

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 was a shock to the system for most royal followers—so imagine the Queen’s reaction. According to a new book, Her late Majesty wanted to “sleep on” her response after the interview and refused to be rushed into making a statement, and that courtiers struggled to respond to the Oprah interview because of the myriad of allegations made during the television special.
In his new book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, Valentine Low—royal correspondent for The Sunday Times—writes that staffers were left struggling to craft a response to Harry and Meghan’s sit-down, during which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a handful of allegations against members the royal family.
“The courtiers faced another massive challenge: how to deal with the Oprah interview,” Low writes in the book, per Insider. “There had been so many allegations made by the couple—about racism, about security, about Meghan’s mental health—that it was hard to know where to start.”
In particular, the allegations of racism within the royal family were a source of contention, the book continues.
“The private secretaries and communications secretaries had long debates about how to deal with the issue, especially what one of them awkwardly called ‘the R word,’” Low writes. “That had come up because of remarks that a member of the royal family supposedly made about the color of Harry and Meghan’s future baby’s skin.”
Staffers created an official statement around 2 p.m. the day after the interview aired in the United States, but Buckingham Palace chose to remain silent.
“And then precisely nothing happened,” Low writes. “The Palace stayed completely silent because the Queen decided that she wanted to sleep on it. She was not going to be rushed into saying anything precipitate. It was a reminder that, while the courtiers might do all the groundwork, the final decisions are made by the royal family.”
Ultimately, the four-sentence statement was released just before 5:30 p.m. the following day and included the memorable line “While some recollections may vary,” speaking to the dissonance in opinions between the Sussexes and other members of the royal family of what occurred behind the Palace walls.
Her late Majesty’s decision to wait to release the statement proved, Low writes, that “at the age of 94, the Queen was very much still in charge.”
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
The Anthropologie Black Friday Sale Feels Like Stealing
Some of these sales are so good, the mind reels.
By Alicia Lutes
-
Chrissy Teigen and Daughter Luna's Hairstyling Bonding Moment Is the Cutest Thing
The Legend girls are big fans of the Dyson Airwrap.
By Sophia Vilensky
-
Dolly Parton’s Cheerleader Glam Was the Highlight of Thanksgiving Game Day
We know exactly who won this one.
By Sophia Vilensky
-
In Between a Rock and a Hard Place, King Charles Might Have the Solution to See Both of His Sons Over the Holidays
Here’s what we know about Prince William, Prince Harry, and Christmas at Sandringham.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
King Charles Is Reportedly Torn Between Prince Harry and Queen Camilla
The King is in a difficult spot.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
The Royals Have a Footwear Brand That Both Kate *and* Meghan Love
Meghan kickstarted the trend; Kate now owns six different styles.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
King Charles and Meghan Markle Are in Touch Via Text, Royal Author Shares
Meghan mostly sends over messages about a particular topic.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Meghan Markle Finally Addresses the Resurgence of “Suits”
The show has amassed 45 billion minutes in streaming on Netflix and Peacock combined.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Omid Scobie: Meghan Markle “Doesn’t Want Anything to Do” with the Royal Family, But for Prince Harry, There’s Still “Unfinished Business”
Though no longer working for the Firm, the royal family is still Harry’s birth family, after all.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Understandably, Prince Harry is Reportedly Not Watching This Season of “The Crown”
He has been a viewer of the Netflix series in the past.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Prince Harry's Children Archie and Lilibet Reportedly Recorded a Birthday Message for Grandpa Charles
Stop, how cute.
By Iris Goldsztajn