Harry, Meghan’s Oprah interview will hugely damage royal family: British media

Hours after Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey was broadcasted in the US, British media on Monday said it will be hugely damaging to the royal family and much more explosive than expected.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the interview delivered “enough bombshells to sink a flotilla. And possibly, some might fear, do similar damage to the British monarchy.”

The Times said that the interview was worse than “whatever the royal family was expecting.” 

Also Read| Meghan Markle, Harry interview draws instant comparisons with Diana interview

Chris Ship, the royal editor of ITV, which is to air the interview in Britain on Monday night, said he was “momentarily paralysed” by the sheer volume of revelations.

“The couple had effectively loaded up a B-52 bomber, flew it over Buckingham Palace and then unloaded their arsenal right above it, bomb by heavily-loaded bomb,” he added.

Also Read| Meghan Markle, Prince Harry reveal they secretly got married before official ceremony

The royal Palace now faced “two very serious questions” — first, Meghan’s claim of racist comments about her baby’s potential skin colour, and that she received no support while having suicidal thoughts.

According to The Daily Telegraph, “Queen Elizabeth II was the only member of the royal family to emerge unscathed.” 

Royal expert Robert Jobson told The Daily Mail tabloid said that the couple were “self-obsessed” and he called their interview at times “terribly self-indulgent”.

Several media outlets questioned the specifics, including Meghan’s suggestion that the royal family changed their rules to refuse their son Archie the title of “prince” because of his skin colour.

“This is a complex area — there are rules laid down that Archie would not be a prince at birth, but would be a prince when Charles (Harry’s father) becomes king,” wrote The Times.

Also Read| “How dark…”: Meghan Markle says palace had concerns about son Archie’s skin colour

Archie could have taken a title, the Earl of Dumbarton, but his parents chose not to, royal expert Robert Hardman told BBC radio.

The Telegraph, meanwhile, accused US chat show queen Winfrey of taking the couple’s answers as “gospel”, despite “obvious contradictions.”

The palace has not commented — and it is not immediately clear whether they will.

The family’s “position will be to take it on the chin and you get on,” said Hardman.