Where do Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand with members of the royal family after their Oprah Winfrey interview? Gayle King may have an answer
After The Sunday Times reported the Duke of Sussex has been in contact with Prince William for the first time since the tell-all aired, the anchor shed some light on these conversations during the March 16 episode of CBS This Morning.
"It's true," Gayle, who called Harry and Meghan over the weekend, said. "Harry has talked to his brother, and he has talked to his father, too. The word I was given was those conversations were not productive but they are glad they have at least started a conversation."
Last week, Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II in response to the interview. "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan," the statement read. "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."
Still, stories about the couple continue to spread. "I think what is still upsetting to them is the Palace keeps saying they want to work it out privately, but yet they believe these false stories are coming out that are very disparaging against Meghan still," Gayle said. "No one in the royal family has talked to Meghan yet at this particular time. And I think it's frustrating for them to see that it's a racial conversation about the royal family when all they wanted all along was for the royals to intervene and tell the press to stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slant. And until you can acknowledge that, I think it's going to be hard to move forward."
However, she made it clear Harry and Meghan "both want to move forward with this" and "want healing in this family."
Earlier this month, the Palace launched an investigation into bullying accusations against Meghan. The Times reported Jason Knauf, who previously served as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's communications secretary, filed a complaint against Meghan in 2018 and that his email was forwarded to the head of HR. Per the newspaper, the email, which E! News has not seen or verified, claimed the "Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year" and was "seeking to undermine" the confidence of a third employee. A spokesperson for the couple has denied the allegations, calling them "a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation" as well as an "attack on her character."
"The bullying thing was raised, you know, in 2018 and now there's an ongoing investigation about bullying for Meghan Markle when anyone who has worked with her will tell you exactly who she is," Gayle continued. "You know, she's really a very sweet, caring person. And as I say, Meghan has documents to back up everything she said on Oprah's interview."
As for William, he expressed his intent to talk to Harry during a visit to a school in London last week. And when asked if the royal family is a "racist family," the Duke of Cambridge said, "We are very much not a racist family."
Last week, The Times reported Harry hopes to reconcile with his brother at the unveiling of a memorial dedicated to their late mother, Princess Diana, which is scheduled for this July.
"Both brothers are very committed to the statue," a reported friend told the newspaper. "The depth of feeling and the commitment to honor their mother transcends any difficulties caused by the interview."
While talking about William with Oprah, Harry said he "loves him to bits" but that they're on "different paths." As for his relationship with his father Prince Charles, Harry said "there's a lot to work through there" but that he "will always love him." The Prince of Wales has yet to publicly comment on the interview.