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LONDON: British Queen Elizabeth II’s statement on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s explosive claims of racism dominated the British media on Wednesday, with some saying she needed to give a stronger response.
Several tabloids made front page headlines picking up the long-awaited response from the 94-year-old monarch, published Tuesday afternoon.
“We will always love you,” wrote The Mirror, while Metro continued with “Our real sadness.”
The Sun, however, used a quote from the queen that seemed to cast doubt on Meghan and Harry’s account: “Memories may vary.”
In an interview with American chat show host Oprah Winfrey, Meghan and Harry said that an unidentified royal asked how dark their baby’s skin would be. Meghan also suggested that there were moves to deny her son Archie privileges because he is of mixed race.
The queen’s statement said the family was “saddened” and that “the issues raised, particularly race, are troubling.”
He said that “some memories may vary”, but the complaints “are taken very seriously and will be treated by the family in private.”
The statement “sought to draw a line between harmful claims of racism,” wrote The Guardian, a left-wing newspaper.
The Independent, a newspaper that gives little coverage to real affairs, called it a “rare intervention” by a monarch who “historically has kept quiet about controversial issues.”
Former royal correspondent Peter Hunt told BBC radio that the 61-word statement was “the bare minimum” at a time when the royal family was in a “huge hole”.
“In my opinion, it was too little and it was too late,” he said.
There were varying interpretations of what the queen exactly meant by “memories may vary.”
“It could refer to comments about Archie’s skin color or perhaps the fact that the couple believed protocol was going to be changed to deny their son the automatic title of prince when Charles acceded to the throne,” wrote The Guardian.
Most assumed he was referring to the claim of racism.
The Times, a right-wing newspaper, called this “a sign that the Palace will refuse to let everything the couple said go unanswered.”
In a commentary article, the newspaper also said the claims – and the furor they have caused – were “a soft power disaster for Britain,” and dragged the royal family into America’s “culture war.”
The Telegraph, another conservative newspaper, said the statement “suggests that the individual has been identified,” amid feverish speculation about the possible culprit.
But he said the public is unlikely to know more, as “it was expected to be His Majesty’s last word on the matter.”
