The Queen's level-headed response to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drama

Meghan MArkle and Prince Harry with the Queen

(Image credit: Gotham/WireImage and Jane Barlow/WPA Pool/Getty Images/Future)

published 13 August 2022

The Queen has always taken a 'measured' approach to controversy, claims aroyal commentator.

Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Buckingham palace took two days to release an official statement in response
The Queen was reportedly the cause of this delay, with her not wanting to rush into controversy
In other royal news, a celebrity physic has shared what Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor's star sign says about her royal future

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step back from royal life in 2020 shocked royal fans across the globe and started revealing the cracks forming in the Palace. When the pair relocated to America, where they still live with their children, the accusations and arguments continued to fly and the public was privy to it all.

Things came to a head in 2021 when the couple participated in the infamous Oprah Winfrey interview. During the nearly two-hour conversation, both Harry and Meghan made several allegations against 'The Firm' which still continue to haunt the royal family.

While royal fans were quick to take to social media, share opinions, and take sides in the very public argument, The Queen took a very different approach.

With hopes that the matter could be resolved privately, the Queen reportedly took her time to reflect upon the allegations made during interview and attempted to sympathise with the couple and their experiences before releasing an official Buckingham Palace statement.

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal)
A photo posted by on

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter appeared on the One Way Ticket Show podcast to shed some light on the Queen's handling of the situation. According to her, the Queen's measured emotions regarding the interview reflect her life-long approach to controversy.

Arbiter said, “She never gives an emotional reaction to something. She pauses, she takes a very measured approach. She stops, she listens, she learns and then she considers before responding in any capacity.

"In many respects we saw those tactics at play when Harry and Meghan decided to leave the monarchy. They had released all of their information about how they planned to do it and what had upset them and their many grievances. The Queen did not react right away."

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal)
A photo posted by on

Two days after the shock interview aired, a simple statement was released on behalf of the Queen.

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.”

Arbiter analysed the statement, breaking down the Palace's words to read in between the lines, “In saying that, it was like, we heard you, we perhaps see things a little differently, now let's hash this out behind the scenes. With everything spiralling as it was, they had to say something.”

“I think the Queen is really a master of less is more because the more and more you try to explain something, the more you try to talk your way around something, that’s going to be interpreted and people are going to with their specific agenda at play.”

Related articles:

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.