Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey in March of 2021 made a lot of waves with some of the revelations that came out about the Royal family. In particular, stories about Meghan’s constant harassment from the press and racist comments from unnamed members of Harry’s family caused a big reaction.
As expected, the UK royals offered a response, one that officially came from the late Queen Elizabeth II. However, The Times shared a section of royal author Valentine Low’s new book Courtiers this week, Low writes that Prince William and Kate Middleton influenced the statement behind-the-scenes.
The statement read, “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 line “some recollections may vary” was from the Waleses, then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
“It had a much milder version,” an insider told Low. “The debate was, do your rise entirely above it and offer the olive branch of [Harry and Meghan being] ‘much loved members of the family’? Or is there some moment when you have to intervene and offer a view?”
The Waleses did not like the “milder version” and wanted something that clarified their family did not agree with Harry and Meghan’s version of events.
“They wanted it toughened up a bit,” the source added. “They were both of one mind that we needed something that said that the institution did not accept a lot of what had been said.”
It was even Prince William’s private secretary, Jean-Christophe Gray, who came up with “recollections may vary” and Kate was right behind him.
“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,’” Low wrote in his book.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
