Palace holds crisis talks in wake of Meghan and Harry's tell-all interview
London, UK - Meghan and Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey has caused shockwaves in Britain, with reports suggesting that Buckingham Palace was rocked by the appearance.
The shocking interview aired in Britain on Monday evening after previously airing in the United States the day before. According to ITV, the broadcast drew more than eleven million people to their screens.
Meghan (39) and Harry (36) made serious accusations against the royal family in the interview with talk show legend Oprah (67).
In the program, Meghan revealed that she felt suicidal while working as a British royal. She also claimed a royal family member had "discussions" with Prince Harry "over how dark [their son] Archie's skin might be when he was born."
Oprah has since clarified on behalf of the couple that the discussions about Archie's skin color were not had by Queen Elizabeth II (94) or Prince Philip (99), Prince Harry's grandparents.
The issue dominated the headlines of almost every newspaper in the UK on Tuesday. For example, the Daily Mail featured a picture of Meghan and Harry and the headline: "What Have They Done?"
"Worst Royal Crisis in 85 Years," read the Daily Mirror's front page. The Daily Express headlined, "So sad it has come to this."
After the program aired, crisis meetings are said to have taken place at Buckingham Palace, according to the BBC.
Initially, the palace remained silent on the accusations. Prince Harry's father, Prince Charles (72), meanwhile made an appearance at a vaccine clinic in north-west London on Tuesday. He is said to have "chuckled" after a reporter asked him what his thoughts were on the interview, according to PA Media.
The Queen has since broken her silence on the interview, saying the "issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning," The Guardian reported. However, she insisted that the matter would handled "privately."
Australia may even want to leave the Commonwealth
Harry also explicitly criticized his family members for not objecting to the "colonial undertones" in British media reports about his wife.
This accusation, in particular, should worry the Queen, who is always concerned about the Commonwealth. She heads the loose confederation of 54 countries, most of which were formerly part of the British Empire. In 16 of these countries, Elizabeth II is still the head of state.
On Monday, of all days, the palace celebrated Commonwealth Day with a recorded speech by the Queen. Meghan and Harry's revelations may have awakened doubts in some countries about whether they really want to continue to have British royals as their head of state.
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is calling for an end to the monarchy in his country, and he has seen increasing support since the interview was broadcast.
"Do we really want to have whoever happens to be the head of state of – the king or queen of the UK, automatically our head of state?" he told Australia's ABC Radio, insisting that Australia should hold another referendum on becoming a republic.
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / PA Images, IMAGO / ZUMA Wire