Palace fears Meghan will reveal details of ‘rift with Kate Middleton’ in upcoming Oprah interview
Palace fears Meghan Markle will reveal details of ‘rift with Kate Middleton’ in upcoming Oprah interview – but insiders say she only has ‘kind words’ concerning the Duchess of Cambridge
- Millions of viewers in 68 countries will watch the two-hour Sussexes interview
- Meghan has accused the ‘Firm’ of ‘perpetuating falsehoods’ in a teaser trailer
- Now, insiders have claimed Meghan’s ‘nuclear option’ is details about Kate
- Revealing information could cause ‘vast’ damage to the monarchy, sources say
- But insider insisted Meghan has nothing but ‘kind words’ to say about Kate
Meghan Markle could expose insider details of her supposed rift with the Duchess of Cambridge in the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday, reports have claimed.
Millions of viewers in 68 countries will watch the no-holes-barred two-hour special when CBS airs it in the US at 1am UK time on Monday morning – with ITV broadcasting the show at 9pm that evening.
Over-produced teaser trailers have already seen the Duchess of Sussex accuse the ‘Firm’ of ‘perpetuating falsehoods’ about her and Prince Harry during their time in Kensington Palace.
Now, insiders have claimed Meghan’s ‘nuclear option’ is details about her relationship with her sister-in-law Kate in a move that could cause ‘vast’ damage to the monarchy.
But an Oprah interview source has insisted Meghan has nothing but ‘kind words’ to say about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Meghan Markle could expose insider details of her supposed rift with the Duchess of Cambridge (pictured together in 2018) in the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday, reports have claimed
Millions of viewers in 68 countries will watch the no-holes-barred two-hour special (pictured) when CBS airs it in the US at 1am UK time on Monday morning – with ITV broadcasting the show at 9pm that evening
They said no rift would be exposed between the two households, once dubbed the ‘Fab Four’, the New York Post reports.
Rumours about strained relations between the pair were rife throughout Harry and Meghan’s time in the Firm – with one story claiming Kate was left in tears following a bridesmaids’ dress fitting before Meghan’s 2018 wedding.
A source reportedly told The Sun: ‘This is Meghan’s nuclear option.’
They claimed: ‘If she has chosen to speak candidly about her time with Kate then the damage that could be done to the monarchy is vast.
‘She has the power to lay bare just how bad things really were between her, Harry, William and Kate.’
Insiders have claimed Meghan’s ‘nuclear option’ is details about her relationship with her sister-in-law Kate (pictured together in Wimbledon in 2019) in a move that could cause ‘vast’ damage to the monarchy.
Over-produced teaser trailers have already seen the Duchess of Sussex (pictured with the family in March last year) accuse the ‘Firm’ of ‘perpetuating falsehoods’ about her and Prince Harry during their time in Kensington Palace
Earlier this week, a source claimed Meghan Markle blamed the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles’s households for leaking stories about her to the Press when she was a senior royal.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex felt negative stories about them – including the Duchess of Cambridge allegedly being left in tears following a bridesmaids’ dress fitting before Meghan’s 2018 wedding – must have been briefed by Kate, Camilla or Charles’ households, the palace insider said.
Their revelations came just days after Meghan was accused of ‘driving out’ two PAs and shattering the confidence of another member of palace staff – with one former aide branding Prince Harry and his wife ‘outrageous bullies’ in The Times earlier this week.
Meghan’s lawyers have vehemently denied the claims, instead insisting the newspaper was ‘being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative’ about her.
The palace announced it would launch an unprecedented inquiry into the allegations – calling them ‘very’ concerning.
Referring to the Sussexes’ ‘false narrative’ claims, A source told The Times that the palace were not ‘peddling disinformation or conducting any kind of campaign ahead of the [Oprah] interview’ – with the allegations ‘clearly not […] coming from us’.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex allegedly thought the households of the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales were leaking negative stories about them to the press.
One story involved Harry reportedly shouting at the Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly during an incident involving Meghan’s wedding tiara. Reports later implied the disagreement was about arrangements for a fitting. the
It was tonight reported that the Queen will ‘ignore’ the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s much-anticipated interview.
The monarch will not watch the programme and is instead focusing on national issues, while said royal courtiers branded the interview a ‘circus’, The Sunday Times reports.
Meanwhile, other insiders told the Sunday Express that the Queen’s mind is ‘only on duty and Philip’.
In extracts of the Oprah Winfrey interview released over the last few days, Meghan has criticised the constraints she faced as a working royal, and said it was ‘liberating’ to be able to ‘say yes’ to a request for an interview with the US chat show host.
She accused The Firm – as the royal family is sometimes known – of ‘perpetuating falsehoods’ about her and Harry.
Royal advisers are ‘prepared to retaliate with fresh disclosures about the couple’s behaviour if the monarchy is attacked’, reports claim.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Several members of the royal family will appear in their own television special, just hours before Harry and Meghan, on a BBC One programme on Sunday evening.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will chat in a video call (pictured) with Dr Zolelwa Sifumba, from South Africa, an advocate for the rights of healthcare workers on the front line, while the Prince of Wales will pay tribute to the ‘extraordinary determination, courage and creativity’ of the Commonwealth’s people during the Covid crisis in a speech from Westminster Abbey
During the programme, Charles pays tribute to the ‘extraordinary determination, courage and creativity’ of the Commonwealth’s people during the Covid crisis
The Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Countess of Wessex – will appear in the pre-recorded show called A Celebration For Commonwealth Day, which is marked on Monday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will chat in a video call with Dr Zolelwa Sifumba, from South Africa, an advocate for the rights of healthcare workers on the front line, while the Prince of Wales will pay tribute to the ‘extraordinary determination, courage and creativity’ of the Commonwealth’s people during the Covid crisis in a speech from Westminster Abbey.
It was at Westminster Abbey’s Commonwealth Day service in March last year when the Sussexes were last seen with their family, sitting close to the Queen, Charles, Camilla and William and Kate.
A few months before that they had sent shockwaves through the monarchy by announcing they would be stepping down as working royals.
Camilla (pictured) is featured speaking to broadcaster Clare Balding about how her interest in books was inspired by her father Major Bruce Shand’s love for literature
The Countess of Wessex marked Commonwealth Day and International Women’s Day, which are both celebrated on Monday, by speaking by videolink to three women from around the Commonwealth, to hear about their experiences of supporting other women
On Wednesday, the Palace confirmed that its HR team will ‘look into’ the allegations, saying it ‘does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace’
The bullying claims emerged in a 2018 email sent by Harry and Meghan’s press chief Jason Knauf, who now works for Prince William. This sparked an extraordinary chain of events where the Sussexes accused Buckingham Palace of smearing them. The Queen then launched an inquiry into the bullying claims
Buckingham Palace could also question the Duchess of Cambridge in its inquiry into bullying allegations made against Meghan, according to the Sunday Mirror.
Meghan is facing accusations that she drove out two personal assistants and that staff were ‘humiliated’ on several occasions.
Past and present employees have been invited to speak in confidence about their experiences of working for the duchess. Meghan’s lawyers said she was ‘saddened by this latest attack on her character’.
The Duke of Edinburgh, 99, remains at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in London, where he was moved back to on Friday following a successful procedure on a pre-existing heart condition at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the City of London on Wednesday.
The duke, the nation’s longest-serving consort, has spent 19 nights in hospital – his longest ever stay.
The Sussexes have faced calls for the broadcast on Sunday to be postponed out of respect for Philip.
Palace officials give withering dismissal of Harry and Meghan’s interview that will be ‘lost in the mists of time’ as most Britons ‘will be thinking about schools going back, their vaccines and Prince Philip getting better’ – the only winner will be Oprah
By Kate Mansey For The Mail On Sunday
Palace aides last night brushed off the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey as a ‘sideshow’ which will barely register with the British public amid the more pressing concerns of a global pandemic and the Duke of Edinburgh‘s health.
After a frenzied week dominated by bombshell claims of alleged bullying and fierce denials, Royal officials signalled their determination not to be dragged into a tawdry tit-for-tat battle with the couple.
While acknowledging that the two-hour interview, to be screened in the US tonight and the UK tomorrow, is likely to include further uncomfortable moments, an insider icily highlighted Britain faced more important issues.
‘On Monday most people in Britain will be thinking about schools going back, getting the vaccine and, at the Palace particularly, looking forward to the Duke of Edinburgh coming out of hospital. This is just a sideshow,’ they said.
The comments will be interpreted by many as a sign that ‘The Firm’ believes Harry and Meghan will in time struggle to attract the kind of attention they received in the UK before they stepped back from their Royal duties a year ago.
Aides described the mood at Buckingham Palace ahead of the interview as ‘calm’, with courtiers said to be maintaining a sense of ‘this, too, will pass’.
One source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Most of what is said will be lost in the mists of time. History teaches us that only the interviewer wins from these programmes.’
Palace officials have no idea what the couple have said to Ms Winfrey, beyond the pre-released teasers.
‘We haven’t got a clue what they say in the interview,’ said the source. ‘But there is determination not to play their game. There is a very clear sense right from the top that it’s best not to react.’
They will, however, have gained a flavour of the interview from the series of clips released during a heavy promotional campaign by the US network CBS.
After a frenzied week dominated by bombshell claims of alleged bullying and fierce denials, Royal officials signalled their determination not to be dragged into a tawdry tit-for-tat battle with the couple
It has reportedly paid Ms Winfrey’s production company between £5 million and £6.5 million for the rights to the interview.
In one clip last week, Meghan is seen sitting in the garden of a mansion in California explaining her short experience of Palace life was ‘almost unsurvivable’.
In another, Harry says that it has been ‘unbelievably tough for the two of us but at least we have each other’.
He adds that he decided to emigrate to the US with Meghan because he feared ‘history repeating itself’ after the death of Diana.
Television insiders predict, however, the worst may be yet to come. One experienced US TV producer said: ‘It’s not like a movie where all the best bits are in the trailer.
In programmes like this, they keep the real bombshells for the show.’ What is clear, however, is that whatever grenades may be launched, the Palace does not intend to start a war. As one source put it: ‘Only one side seems to be firing.’
While acknowledging that the two-hour interview, to be screened in the US tonight and the UK tomorrow, is likely to include further uncomfortable moments, an insider icily highlighted Britain faced more important issues
It is far from the first time that the Palace will have dealt with an excruciating tell-all interview.
For Prince Charles, it will no doubt stir up painful memories of Diana’s Panorama revelations 25 years ago, in which she spoke of there being ‘three people in this marriage’.
But aides were keen to point out there is a crucial difference. When Diana sat down with Martin Bashir, she sparked a rift between herself and the Palace. This time, Harry and Meghan’s departure has already happened.
Before the fireworks from California, the British public will see other Royals provide a stark alternative by focusing on efforts to combat coronavirus.
Behind the ‘keep calm and carry on’ message, however, aides say there is genuine concern Harry will live to regret the Oprah interview.
‘I suspect that one day Harry will come to regret it, just as Diana did,’ writes Royal biographer Penny Junor in today’s Mail on Sunday.
It was claimed last week Meghan faced a bullying complaint brought forward by one of her closest advisers during her time at Kensington Palace.
A spokesman for the Sussexes appeared to blame the Palace for leaking the claims, saying the couple were ‘the victims of a calculated smear campaign’.
Queen will get a breakfast briefing from aides at Buckingham Palace who will stay up through the night to watch Harry and Meghan’s explosive interview
By Mark Hookham for the Mail on Sunday
Aides at Buckingham Palace will stay up through the night to watch the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Royal insiders are determined not to enter into a war of words, but will be watching the two-hour broadcast carefully for any fresh allegations levelled against them.
While the interview will not be screened in the UK until tomorrow, it is believed Palace aides have secured an online feed to allow them to watch the interview live when it is broadcast by CBS.
It is due to start at 5pm in Los Angeles, or 1am in the UK.
Aides at Buckingham Palace will stay up through the night to watch the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. The Queen, who is at Windsor Castle, is expected to be briefed about the contents of the interview tomorrow morning. It is likely one of her senior aides will relay Meghan and Harry’s comments after breakfast
The Queen, who is at Windsor Castle, is expected to be briefed about the contents of the interview tomorrow morning. It is likely one of her senior aides will relay Meghan and Harry’s comments after breakfast.
A report is also expected to be made to Prince Charles, who is spending lockdown with the Duchess of Cornwall at Highgrove in Gloucestershire.
Meanwhile, the Palace press office will be preparing overnight for the expected barrage of questions from the global media after the interview.
Although they will be reluctant to engage in a so-called ‘running commentary’ on the Sussexes’ interview, aides will prepare responses in case there are specific claims that have to be answered.
During recent months, the Queen has been having private conversations with Harry over his decision to step down from Royal duties.
She is said to be ‘saddened’ at his decision to quit and has made it clear he will not keep honorary military titles or other Royal patronages.
The Queen (pictured with the Sussexes in 2018) has not been given an ‘advanced copy’ of Meghan and Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, reports claim
It emerged yesterday that CBS is paying up to £6.5 million for the rights to broadcast the interview.
But despite the eye-watering outlay, the channel will make tens of millions from the programme, which will be broadcast in more than 70 countries. ITV is said to have paid £1 million to screen it in the UK.
CBS is also reportedly charging advertisers £234,000 for a 30-second slot during the interview.
