The Royal family was clearly knocked off kilter by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s Sunday night tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, and now coming up on 48 hours later they’re still trying to steady themselves.
All the while, though, their official duties continue. And with it, the British press corps now has a chance to ask for a reaction to the Santa Barbara sit-down. But will the royals take the bait?!
Related: Everything We Know So Far After Harry And Meghan’s Bombshell Interview With Oprah!
On Tuesday morning, 72-year-old Prince Charles became the first member of the Royal family to attend an official event since Harry and Meghan’s interview first aired on CBS. The Prince of Wales visited a National Health Service vaccination center in London, touring the facility and giving support to the frontline health workers there in a bid to help combat vaccine hesitancy in the UK amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
But just as he was leaving the center, feet from walking through the double doors to his entourage, he was confronted by a London-area reporter asking “what did you think of the interview?”
As you can see (below), the embattled Prince paused briefly as he listened to the question, but was immediately whisked away by his team, leaving a potentially precarious moment behind:
Ahhh, man!
Considering Harry specifically said in the interview that his father “stopped taking his calls” at one point during Megxit, we sure would’ve liked to have heard Charles’ side of the story! Alas, maybe soon…
Racism and Recovery?
Prince Charles got off easy there compared to the continued fallout after Meghan’s Sunday night claim that “a member of the royal family” expressed concerns over her son Master Archie‘s skin tone.
Now, between that and other serious accusations Meghan and Harry made to Oprah, it’s clear that race and racism are at the forefront of the controversy. And according to royal expert Katie Nicholl, who spoke to ET about that, the problem is significant enough that Buckingham Palace has “no choice” but to respond.
Nicholl explained (below):
“The queen’s mantra has always been, ‘Never complain, never explain.’ I think the Palace was hoping and certainly newspapers were being briefed over the weekend that this would just be a storm that blew over given time. I think we’ve all realized on both sides of the pond that this storm is not going to go away anytime soon. The can of worms has been opened, some very serious things have been said and I think the Palace really have no choice but to issue some sort of a comment.”
No kidding…
Of course, Meghan and Harry won’t reveal exactly who expressed the skin color concern, other than to say is was not Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip. The speculation is already gaining momentum, though, and that alone could seriously harm the royals’ legitimacy and legacy.
Related: This Is Why Meghan Likened Herself To Ariel From ‘The Little Mermaid’
The expert explained more about the fallout from the racism accusations, adding:
“It’s opened up a Pandora’s Box and there is something of a witch hunt to find out which royal it is. The suggestion is that if it’s Charles, if it’s William — that’s a very big if, no one knows, it’s pure speculation — then that has real repercussions for the monarchy. Charles is going to be the next king. After that, William. To be honest, I don’t think it really matters which member of the royal family said it. It’s the fact that a member of the royal family expressed those views. Who is almost irrelevant, the concerning thing is that someone felt that way.”
Seriously! That last part is the TRUTH! Although, we think brushing the “who” of it all is a little irresponsible.
And according to Nicholl, it sounds like the shock still hasn’t worn off:
“These claims have come on Commonwealth Day, a day that is incredibly important to the queen. She’s very proud that she presides over so many multi-racial realms and countries. And there is a feeling of shock over here at these allegations, a feeling of disbelief and certainly among some commentators and some parts of the public who are clearly very divided on social media, a huge amount of offense that the queen, the institution, the royal family is being accused of racism.”
What say U, Perezcious readers?
Surprised how the royal family is so far responding to Harry and Meghan’s bombshell Oprah interview? Or nah??
Sound OFF with your take on everything down in the comments (below)!
[Image via WENN/Avalon]
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