PRINCE Charles was said to be in a “state of despair” while Prince William was “beyond livid” ahead of Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview, it has been reported.
Buckingham Palace is yet to officially respond to the tell-all chat which saw Meghan Markle break down in tears as she and Prince Harry revealed the pressures they had faced within the Royal Family.
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The Duke of Sussex reportedly reached out to his family to discuss the interview before it aired in the US on Sunday, but only left senior royals reeling, sources have said.
A friend of Charles told Vanity Fair the Prince of Wales was “in a state of despair” ahead of the interview.
And a ‘well-placed source’ had told the magazine: “I know he has spoken to the Queen and he has been in regular email contact with his father.
“Depending on what he and Meghan say, this could be very damaging for family relations and possibly the nail in the coffin for his relationship with William, who is beyond livid over the interview.”
It comes as…
During the two hour chat, Harry claimed his father Charles stopped taking his calls after Megxit and was financially cut off by the Royal Family last year.
The Duke of Sussex said there was a “lot of hurt” between him and his dad – but insisted he had not “blindsided” the Queen when announcing he and Meghan were stepping back as senior working royals.
He also about his relationship with older brother William, saying he loved him “to bits” but he and the future king were “on different paths”.
It is now feared the Duke may have severed ties with those once closest to him.
Royal author Sarah Gristwood said: “For Prince Harry to say that he felt let down by his father must have been a difficult thing to say and hard for Charles to hear.
“Now, just at a time when by and large Charles had started to look like a more popular King than one would have guessed, here’s a major blow to his reputation. That his son felt let down by him.”
She added: “It’s hard to know if Harry is aware of the damage this has done. Did he actually intend to cast this damaging light on his father and his family? We don’t know.”
The interview aired in the UK last night after bullying allegations made against Meghan Markle were published in The Times.
The interview was first aired in the US – in the early hours of Monday morning in the UK – before being broadcast to British TV screens on ITV on Monday night.
And 24 hours on from the interview’s first broadcast, senior members of the Royal Family – including the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William – were still said to be locked in crisis talks.
The Times reported overnight that the Queen had refused to sign off a prepared statement – with the monarch reportedly wanting more time to consider her response.
And a royal insider told the Daily Mail that Harry had pressed the “nuclear button on his own family” with the two-hour interview.
A royal source with close knowledge of the allegations told the Times:
Another told Vanity Fair Meghan and Harry are “playing with fire because there’s a lot that could come out in the wash that hasn’t been told before.”
Someone with close knowledge of the allegations made against Meghan, told The Times: “The actual worst incidences haven’t come out. There are some harrowing stories to tell.”
Concerns have now been raised that this week, all senior members of the Royal Family are expected to carry out public engagements – where they could face questions about the Oprah interview.
A senior royal source told the Telegraph: “The institution needs to lead the response to this. What a sad, terrible morning.”
Meghan, 39, broke down in tears during the explosive interview with Oprah – revealing she had been left suicidal after joining the Royal Family and that she had faced racism within the institution.
The Duchess of Sussex said there had been conversations with Prince Harry and a “family” member about their unborn son and what colour his skin would be – and “what that would mean or look like”.
The exiled couple said the unnamed royal had quizzed them on “how dark” he would be, sparking shock across the world.
