Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren't happy with the way the Queen responded to their racism allegations. Photo / CBS
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren't happy with the way the Queen responded to their racism allegations. Photo / CBS
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex believe that the Queen failed to take "full ownership" of the race allegations made in their Oprah Winfrey interview, according to the authors of an unauthorised biography.
A friend of the couple told Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the authors of Finding Freedom, thatthe Queen's lack of action had prevented them from moving forward.
The source also suggested that the Queen's assertion that "recollections may vary" about their claims had not gone down well.
The Queen has until now been one of the only senior members of the royal family to escape the ire of the Sussexes, who have gone out of their way to single her out for praise.
However, a new epilogue to Finding Freedom, published in the US in People magazine, suggested that the duke and duchess felt frustrated that she did not follow through with her promise to address their concerns.
It said: "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?'"
The Sussexes made a series of allegations about the royal family during their two-hour televised interview with Winfrey in March.
The most damaging came as the duchess, 40, alleged that when she was pregnant with their son, Archie, "concerns" had been raised by a member of the family about the colour of his skin.
She also suggested that when she had felt suicidal, the institution had failed to help her.
However, the duke insisted: "I would never blindside my grandmother. I have too much respect for her."
Scobie said that the duke, in particular, felt that without "accountability" from certain individuals within the institution for the things that had affected them most, it was hard to move on.
He revealed that "very little" progress had been made in the duke's relationships with either his father, the Prince of Wales, or his brother, the Duke of Cambridge – although conversely, he was closer to some other members of the royal family than he had been a year ago.
Duke 'willing to own his part'
"I think he is quite willing to own his part in everything. But I have been told that he is also waiting to see some of that from the other side – and as of now, there hasn't been that," Scobie said.
A friend of the duke's is quoted as saying that his return to the UK for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in April had "broken the ice ... pushed a closed door slightly ajar".
A different family source said that compared to how things had been six and 12 months ago, there had been progress. "There are efforts on all sides," they said.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren't happy with the way the Queen responded to their racism allegations. Photo / CBS
Scobie said that the Sussexes had initially been "quite afraid of the consequences" of stepping back and "challenging the system", but that the birth of Archie in 2019 gave them the energy to stand up for what was right for them, "regardless of what the consequences were".
The Queen reacted to the interview by insisting that the couple's allegations would be "taken very seriously".
"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning," she said. "Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."
Finding Freedom, published last summer, will be republished in paperback on August 31 with a new epilogue summarising the dramatic events of the past two years.
In an interview to promote the new edition, Scobie claimed that one of the lessons the Sussexes had learnt was to prioritise their mental health and keep "some of the toxicity" at an arm's – and ocean's – length.
He also told People magazine that as their period of shared parental leave drew to a close two months after the birth of daughter Lilibet, the couple were entering a new "era of visibility".
He said: "They're a couple who do very well in those moments of human interaction. They need to be on the ground. They say that the proof is in the pudding, and what we are about to see is that pudding."
Scobie's comments raise the prospect that the Sussexes will take part in royal-style walkabouts on US soil.
The epilogue is expected to cover the Sussexes' interview with Winfrey, the bullying allegations made against the duchess by royal staff, which she denies, and the Duke of Edinburgh's death.
It is also likely to touch upon the couple's multimillion-pound deals with Netflix and Spotify, as well as the Queen's decision to strip them of all royal patronages earlier this year.
The duchess has insisted that they did not collaborate with the authors. However, she admitted in court documents related to her privacy action against The Mail on Sunday that she did not know if the Kensington Palace communications team had provided information on her behalf and that on one occasion, she did pass information to them via an intermediary.
A witness statement lodged with the court on her behalf suggested the book was full of mistakes.
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