'Steely' Kate went to war on Harry and Meghan with Queen’s support

28 July 2023 , 17:43

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'Steely' Kate was said to have put her foot down on the Palace's response to Harry and Meghan's Oprah claims (Image: PA)

Following the explosive Oprah interview with Harry and Meghan, Princess Kate feared "history would judge" if the royal family didn't address race claims. Allegations were made by Meghan Markle that a senior Royal had raised concerns about Prince Archie’s skin colour before he was born.

Prince William and Princess Kate watched the March 2021 interview from their sofa and discussed their response, The Times' Valentine Low has reported. It sparked a debate within the Royal Family on how to address the claims.

A statement drafter by Buckingham Palace is reported to not have included the now famous “some recollections may vary” line. But Princess Kate is said to have put her foot down when drafting the carefully curated statement to the global furore, in what was an exceptionally rare response to media headlines at the time.

While two senior officials - understood to be top royal aides - were against the famous line on the basis it could further aggravate fractured ties, the now Princess of Wales took a stand, saying history would "judge us" on their response to the claims.

The four previously pictured together in 2018 (Getty Images)

The Times reports: “It was Kate who clearly made the point, ‘History will judge this statement and unless this phrase or a phrase like it is included, everything that they have said will be taken as true'.” Kate, it was claimed, was also "far steelier" than her regular poised appearance.

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The final statement on the matter, which got the final nod from the late Queen, said at the time: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. 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." The couple made the shock announcement in 2020 they would be stepping down as senior working royals, and subsequently moved to Montecito, California, where they currently live with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.

During the bombshell Oprah interview, the pair addressed rumours and made several shocking claims, including that a story about Meghan making Kate cry in the run-up to the Sussex wedding in 2018 had been false, stating the reverse had in fact been true. Prince Harry has since done several interviews and published further shocking allegations in an explicit tell-all memoir, Spare, published earlier this year.

Oprah Winfrey interviews Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for the TV special in March 2021 (Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese v)

The book took aim at members of the Firm, alleging Prince William had physically lashed out at him ahead of marrying Meghan, as well criticising Queen Camilla. A six-part docuseries on Netflix detailing the couple's relationship, marriage and eventual split with the Royal Family was released last December, although Buckingham Palace issued no response to the series.

Maryam Qaiser