LONDON (Reuters) — Britain’s Prince Harry has spoken to his elder brother William for the first time since he and his wife Meghan’s Oprah Winfrey interview but the talks were “not productive,” a friend of the couple said on Tuesday.
During the interview aired by U.S. television network CBS on March 7, Meghan said one unnamed member of the royal family had asked how dark their son Archie’s skin might be when he was born, while Harry said his father, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, had let him down and that he had felt trapped.
At an engagement last Thursday, Prince William said he had not yet spoken to his brother but intended to do so, telling reporters: “We’re very much not a racist family.”
Gayle King, the co-host of CBS This Morning, said she had spoken to Harry and Meghan that weekend and that a conversation between the brothers had taken place.
“It’s true, Harry has talked to his brother and he has talked to his father too, and the word I was given was that those conversations were not productive, but they are glad that they have at least started a conversation,” she said.
William’s office Kensington Palace had no comment on King’s remarks.
Harry and Meghan’s interview plunged the British monarchy into its biggest crisis since the death of William and Harry’s mother Princess Diana in 1997.
FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prince Harry gestures next to his wife Meghan as they ride a horse-drawn carriage after their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo 
WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 19: Prince Harry walks with his best man, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge as they arrive at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Gareth Fuller – WPA Pool/Getty Images) 
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 09: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 9, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Phil Harris – WPA Pool/Getty Images) 
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: (L-R) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) 
FILE – In this Tuesday, July 10, 2018 file photo Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry stand on a balcony to watch a flypast of Royal Air Force aircraft pass over Buckingham Palace in London. The timing couldn’t be worse for Harry and Meghan. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will finally get the chance to tell the story behind their departure from royal duties directly to the public on Sunday, March 7, 2021, when their two-hour interview with Oprah Winfrey is broadcast. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File) 
FILE – In this Wednesday May 8, 2019 file photo, Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose during a photocall with their newborn son Archie, in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, Windsor, south England. One of the most dramatic claims in Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey was that their son was denied a royal title, possibly because of the color of his skin. Queen Elizabeth II has nine great-grandchildren, including Archie. They are not princes and princesses, apart from the three children of Prince William, who is second in line to the throne and destined to be king one day. (Dominic Lipinski/Pool via AP, File) 
FILE – In this Sept, 24, 2019, file photo, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, talks to children during a walkabout in Bo-Kaap, a heritage site, in Cape Town, South Africa. In countries with historic ties to Great Britain, allegations by Prince Harry and Meghan about racism within the royal family have raised questions about whether those nations want to be closely connected to Britain anymore after the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. (Courtney Africa/Pool via AP, File) 
A sign depicting the image of Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, hangs outside the Duke of Sussex pub near Waterloo station, London, Tuesday March 9, 2021. Prince Harry and Meghan’s explosive TV interview has divided people around the world, rocking an institution that is struggling to modernize with claims of racism and callousness toward a woman struggling with suicidal thoughts. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) 
A customer takes a copy of a newspaper headlining Prince Harry and Meghan’s explosive TV interview at a newspaper stand outside a shop in London, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Britain’s royal family is absorbing the tremors from a sensational television interview by Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, in which the couple said they encountered racist attitudes and a lack of support that drove Meghan to thoughts of suicide. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) 
This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in conversation with Oprah Winfrey. “Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special” aired March 7, 2021. Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP, File. 
This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, left, in conversation with Oprah Winfrey. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP) 
This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, left, speaking with Oprah Winfrey during an interview. “Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special” airs March 7 as a two-hour exclusive primetime special on the CBS Television Network. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP) 
This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaking about expecting their second child during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. “Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special” airs March 7 as a two-hour exclusive primetime special on the CBS Television Network. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP) 
Australian television news in Sydney, Monday, March 8, 2021, reports on an interview of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Oprah Winfrey. The interview airs in Australia Monday evening. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) 
Newspapers are placed on the ground placed by a television crew in front of Buckingham Palace in London, Monday, March 8, 2021. Britain’s royal family is absorbing the tremors from a sensational television interview by Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, in which the couple said they encountered racist attitudes and a lack of support that drove Meghan to thoughts of suicide. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
‘HEARTBREAKING’
It came after Buckingham Palace said it was investigating allegations of bullying made against Meghan by aides before she and Harry gave up their royal roles to move to California last year.
“I think what is still upsetting to them is that the palace keeps saying they want to work it out privately yet they’ve all these false stories coming out that are very disparaging against Meghan,” King said.
“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.”
Queen Elizabeth, 94, has said the royals were saddened by the challenging experiences of her grandson Harry and his wife.
“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately,” Buckingham Palace said in a March 9 statement.
Earlier, former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama said Meghan’s recollections about a remark made about the possible color of her son’s skin were heartbreaking and she hoped Meghan’s experiences would be a lesson for the world.
Obama told NBC News: “I feel like that was heartbreaking to hear, that she felt like she was in her own family – her own family thought differently of her.”
“As I said before, race isn’t a new construct in this world for people of color, and so it wasn’t a complete surprise to hear her feelings and to have them articulated,” she said.
“I think the thing that I hope for, and the thing I think about, is that this, first and foremost, is a family. I pray for forgiveness and healing for them so that they can use this as a teachable moment for us all.”
Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, Editing by William Maclean and Janet Lawrence
