Evening Standard Comment: Palace must respond to Prince Harry and Meghan’s grave claims

Palace must respond to these grave claims

This was the bombshell interview the royal family was dreading. There is much to unpack from the two-hour news-generating phenomenon, but the most serious issues surround the accusation of racism by an unnamed royal. These are grave allegations, and the Palace must respond to them as such.

There is an extent to which we accept that the royal family is an anachronism, not least the hereditary principle. But tradition cannot extend to accepting alleged views on racism that were wrong and would have been out of place when the Queen was Archie’s age.

Already in PR terms this is not playing out well in America for the royal family. And in this country, many people will be split, probably down generational divides, on the contents of this interview when they watch it tonight.

It was also deeply troubling to hear Meghan reveal that she had contemplated suicide. To feel so trapped inside an institution or situation to consider a course of action as devastating and final as taking her own life is shocking and speaks to the treatment she faced both from within and without.

Given all we know about the importance of seeking early help for mental health issues — and this paper has been proud to run our Young London SOS campaign, raising awareness of the pandemic’s impact on young people’s mental health — her allegation that courtiers prevented her from accessing support because it would look bad for the family is appalling.

The revelation that Harry and his father spent a period not speaking, that he feels his relationship with his brother damaged, is just sad. Was it a good idea they aired this for the whole world? If this widens the rift, then probably not. And the timing during a pandemic does grate somewhat.

There was thankfully some light relief. Meghan and Harry announced the wonderful news that they will be having a baby girl. The challenge for the royals now is in how they react. They have already mishandled Meghan’s integration into the institution. The fear is they continue to do the same for her and Harry’s exit.

While we must hear an official response from the royal family, given recent history what we will also get is more briefing and counter briefing. Such a cesspit encased the final years of Princess Diana’s life, something Harry alludes to in the interview. At present, the royal family gives the impression of being a closed shop, unwilling or unable to welcome outsiders.

Whatever the truth of the many allegations, what we now know is that Harry and Meghan felt trapped and unsupported and history appears to have repeated itself. That is sad in any family, let alone one of the most famous in the world.

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