‘I wish vainly she'd shut up’: Royal author says Meghan's Oprah interview was 'worse than a crime’
LONDON: The Duchess of Sussex gave a candid interview to the queen of US chat shows in March in which she discussed her life as a member of the Royal Family. A series of shocking revelations made by Meghan and Prince Harry during the interview rocked the very foundations of the House of Windsor. The Duchess disclosed that she had once thought about killing herself, and the couple also suggested that a member of the Royal Family was racist.
The well-known author Lady Antonia Fraser, who has written books about Oliver Cromwell and Mary Queen of Scotts, was harsh in her criticism of the decision to allow the interview. The author's remarks coincide with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's announcement that they will unexpectedly visit the UK again as part of a trip to Europe in early September to take part in charitable activities.
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Fraser has written a number of historical biographies, with her accounts of royal figures like the six wives of Henry VIII, King Charles II, and Marie Antoinette enjoying considerable success in the UK.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Fraser was asked about the current generations of the British monarchy and specifically about Markle because of her knowledge of the royal family and the fact that this year marks her 90th birthday. She said of Meghan's entry into the royal family, "In order to remain the same, you must change." When Meghan first came to this country, I was very much in favor of her as an independent force.
"I wrote her a letter," Fraser continued. "I said, 'Do not reply'; I was just talking about independent women in history I've written about."
She added, "I sent it to Frogmore [where the Sussexes then lived]. It came back, saying, 'Not known at this address.'"
Fraser's opinion of Markle changed after the historic interview with Winfrey that she and Prince Harry did in March 2021 was broadcast. The couple had been residing in the United States since March 2020, when they decided to resign from their roles as working royals. They talked about their interactions with the British media and the royal "firm's" lack of assistance.
"Now I'm afraid [the interview with] Oprah Winfrey was worse than a crime; it was a mistake," Fraser said. She compared Meghan and Harry to Prince Andrew, who had to resign from his position as a working royal and give up the use of the title "his royal highness" after his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the settlement of a sexual assault lawsuit brought forth by Epstein's accuser Virginia Giuffre.
"I just wish vainly she'd shut up," Fraser said. "And Prince Harry. And Prince Andrew."
Fraser made much more complimentary remarks about other female royals, such as the queen, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Meghan's sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. "I'd like to see another photograph by the Duchess of Cambridge rather than read another thing about Prince Harry," she said.
Fraser is not the only royal commentator who has recently voiced their dislike for the Sussexes' meeting with Winfrey, despite the fact that it garnered the couple a lot of online support from the public. The interview, which Tom Bower, the author of the scathing biography Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors, called "disgraceful," said was one of the inspirations for his book.
In an interview with the UK's GB News following the publication of the book, Bower stated: "If [Meghan] hadn't appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, I never would have started writing this book. I found what she said and what Harry said to be utterly disgusting."
He continued, "I am a monarchist, and I just don't think she should have been allowed to say those things unchallenged by Oprah Winfrey. It was scandalous." Bower added, "I embarked on this book to actually understand what sort of person actually launches that sort of unfair, untrue attack on the royal family, and that's very much my motive. I tried to find out the truth."
Although palace sources have disputed some of the book's key assertions, neither Buckingham Palace nor representatives of the Sussexes have issued any official statements regarding the book or its voluminous claims.