Alas, Harry has a different takeaway.
“This is what happened,” Harry told Dax. “I know this bit about his life. I also know that he’s connected to his parents. So that means that he’s treated me the way that he was treated, which means how can I change that for my own kids?”
In one of many eyebrow-raising moments, the 36-year-old had revealed to Oprah that, in the course of trying to hammer out the details of what it would look like if he and Meghan took “a step back” from their royal duties, Charles eventually stopped taking his calls and ultimately cut him off financially. In turn, Harry said, “I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like.” That being said, he added, “I will continue to make it one of my priorities to heal that relationship.”
Following the interview’s airing in March, first in the U.S. on CBS and then the U.K., the palace released one statement on behalf of the family, saying they were “saddened” to learn the extent of Harry and Meghan’s experience, which included the latter’s revelation that she had experienced suicidal thoughts and her claim that requests for help within “the institution” were dismissed. The couple also said that someone (not the queen or Philip, Oprah was sure to point out the next day) in the family expressed concern during Meghan’s first pregnancy over how dark their child’s skin color might be. To the Sussexes, Archie being of mixed race seemingly played a role in the decision to withhold the title of prince—which comes with built-in security that therefore their son wasn’t guaranteed.
“It’s like, OK, well, he needs to be safe, so we’re not saying, ‘Don’t make him a prince or a princess,’ whatever it’s going to be,” Meghan explained. “But if you’re saying the title is what’s going to affect their protection, we haven’t created this monster machine around us in terms of clickbait and tabloid fodder. You’ve allowed that to happen, which means our son needs to be safe.”
Addressing their claims, the palace’s statement continued, “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
Days later, William flat-out said at an event that they were “not a racist family.” And though Charles sidestepped a question about the interview in his first public appearance after it aired, according to royal biographer Katie Nicholl, he actually had a lot to say.
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