- In the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell, tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, the royal family has reportedly been taking steps to shield Prince Philip from the drama.
- The Duke of Edinburgh was still in the hospital, in the midst of what ended up being a 28-day stay, when Harry and Meghan's explosive interview aired on March 7. Since he returned home from the hospital, the rest of the royal family has made a point not to overwhelm the 99-year-old royal with drama related to the interview.
- "He obviously knows about Harry and Meghan’s interview, but the queen, [Prince] Charles and [Prince] William are trying to avoid overwhelming him with their problems so are keeping their conversations with him about the aftermath light," a royal source said.
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey aired earlier this month, it sent shockwaves around the world.
If you follow the royal family at all, it's been hard to avoid coverage of the explosive interview, from reports about revelations the couple made during the 90-minute special to analysis of said revelations and, of course, commentary from the usual flock of unnamed royal insiders giving insights into how the royals themselves feel about the interview. One person very close to the situation, however, is not following the Sussexes' recent public drama.
According to Us Weekly, the royal family has been working to avoid "overwhelming" Prince Philip with the fallout from Harry and Meghan's sit-down. The 99-year-old royal's health has been on the decline in recent years and he was in the midst of a nearly month-long hospital stay when the Sussexes' Oprah special aired on March 7.
Prince Philip returned home on March 16 after spending 28 days in the hospital, where he underwent a procedure for a heart condition after initially being admitted as what the Palace described as a "precautionary measure" in February. Given his health struggles, the rest of the royal family has reportedly done what they can to avoid burdening Philip with heavy conversations about the implications of the interview.
"He obviously knows about Harry and Meghan’s interview, but the queen, [Prince] Charles and [Prince] William are trying to avoid overwhelming him with their problems so are keeping their conversations with him about the aftermath light," the royal source explained. "While the queen has been busy working, she says it’s nice to have her husband back."
In the interview, Meghan discussed feeling unsupported as she struggled with mental health issues during her time as a working royal, while Harry revealed that racism toward Meghan was a "large part" of their decision to step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family.
Royal expert and author Katie Nicholl previously suggested that Prince Philip was not "fully aware" of the fallout from Harry and Meghan's interview.
"The family are very keen that he's not aware of the full extent of the interview," Nicholl explained to Australian outlet 9Honey, adding that, while the widespread coverage of the interview had made it "impossible for him to completely avoid it....efforts were made to protect [Prince Philip] from the full force of the fallout."
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