Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should have had the ‘common courtesy’ to tell the Queen about their upcoming ‘nuclear’ TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, a royal expert has claimed.
The couple reportedly did not inform Her Majesty in advance that they were planning to participate in the 90-minute special, where they will discuss why they dramatically stepped down as senior royals last year.
Appearing on Lorraine today, royal editor Russell Myers claimed that while the couple have no obligation to tell the Firm of their plans, it woud have been the right thing to do.
‘If you’re going to set off a nuclear bomb like this, doing a huge interview which will no doubt garner attention across global networks, the decent thing to do would be to tell the Queen, tell your granny you’re going to do it,’ he said.
He predicted the royal family will be ‘horrified’ with their plans to attract global media attention, and called the choice a ‘funny change of tact’ for a couple who have ‘complained about privacy and intense media scrutiny’.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not tell Her Majesty about their tell-all interview. Pictured, Meghan, Harry and the Queen at an awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 26, 2018
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are likely to discuss why they dramatically stepped down as senior royals during the 90-minute special. Pictured, Oprah Winfrey is pictured at Harry and Meghan’s Windsor Castle wedding on May 19, 2018
‘We know they have gone alone and set this path for themselves, the very fact is they are separate from the royal family now’, said Myers.
‘Palace aides were saying look they didn’t need to tell us if they didn’t want to but one would think there is common courtesy.’
Sources close to the Sussexes told the London Evening Standard yesterday that the couple still had a good relationship with the Queen, the Duke’s grandmother.
Appearing on Lorraine today, royal editor Russell Myers (pictured) claimed the ‘decent thing to do’ would have been to inform Her Majesty about their interview plans
He told host Ranvir Singh the choice was a ‘funny change of tact’ for a couple who have ‘complained about privacy and intense media scrutiny’
Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey, pictured together on CBS in April 2019, are best friends. Gayle told CBS This Morning yesterday: ‘I’m told that nothing is off limits. She can ask anything she wants’
A royal source said that as the couple were no longer working royals, any decisions taken with regard to ‘media commitments are matters for them’.
The source added that the Sussexes were ‘under no obligation’ to inform the Royal Household of the interview, which was announced by CBS in a press release.
Oprah’s best friend Gayle King has told the presenter has been given complete freedom over what topics she discusses with the couple – which Myers predicts will have ‘disastrous consequences’ for the Firm.
‘History is there to be seen’, said Myers, ‘Whenever royals do these big tell-all interviews, they have disastrous consequences. Look at Prince Andrew recently, further back in the 90s with Diana and Charles, we’re still talking about them now.’
A photograph of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was released on Sunday as a spokesman for the couple announced: ‘We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother’
He added: ‘It’s been reported this week that they only met Oprah once before their wedding, so the fact she’s a trusted friend, I think, is on shaky ground.’
CBS has described the interview as an ‘intimate conversation’ including ‘a wide-ranging interview’ with Meghan, about ‘everything from stepping into life as a Royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is handling life under intense public pressure’.
Myers predicted news of the ‘explosive’ interview would have been ‘horrifying’ for the royal family, adding that the chat is a ‘funny change of tact’ for a couple who have emphasised their desire for privacy.
He told: ‘It’s absolutely horrifying news, I would say, for the royal family. The fact Gail King is training Oprah’s big interview so strongly, saying they really wanted to get it, and it will absolutely explosive indeed.
‘The very fact Oprah has been given carte blanche to ask anything, will be making the royal family very, very nervous indeed’.
Myers added: ‘It’s a funny change of tact when you have been complaining about privacy and intense media scrutiny, to sign up with potentially the chat show queen of the world, to be streamed to millions and millions of people.’
It was recently revealed by The Daily Mail that Harry and Meghan are set to lose all their remaining royal patronages after the Queen asked the couple to relinquish their links with any organisations passed down through the Royal Family.
Harry, 36, would be stripped of his three remaining honorary military titles and, potentially, his patronages with the Rugby Football Union, Rugby Football League and the London Marathon.
Meghan, 38, would have to step down as patron of the National Theatre, unless she can negotiate another position with them.
When she was handed the role in 2019, it was seen as a major gesture of support and affection because the Queen had been patron of the London institution for 45 years.
Speaking of the decision, Myers said: ‘I think it was always coming, and reading between the lines, the Queen said “You can’t have one foot in and one foot out”.
‘Harry is going to be stripped of his military titles, the honorary titles he so loves, and with Meghan she was made the National Theatre Patron which the Queen held for over 45 years.
‘There will be lots of people within those associations who will be sad to see them go because they really rely on that association with the royals.’