Time.news – Buckingham Palace is under pressure to reply to the disruptive interview granted by the Dukes of Sussex to Oprah Winfrey, in particular to the allegations of racism, which risk having heavy effects on the image of the monarchy. In fact, the confession of Harry e Meghan that an unidentified member of the royal family, who is neither Queen Elizabeth nor Prince Philip, expressed concern about how dark her son’s skin might be Archie because of the Afro-American origins of the former American actress.
Meghan Markle then claimed that Archie was denied the title of prince precisely because of mixed ethnicity. The current protocol actually provides that Archie automatically obtains this title when his grandfather, Prince Charles, has ascended the throne. However, the couple argued that these rules will be changed once Charles becomes king in order to narrow the line of heirs to the throne.
While at Buckingham Palace there are questions about who is the author of the comment on Archie’s skin, which the couple said they did not want to reveal to avoid excessive damage to the image of the monarchy, the first reactions of British politics arrived.
The prime minister, Boris Johnson, has chosen not to get involved in the controversy. To reporters who asked him if the Palace should investigate the accusations of racism, the premier replied that “perhaps the best thing I can say is that I have always had the greatest admiration for the queen and the unifying role she plays in our country and in the Commonwealth “. “For all other matters involving the Royal Family, I avoided commenting on them for a long time and I don’t intend to start doing the opposite today,” Johnson added.
Instead, the reaction of the State Secretary, Zac Goldsmith, who on Twitter accused Harry of “blowing up his family” and added a quotation mark attributed to the prince by the press: “What Meghan wants, Meghan gets”.
The Labor opposition, on the other hand, expressed solidarity with the Dukes of Sussex. Kate Green, shadow minister of education, told Sky that the couple’s claims are “truly disconcerting, shocking” and asked the royal family to investigate allegations of racism. Labor leader Keir Starmer for his part said that the issues raised by Meghan about racism and mental health (about the suicidal thoughts that plagued her during her pregnancy) are “larger than the royal family” and do not go ignored.
The recognition of Markle’s “courage” in addressing a sensitive issue such as mental health is the only reaction attributed to the president of the United States, Joe Biden, by White House spokesperson Jen Psaki. The spokeswoman said that no further comments can come from Washington as “these are private citizens who have shared their history and their struggles”.
Experts are wondering about the possible climate inside Buckingham Palace, starting with the biographer of the Royal Family, Penny Junor, according to whom the dukes “threw a hand grenade at the family”.
Monarchy historian Robert Lacey told the Guardian that the repercussions of the interview “will resonate for a long time” as it is a “first hand testimony of a dysfunctional family”. “I believe that the Palace will try to reflect on this interview and address some issues in such a way as not to exacerbate things and lead to some reconciliation”, is instead the conviction of Charles Anson, former press officer of the queen.
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