Harry and Meghan: Why Royals are in crisis after Oprah interview – The Yorkshire Post says

THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s revelatory interview with US chat show host Oprah Winfrey was always going to spark a polarising response – and this was self-evident before ITV broadcast the full programme last night.

Yet these should not mask genuine sadness at the extent to which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear to have become so estranged from the Royal family and the anger, hurt and grievance at the heart of their serious claims.

Just where has it all gone so wrong? It is less than three years since the Royal family were all present, in front of the watching world, to witness the couple’s wedding at Windsor Castle that was supposed to mark a watershed.

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Here was Prince Harry, a young man still scarred by the tragic death of his mother, marrying the love of his life, a mixed race American actress, and how they hoped to be the faces of a more diverse monarchy.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their interview with Oprah Winfrey.  Photo:  Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions/PA WireThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their interview with Oprah Winfrey.  Photo:  Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions/PA Wire
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their interview with Oprah Winfrey. Photo: Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions/PA Wire

However, while the couple’s admiration for the Queen appears absolute, there have clearly been errors – and misjudgements – by all sides for this Royal rift to become comparable to the abdication crisis or the melodrama when the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales disintegrated in public view.

Time will tell if Prince Harry can ever be fully reconciled with his father and brother – he was, for so long, integral to the work, and lives, of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as the monarchy entered a modern new era.

But this will require much soul-searching – by the Sussexes in Los Angeles, those senior Royals harmed by the more damaging claims on race and baby Archie’s skin colour that do now demand a formal response, and those Palace courtiers at the centre of the scandal.

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And that’s the regret – there will be no winners as long as this crisis draws attention away from the numerous multi-racial causes that all members of the Royal family continue to champion far and wide.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their interview with Oprah Winfrey. Photo: Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions/PA Wire.The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their interview with Oprah Winfrey. Photo: Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions/PA Wire.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their interview with Oprah Winfrey. Photo: Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions/PA Wire.

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