Meghan Markle wrote to King Charles after her bombastic Oprah interview about unconscious prejudice in the royal family, it was alleged last night.
The Duchess of Sussex’s letter is said to have named the person accused of speculating about the skin color of her unborn son Archie – but went on to claim the person was not racist.
It is understood to have been sent in response to an email from the King – the only senior member of the family to be in touch with the Duchess after Meghan and Harry were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.
Meghan said the comment about Archie’s skin was not made with malice.
However, a source told the Daily Telegraph that the Duchess will not attend the coronation on May 6 because she received an unsatisfactory response from the King.
Meghan Markle wrote to King Charles about unconscious prejudice in the royal family after her smashing Oprah interview, it was claimed last night (the Duchess of Sussex is pictured with King Charles at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March 2019).
It is understood to have been sent in response to an email from the King – the only senior member of the family to be in touch with the Duchess after Meghan and Harry were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 (pictured).
The Duchess of Sussex’s letter is said to have named the person accused of speculating about the skin color of her unborn son Archie – but went on to claim the person was not racist (pictured with Prince Archie in Cape Town in September 2019 during a South Africa Trip).
Buckingham Palace is also aware of the Sussexes’ frustration that the initial correspondence about the coronation did not refer to their children.
Harry will instead attend the May 6 celebration alone while Meghan attends to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in California on his fourth birthday.
A royal insider hinted that while the exchange was cordial, it hadn’t eased tensions between the two sides.
Relations soured further after the Sussexes stared in a six-part Netflix docu-series and the release of Harry’s revealing memoir, Spare.
Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales, is said to have been disappointed that Meghan and Harry felt the need to make such damaging allegations public.
He recently supported a research project on the monarch’s historical links to the transatlantic slave trade, after previously expressing “personal sorrow”.
Prince Harry has touched on unconscious biases in the past. In January this year he spoke to Tom Bradby on ITV to promote his memoir.
The presenter said: “In the Oprah interview you accused members of your family of racism”, Harry replied “no, I didn’t” and added: “The British press said so”.
After Bradby said the Duchess claimed there had been troubling comments about Archie’s skin colour, Harry said: “There were – there were concerns about his skin colour.”
When asked if he would call that racist, the Duke said: “I wouldn’t as I haven’t lived in this family.”
He continued, “The difference between racism and unconscious bias, the two things are different.”
Meghan said the comment about Archie’s skin was not made with malice. But a source told the Daily Telegraph that the Duchess will not attend the May 6 coronation because she received an unsatisfactory response from the King (pictured with the King and Queen Consort in Mary 2018).
Buckingham Palace is also aware of the Sussexes’ frustration that the initial correspondence about the coronation did not refer to their children
“But once acknowledged or pointed out to you as an individual or institution that you have unconscious biases, you have an opportunity to learn and grow from them so that you are part of the solution rather than part of the problem.”
Buckingham Palace announced on April 14 that Prince Harry will attend the King’s coronation service alone next month in London while the Duchess of Sussex stays in California with her children.
But the Duchess will remain at home at the couple’s residence in Montecito with one-year-old Lilibet and Archie, whose fourth birthday falls on the same day as the ceremony.
The couple’s friend, Omid Scobie, confirmed that Archie’s birthday “played a factor in the couple’s decision” and he expected it to be a “pretty quick trip to the UK” for Harry. The Duke will only attend the ceremony himself, which is expected to last a few hours.
The announcement came just over three weeks before the event, and a royal observer told Web: “Charles will be delighted. The rest of the family will be relieved that Meghan will not be there – it would have been particularly awkward for Kate.’
Harry and Meghan had postponed their decision on whether to fly in for the ceremony despite the RSVP date of April 3 having passed.
The news ends months of speculation as to whether the couple would appear for the king’s big day, but it is likely that Meghan will be accused of snubbing the monarch and the royal family.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said in a statement released at 3pm today: “Buckingham Palace is delighted to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.’
Archewell, Harry and Meghan’s charitable foundation, then issued a nearly identical statement to the Press Association news outlet, confirming the Duke will be attending.
A spokesman said: “The Duke of Sussex will attend the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on May 6th. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.’
Charles will be crowned in a ceremony full of pageantry, pageantry and tradition dating back 1,000 years to the 70-year reign of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who died last September.
Mr Scobie, a trusted Sussex contact, tweeted the news of Harry’s impending attendance, then added: “I understand that Archie’s fourth birthday (also on May 6th) played a role in the couple’s decision.
“Expect it to be a fairly quick trip to the UK for Prince Harry, who will only be attending the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.”
And ITV News royal editor Chris Ship said: “Considering everything that has been said / claimed – across six Netflix episodes and a book – this is a big development.
“But Harry coming alone means less pressure on the royal family – and less of those awkward photos together.”
Harry is understood to be flying back to California just hours after his father’s coronation ceremony.
Royal sources have claimed Harry has told the King he will not be staying in the UK for the star-studded concert at Windsor Castle the next day – and will instead be flying back to the US after the ceremony so he can be with his family and Archie’s fourth delayed can celebrate his birthday, which is also on June 6th.
A source told the Mirror: “Harry said he would be returning for the King’s coronation but it will only be a passing visit. Organizers have been told that Harry will not be attending the concert with the rest of the royal family, which is a great shame as it will be such a spectacular event.
Harry will play no part in next month’s official procession, coming and going as a guest. Front row seats are reserved for working members of the royal family. Sources have also stated that the Duke delayed the invitation to the coronation because he was “obsessed” with where to sit during the ceremony.