Buckingham Palace's response to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey was a "wise move", according to royal biographer Marcia Moody.
The two-hour CBS interview was watched by 17 million in the US and a further 11.4 million in the UK. After its broadcast, the world eagerly waited to see how the Queen would react to allegations of racism and neglect. Today, March 10, Her Majesty made her move.
In a statement released by the Palace, the Queen said: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.
"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members."
According to Moody, author of Kate: A Biography, addressing the two most important topics - race and mental health - was "wise".
The former royal correspondent explains that keeping the response "succinct" was also a good choice. She tells VT: "There was so much covered in Harry and Meghan's two-hour interview that if the Buckingham Palace statement were to respond to all of it, it would be the length of a small novel."
During the interview with Oprah, Meghan made the heartbreaking claim that she "didn't want to be alive anymore" as she struggled to adjust to her new life as a senior royal. More disturbingly, she went on to allege that after she tried to seek help for her mental health, "the Firm" blocked her out of fear of how it would look.
Some were expecting the Queen to address this point specifically, however, she did not. Why? According to Moody, issues regarding mental health will likely be dealt with in private, as it will be seen as a personal matter by the Palace.
"I'm sure there will be many private talks going on between the couple and various members of the family," she tells VT. "Neither side will be wanting a permanent rift, and they will be looking to the Queen for guidance on how to get through this.
"The Royal Family as an institution takes time to change, but there will definitely be questions being asked at the moment about how they deal with unhappiness within the family moving forwards."
As to how the Palace will proceed after this, Moody says, "time will tell". However, reports suggest that senior royals are in crisis meetings.
This comes amid stagnating public opinion regarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. A YouGov opinion poll conducted after the interview found that the UK public was equally split (32 per cent by 32 per cent) on whether the Sussexes were treated fairly or unfairly by the Royal Family.
According to the poll, 36 per cent said that they did not know either way – showing that public sentiment has not changed considerably from a week ago.
Commenting on the public debate, Moody corroborates: "I think most people had already formed their opinions about both the Royal Family, and about Harry and Meghan, and I don't think the interview will have made anyone change their minds either way. Those who view the Royal Family negatively will continue to view them negatively and those who are critical of Harry and Meghan will continue to be critical of them."
The interview did, however, prove divisive across different age groups, with 50 per cent of over-65s thinking that they were treated fairly, compared to just 13 per cent of 18-24-year-olds.
Marcia Moody was Royal Correspondent at OK! Magazine, and is the author of Kate: A Biography and Harry: A Biography.
