ever.
And so, when it seemed like his statements from a year ago couldn’t raise any more blisters, Meghan Markle’s paternal family, from which she has been estranged for years, comes to the fore. Her stepsister, Samantha, is very upset with some statements she made in the interview and asks for more than 90,000 euros in damages. In the court document that Samantha has filed, she claims that Meghan has told a version of her life that is not real and believes that she has developed a “premeditated campaign to destroy” her reputation and that of the father of her, Thomas Markle. In her words, Meghan is lying when she says that she had to take care of herself and that she “was forced to work from the age of 13 in different low-paid jobs to make ends meet.” Although the lawyers of the Duchess of Sussex assure that the lawsuit will not have a course, what has become clear is that the earthquake caused by her words may still have aftershocks. Some retorts that could only be outshone by the autobiographical book that Prince Harry is expected to publish this year.
Harry, Meghan and Archie: Now there are three of us
Click to watch the documentary about Harry from England, Meghan Markle and their son Archie, a special episode of the Royals series. You can see more on the new video platform HELLO! PLAY, where you will find programs on cooking, fashion, decoration and biographical documentaries of ‘royals’ and ‘celebrities’. Do not miss it!
–
