Buckingham Palace acknowledges ‘more needs to be done’ after reviewing policies and procedures
The royal family are considering appointing a diversity tsar under new plans to modernise the monarchy.
The move comes after Buckingham Palace conducted a review of policies, procedures and programmes currently in place and found that not enough progress had been made, with an acknowledgement that “more needs to be done”.
Continue reading...Dan Hanks claims he compiled 90-page report about actor early in her relationship with Prince Harry
A private investigator employed by the Sun has said he illegally accessed the Duchess of Sussex’s private information shortly after she met Prince Harry.
Dan Hanks, who lives in Los Angeles, told the website Byline Investigates that he compiled a 90-page report on the future member of the royal family in October 2016, shortly after the tabloid newspaper first became aware of her relationship with the prince.
Continue reading...Black women from three generations tell how the Oprah interview affected their view of the monarchy
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Continue reading...Image in French magazine depicts Queen kneeling on Duchess of Sussex’s neck, echoing George Floyd’s killing
French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has sparked outrage with a cartoon depiction of Queen Elizabeth kneeling on the neck of Meghan Markle, echoing the death of George Floyd.
The controversial publication’s cartoon comes after the Duchess of Sussex, and her husband, Prince Harry, told US interviewer Oprah Winfrey of apparent racism within the royal family, though they did not criticise the Queen. But Markle said courtiers refused her permission to leave Kensington Palace on occasion and that she once only left twice in four months, leading her to experience severe loneliness and suicidal ideations.
Continue reading...Spotlight is on the power behind the royals as much as on the Queen, Charles and William
Four days after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex eviscerated the “the firm” with the sharp blade of “their truth”, Prince William had still not spoken to his brother. “But they just do not communicate in the way other families do,” said one veteran royal watcher. “You wonder if anyone has rung Harry.”
According to one report, the Queen plans to personally offer an olive branch to the couple. She said in a statement this week that the extraordinarily damaging allegations from the Sussexes – of racism and of emotional neglect that Meghan said had left her feeling suicidal – would be dealt with privately.
Continue reading...Duke of Cambridge defends monarchy after accusations from Harry and Meghan
The Duke of Cambridge has defended the monarchy against accusations of racism made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying: “We’re very much not a racist family.”
Prince William said he had not yet spoken to his brother since Harry and Meghan launched their attack on the family and institution in an interview with Oprah Winfrey broadcast in the US on Sunday.
Continue reading...The Guardian learned dozens of staff made complaints to show’s management about presenter’s outburst
Multiple staff on Good Morning Britain made complaints to senior managers about Piers Morgan’s comments on the Duchess of Sussex before he quit the show, the Guardian understands.
Morgan’s departure from the programme followed the announcement of 41,000 complaints to the regulator Ofcom over remarks on Monday which cast doubt on Meghan’s statement that she had been denied help with mental health issues.
Continue reading...Monarch criticised for treating claims by Meghan and Harry as private family matter
The Queen missed a crucial opportunity to publicly acknowledge and condemn racism in her response to the allegations made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, equality campaigners have said.
Casting the issue as a “private” family matter meant there was “no public accountability” from a public institution and the head of state and Commonwealth, they said.
Continue reading...Analysis: revelations may be used in member state debates about becoming republics, say experts
In the 1980s, it was the question of apartheid-era South Africa that threatened to drive a wedge through the Commonwealth.
But while some credit the Queen then with a heroic role behind the scenes – dramatised with more than a dollop of artistic licence in season four of The Crown – in 2021 the threat comes from a row over alleged racism within the royal family itself.
Continue reading...Some papers focus on the mild challenge to the Sussexes in palace statement, while others look at the privacy line, or claim support to strip couple of titles
The newspaper front pages have feasted on the royal crisis for a second day with several splashes focusing on the Queen’s “recollections may vary” reaction to the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’ suggestions of palace racism.
The Telegraph goes with “Issue of race concerning, but recollections may vary, says Queen”, while the Times splash handles the crisis carefully, with a headline reading: “Queen says racism claim will be handled in private”.
Continue reading... Queen says ‘issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning’ but adds they will be dealt with privately
The Queen has sought to draw a line under damaging racism claims made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying that issues will be dealt with “privately” by the royal family.
The monarch expressed her “concern” over allegations of racism and her sadness on learning exactly how challenging the couple had found life as working royals, though she said some recollections of events differed.
Continue reading...Downing Street refuses to be drawn into judgment on Meghan’s claims of racism or state of mental health
Downing Street has refused to distance itself from a minister’s claim that Prince Harry is “blowing up his family” – but declined to comment after confirming the prime minister had watched the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Boris Johnson’s spokesman said he had watched the two-hour interview but said he had no further comment to make.
Continue reading...Live coverage of the fallout from revelations by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as ITV prepares to air interview in UK
Novelist Nadifa Mohamed gives her view on the treatment of the Duchess of Sussex by the royal family.
Related: As Meghan has learned, the monarchy is still built on breeding, ancestry and caste | Nadifa Mohamed
The photographer Misan Harriman has released a new picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as he congratulated them on their news that they are expecting a baby girl.
“What wonderful news to celebrate on International Women’s Day! Congratulations my friends, and welcome to the girldad club H” he tweeted, alongside a black and white photo of the couple with their son, Archie.
What wonderful news to celebrate on International Women’s Day! Congratulations my friends, and welcome to the #girldad club H ❤️#internationalwomensday #womenshistorymonth #remoteshoot #shotonipad #shotbymisan #itsagirl pic.twitter.com/OONzZrBBYK
Continue reading...Oprah Winfrey said on Monday Harry stressed ‘it was not his grandmother or grandfather who were part of those conversations’
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were not behind comments about the colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s child, according to Oprah Winfrey, who conducted the interview in which the startling revelation was made.
Continue reading...Prince Harry denied he had ‘blindside’ his grandmother, saying he had too much respect for her
One person in the royal family escaped the ire of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their devastatingly critical tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey: the Queen.
Prince Harry’s hurt at being “let down” by Prince Charles; Meghan’s claim that the Duchess of Cambridge made her cry, and not the other way around; Harry’s sadness at his rift with Prince William – all was laid bare.
Continue reading...Caught between a hate-filled media and a terrified royal family, the surprise is not that the couple struck out on their own. It’s that they didn’t escape much sooner
A seldom remembered fact about the royal family is that, before the death of Princess Diana, it was not normal to be interested in them. Tabloids were fascinated, but it was more of a convention than news – like a splash about tomatoes causing cancer, it was the out-of-office auto reply of the industry, a fallback. The family (I seriously dislike the affectation of calling them “the Firm”) survived while there was nothing to see. They were caught between two irreconcilable forces – their own culture of discretion, on one side, and intense, 24-hour scrutiny on the other – and they navigated that with a studied blandness. What did they actually care about? Manners, duty, causes, the Commonwealth. Whatever curiosity surrounded them, they simply did not reward it, and the regular response to that, after a few centuries and whatnot, was to not be terribly curious.
You may recall David Blaine, the magician who lived in a glass box above the Thames for 44 days in 2003: people really wanted to know what he was doing, even though we could see what he was doing – and that was mainly nothing. There grew a peculiar resentment of gawping at something that was only interesting because it was untouchable. But we could see for ourselves that it was not interesting – and then everyone got annoyed and some of us (not me) threw eggs. Eventually, hawkers started selling eggs. That pretty much sums up the experience of the royals pre-1997.
Continue reading...Highly-anticipated prime time two-hour special with Duke and Duchess of Sussex airs as transatlantic public relations war mounts
Oprah is now at Meghan and Harry’s new home in Santa Barbara.
There are many chickens. “Archie has always wanted chickens,” says Harry.
Before we cut away to an ad break, there is a clip of Oprah asking: “Were you silent, or were you silenced?”
Continue reading...Three British women say royal controversy points to UK’s failure to confront its racist attitudes
Chanel Ambrose was swept up by the sea of excitement around Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. The 33-year-old loved how much Meghan tapped into her culture and heritage for the event: from the choir, the preacher, to her mum, with her natural hair, standing by her side.
She hoped the wedding and what it would symbolise might lead to a greater acceptance of black women across all sectors of society.
Continue reading...Queen, Charles, Camilla, William and Kate to pay tribute to the world’s healthcare workers in TV broadcast
In an apparent attempt to grab attention before the airing of Prince Harry and Meghan’s tell-all interview, senior members of the royal family are to show a united front on Sunday and praise the efforts of doctors and nurses.
Just hours before the interview with Oprah goes out, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Camilla, William and Kate will appear in a programme celebrating the Commonwealth and paying tribute to the world’s frontline healthcare workers.
Continue reading...The conversation, expected to draw millions of viewers, could mark the transition from royalty to Hollywood elite
It may be an American coronation of sorts.
When Oprah Winfrey’s highly anticipated and potentially explosive interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex airs in its primetime spot on Sunday evening, millions across the US are expected to watch. It will be the couple’s first interview since since stepping back from their royal duties in early 2020, but it could also mark the moment that the Sussexes evolve from British royalty to Hollywood elite.
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