“Months later and little accountability has been taken.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were unhappy with the queen’s response to some of the issues they discussed in their Oprah interview back in March, according to a biography.
A new epilogue to Finding Freedom, an unauthorised biography about the couple’s departure from their roles as senior royals, was published in this week’s print issue of People magazine.
In the excerpt, an anonymous source close to the couple claims they were unimpressed with the queen’s statement on the issues raised in the interview, such as Meghan allegedly being refused help by “the firm” for her mental health despite suffering from suicidal thoughts, or comments being made to Harry about the skin tone of their then-unborn son Archie.
While the family member who raised concerns about Archie’s potential skin tone remains anonymous, Oprah later clarified that Harry told her it was neither the queen nor Prince Philip.
Buckingham Palace responded to the interview by saying the queen was “saddened” to hear about the couple’s experiences and struggles as part of the monarchy and that the issues regarding race were particularly concerning. However, the statement added that “some recollections may vary.”
BREAKING: Statement from Buckingham Palace following Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah pic.twitter.com/U05xEX2aka
— Lizzie Robinson (@LizzieITV) March 9, 2021
A source, said to be a friend of Harry and Meghan, told Finding Freedom authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand that the statement hadn’t gone down well with the couple, with both feeling like it lacked accountability.
The excerpt states: “The queen’s ‘recollections may vary’ comment ‘did not go unnoticed’ by the couple, who a close source said were ‘not surprised’ that full ownership was not taken. ‘Months later and little accountability has been taken,’ a pal of Meghan added. ‘How can you move forward with that?'”
Prior to this, the queen had been one royal family member the couple remained on good terms with and still spoke highly of, with Harry saying they had “too much respect for her” to blindside her.
Still, the institution of the royal family is reportedly already bracing for the fallout of Harry’s upcoming memoirs, set to be published in 2022.
Finding Freedom was published last summer but will be republished in paperback with an epilogue including the events that unfolded over the last two years. The updated version is due for release on August 31.
