Meghan Markle claims Buckingham Palace is 'perpetuating falsehoods'
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not holding back in their upcoming “no subject is off limits” interview with Oprah Winfrey.
CBS released a 30-second teaser from the interview, following a report published this week with claims that Meghan Markle bullied members of the royal staff. The interview was filmed before the allegations surfaced.
In the clip, Oprah asks Meghan, “How do you feel about the palace hearing you speak your truth today?”
She responded, “I don’t know how they could expect that, after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us.”
“And, if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean… there is a lot that has been lost already,” she added.
Meghan seemingly took a swipe at the royals by referring to the family as “The Firm,” a term used over the years (even by Prince Harry’s mother, Diana), most of the time not in a complimentary way.
In a 1996 article in The New York Times, it was said that Queen Elizabeth’s father, George VI, once remarked that the royals are “not a family, we’re a firm.” But coining the term to describe the core members of the family is mainly attributed to Prince Philip.
Last year, it was announced Queen Elizabeth created a “firm of eight” to attend to royal duties, which includes herself, Prince Edward and wife Sophie, Prince William and wife Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles and Princess Anne.
This does not include Prince Harry and Meghan as the Buckingham Palace announced in February that the couple will not be returning as working members of the royal family.
In an earlier clip released by CBS, Harry told Oprah, “My biggest concern was history repeating itself." He was referring to the fate of his mother Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris while being pursued by paparazzi.
“I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here talking to you with my wife by my side because I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for her going through this process by herself all those years ago because it’s been unbelievably tough for the two of us but at least we have each other,” he said.
“There’s a lot that’s been lost already.”
— CBS (@CBS) March 4, 2021
CBS Presents Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A Primetime Special this Sunday at 8/7c. #OprahMeghanHarry pic.twitter.com/iKFjiVP3IH
On Wednesday, the Buckingham Palace announced it will be launching a probe into the bullying allegations against Meghan Markle.
"We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex," the palace said.
It added, "Accordingly, our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned."
"The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace," the statement continued.
The Times reported that the said complaint was made back in October 2018 by the couple's former communications secretary Jason Knauf, who claims Meghan drove two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third staff member.
The report came the same week that the tell-all interview of the couple with Oprah Winfrey is set to air.
The interview is expected to tackle everything—from Meghan stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work, and how she is handling life under intense public pressure. Harry will later on join her and speak about their move to the US. —With reports from ANI
Thumbnail and banner photos by CBS