Meghan and Harry's friend has accused the media and Royal aides of double standards after it was reported that the Palace is believed to be unhappy with the couple's decision to reveal the details of their peace talks to US TV host Gayle King.
Omid Scobie said he was 'confused' by criticism of the couple and claimed a 'new royal protocol' had been concocted after the Palace said it would not provide 'running commentary on private conversations'.
The Sussexes had insisted that their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey would be their 'final word' on royal affairs - but warfare erupted again after the couple told CBS This Morning host Gayle that Harry had finally spoken to his father and brother.
Hours later, Miss King disclosed on American TV that the talks 'were not productive'. The breakfast show host also suggested that Meghan was unhappy no one in the Royal Family had thought to telephone her.
And, in a thinly-veiled threat, the presenter said the duchess had 'documents to back up everything she said on Oprah's interview', just as the Queen was seeing her husband Prince Philip for the first time in a month after he was released from hospital.
Omid Scobie, co-author of the Sussexes biography Finding Freedom and a close ally of the couple, said today he was 'confused' by the criticism they have received as their friends again came out to back them as royal insiders accused Harry and Meghan of a betrayal of trust.
Mr Scobie tweeted: 'Bit confused here, so just want to get this new royal protocol correct. It’s okay when info is leaked to the papers via a palace source but not when Gayle King shares it on TV? Righty-ho then'.
But critics have accused the Sussexes of double standards, with one replying to Mr Scobie's tweet: 'The point is that private phone calls are openly discussed with personal media friends. This is the very reason Meghan cut off her family'.
Prince William's wife Kate put on a brave face this morning amid more turmoil caused by her brother-in-law and sister-in-law's interview with Oprah.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge driving in West London today as it emerged that Prince Harry has spoken to his brother William and father Charles
Harry and Meghan have prompted fresh outrage after sharing private conversations with Prince Charles and Prince William with US journalist Gayle King. Speaking on CBS This Morning, Miss King said: 'Meghan has documents to back up everything that she said on Oprah's interview. Everything'
Omid Scobie, a journalist friend of the couple, defended their decision to brief another ally in the media about talks with Harry's family
HOW GAYLE STIRRED UP A STORM
'Harry has talked to his brother and he has talked to his father too. The word I was given was that those conversations were not productive but they are glad that they have at least started a conversation.
What is still upsetting to them is that the Palace keeps saying they want to work it out privately, but yet they believe these false stories are coming out that are very disparaging against Meghan still.
No one in the Royal Family has talked to Meghan yet at this particular time.
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.
They both want to move forward with this and they both want healing in this family. At the end of the day, that is Harry's family.
Meghan has documents to back up everything that she said on Oprah's interview. Everything.
Anyone who's worked with her [Meghan] will tell you exactly who she is, she's really a sweet caring person.
No one has acknowledged 'Houston, we have a problem here'. That's really all they [Harry and Meghan] want. They want a conversation.'
Another wrote: 'Omid - I don’t think it was a very clever savvy move to disclose something like this via Gayle King. It’s a poor move which benefits no one'.
Miss King, who attended Meghan's baby shower in New York in 2019 and is Miss Winfrey's closest friend, decided to speak out on her prime-time morning show on CBS, the same channel that broadcast the Oprah interview.
The fact the Sussexes chose to reveal sensitive discussions between senior members of the Royal Family met with an icy response from Buckingham Palace.
'None of the households – the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – will be giving a running commentary on private conversations,' said a senior royal source.
It was clear, however, that both the Windsors and senior officials see it as a severe betrayal of trust and unhelpful to attempts to rebuild bridges.
Prince William, when he was questioned by a TV reporter on a public engagement last Thursday, said he had not yet spoken to his younger brother, but vowed he would.
He also insisted the Royal Family were not racists after Meghan claimed one member had raised 'concerns' about 'how dark' her baby's skin would be, and suggested there was an attempt to deprive Archie of a title and security because he was of mixed race.
The duchess also said she had been given so little support by the Palace that she suffered suicidal thoughts.
Harry said he felt 'really let down' by his father, accused him of cutting him off financially and refusing to take his calls, while also revealing the gulf with William.
The Queen responded to the Oprah interview with a deeply personal message saying that while 'some recollections vary', the issues raised, particularly that of race, were 'concerning' and would be taken seriously.
Significantly, however, she emphasised that from now on the difficulties would be addressed by the family privately.
There have been a handful of stories published in the UK media reporting that Charles and William felt hurt by what Harry had said, but with very little detail on what was taking place behind the scenes.
Prince William is pictured driving outside Kensington Palace in London on Tuesday, after it was revealed he had spoken with Harry over the weekend
Gayle King revealed Prince Harry had spoken to his father, Prince Charles, and his brother, Prince William, over the weekend, but talks did not help repair a rift within the royal family
How Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview has caused a royal crisis
- February 15 – It is confirmed Harry and Meghan will be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on CBS in March, in which they will discuss Megxit and other issues.
- February 16 – Harry's grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh is admitted to hospital in London
- February 19 – Harry and Meghan are stripped of their prestigious patronages as the couple confirmed Megxit has become permanent.
- February 26 – Harry says the 'toxic' atmosphere created by the British press forced him and his family to leave the UK, in an interview with James Corden
- March 1 – A preview clip of the Oprah interview shows Harry saying his biggest fear is that 'history would repeat itself' in a reference to his mother's death, while the host is also seen asking Meghan if she was 'silent or silenced', but her answer is not revealed.
- March 3 – A spokesman for Meghan says she is 'saddened' by a report in The Times that she faced a bullying complaint while at Kensington Palace.
- March 7 – Meghan and Harry's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey airs in the US. The Sussexes laid bare their brief lives as a working royal couple, alleging a member of the family made a racist comment about their son, and how the duchess had suicidal thoughts but her approaches to the monarchy for help were turned down.
- March 8 – The fallout from the interview continues and the couple's chat with Oprah airs in the UK on ITV.
- March 9 – Buckingham Palace issues a statement, saying the Queen is 'saddened' to hear the full extent of the challenges faced by the Sussexes and the issues raised around race are 'concerning'.
- March 11 - Prince William insists the royal family are 'not a racist family' while visiting a school in London.
- March 16 - Gayle King reveals Harry has spoken to his brother Prince William and their father Prince Charles.
Harry was accused of 'embarrassing' hypocrisy this week for speaking to CBS, which caused outrage in 2004 by showing a photograph of his mother dying in a 1997 car crash in Paris.
Miss King told viewers she had called Harry and Meghan at their £10million California home 'over the weekend' to discuss the fall-out from the interview and revealed they had told her details of their intimate conversations.
She said: 'Well I'm not trying to break news, but I did actually call them to see how they were feeling, and it's true, Harry has talked to his brother and he has talked to his father too.
'The word I was given was that those conversations were not productive. But they are glad that they have at least started a conversation.'
Miss King also claimed the couple were unhappy that 'the Palace' had allegedly been leaking what they believed were untrue stories to the media.
She added: 'And I think what is still upsetting to them is the Palace keep saying they want to work it out privately, but yet, they believe these false stories are coming out that are very disparaging against Meghan, still.'
She made clear that the duchess was unhappy that no one in the family had called her. 'No one in the Royal Family has talked to Meghan yet, at this particular time,' she said.
The Sussexes effectively accused the Royal Family and Buckingham Palace of institutional racism in their interview with Miss Winfrey.
But Miss King claimed they felt 'frustrated' that much of the coverage had focused on this – when they had apparently wanted only to provoke the monarchy into taking action against the media, which they believe has a racist agenda against Meghan.
'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,' Miss King said.
'And until you can acknowledge that, I think it's going to be hard to move forward.'
She also raised the issue of the investigation launched earlier this month by Buckingham Palace into how claims of bullying against Meghan lodged by a senior member of staff were handled.
She said: 'Anyone who has worked with her will tell you exactly who she is. You know, she's really a very sweet, caring person.'
There was no immediate indication from the couple's team of PR representatives – either in London or California – as to whether Miss King was speaking at their request.
Piers Morgan's replacement Ben Shephard calls for the Royals to 'share their truth' with Harry and Meghan - sparking mockery from GMB co-star Susanna Reid for 'sounding like a Californian therapist'
ITV presenter Ben Shephard was mocked by his Good Morning Britain co-hosts today for urging the Royal Family and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to 'share their truth' and 'hopefully start healing' after their talks were leaked.
Shephard, who added that it was important for everyone 'to be honest with each other', was accused by Susanna Reid of 'sounding like a Californian therapist' while Ranvir Singh joked that he needed to get his 'teeth whitened'.
Shephard, 46, who is standing in for Piers Morgan who resigned last week, told the programme: 'It feels like this is the sort of thing that's not going to be sorted out in one phone call. We don't know how much is going on either.
'But if there's been such a hugely seismic moment within a family that has been suddenly thrown, very personal things have been thrown into the spotlight, it's not going to be sorted out quickly.
'It's going to take a while for everybody to be able to share their truth and be able to be honest with each other and hopefully start healing, because that's what we all want.'
Reid then told him: 'You sound like a Californian therapist, Ben.' Shephard replied: 'Maybe I should be.' Reid added: 'Speaking a bit of truth and healing.' And Singh joked: 'You need a bit of tan, Ben... get your teeth whitened.'
The language used by Shephard has strong similarities to the words from Meghan and Harry during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey which first aired on CBS on March 7 and then on ITV the following night.
Meghan used the word 'truth' seven times during the interview, while Oprah told her she was speaking 'your truth' - and the Duchess also talked about giving an 'honest' answer relating to the row over Archie's potential skin tone.
The word 'healing' was used by Gayle King yesterday when she spoke of Harry's talks with Prince Charles and William - and, during the Oprah chat, Harry said of his relationship with William: 'Time heals all things, hopefully.'
Shephard's choice of words was also in stark contrast to the language of Morgan who quit Good Morning Britain last week after he refused to apologise for casting doubts on comments made by Meghan in the interview.
His remarks on the programme sparked more than 41,000 complaints to the media regulator Ofcom, which also had a complaint on behalf of the Duchess of Sussex herself, who had earlier also sent a formal complaint to ITV.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in conversation with Oprah Winfrey in an interview first aired on CBS on March 7
ITV presenter Ben Shephard (left) mocked by his Good Morning Britain co-host Susanna Reid (right) on today's show on ITV
Also today, British chat show host Trisha Goddard told Good Morning Britain: 'Beyond them being a Royal Family they're a family, and this is the part I'm concentrating on.
'And I've said all along when they did that interview what I heard was absolute pain and anguish - and they might not have got all the details right and what have you but the message was we are in pain.
Piers Morgan calls on Britons to 'stand up for our Queen' as he lays into Harry and Meghan for trying to paint the royals as 'a bunch of heartless racists'
Former GMB host Piers Morgan is pictured in London last week
Piers Morgan has called on Britons to 'stand up for our Queen' while accusing Harry and Meghan of leading a campaign to paint the Royal Family as a 'bunch of heartless racists'.
The former GMB host took to Twitter to slam the Duke and Duchess of Sussex a week after resigning from his presenter role for refusing to apologise for comments he made about the couple's controversial interview with Oprah.
He took aim at the couple again last night, writing: 'There's a very deliberate & malicious campaign being perpetrated by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to smear, defame and trash Britain, our Monarchy & the Royal Family as a bunch of heartless racists. It's disgusting. Time to stand up for our Queen.'
It is the latest chapter in the fallout from Harry and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah where the couple suggested that the Royal family was racist, claiming that one unnamed member was concerned over how dark their son Archie's skin would be.
Speaking after the bombshell interview aired, Morgan said he did not believe the duchess's remarks in her interview with Oprah, during which she spoke about her mental health and having suicidal thoughts.
He then stormed off set after GMB weatherman Alex Beresford took exception to his comments about Meghan. Shortly afterwards, he left his role as presenter after refusing to apologise for his remarks.
'Now the Royal Family - a family - needs time to react to that. I'm reminded of something that the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles apparently were having a conversation back in the days of Princess Diana.
'And apparently the Duke of Edinburgh said to Prince Charles I wish you and Diana would just speak, just talk.
'And Prince Charles said, well here's the problem, every time I do it ends up on the front page of a certain tabloid.
'So if a family feels that everything they're going to say is going to end up as a headline, they're naturally going to be more reticent and perhaps less honest, and maybe more sparing with the communication.'
It comes as Harry and Meghan revealed deeply private family conversations to their journalist friend Gayle King, saying that the prince had finally spoken to his father and brother following the interview.
Hours later, Miss King disclosed on CBS yesterday that the talks 'were not productive'. The breakfast show host also suggested that Meghan was unhappy no one in the Royal Family had thought to telephone her.
And, in a thinly veiled threat, the presenter said the duchess had 'documents to back up everything she said on Oprah's interview'.
The fact the Sussexes chose to reveal sensitive discussions between senior members of the Royal Family met with an icy response from Buckingham Palace.
'None of the households [the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge] will be giving a running commentary on private conversations,' said a senior royal source.
It was clear, however, that both the Windsors and senior officials see it as a severe betrayal of trust and unhelpful to attempts to rebuild bridges.
Prince William, when he was questioned by a TV reporter on a public engagement last Thursday, said he had not yet spoken to his younger brother, but vowed he would.
He also insisted the Royal Family were not racists after Meghan claimed one member had raised 'concerns' about 'how dark' her baby's skin would be, and suggested there was an attempt to deprive Archie of a title and security because he was of mixed race.
The duchess also said she had been given so little support by the Palace that she suffered suicidal thoughts.
Harry said he felt 'really let down' by his father, accused him of cutting him off financially and refusing to take his calls, while also revealing the gulf with William.
The Queen responded to the Oprah interview with a deeply personal message saying that while 'some recollections vary', the issues raised, particularly that of race, were 'concerning' and would be taken seriously.
Significantly, however, she emphasised that from now on the difficulties would be addressed by the family privately.
How on earth will lobbing yet more grenades help heal the rift?
COMMENT BY STEPHEN GLOVER
Only nine days ago, Meghan and Harry launched several bazookas in the direction of the Royal Family with the assiduous assistance of Oprah Winfrey, firstly on CBS in America and then on ITV.
Tens of millions of people watched as Meghan alleged that an unidentified member of the Royal Family was racist, while Harry accused his father both of financial meanness and refusing to take his calls. Poor Prince William was said by Harry to be 'trapped'.
As family spats go, this was a humdinger. Many people on the receiving end of such public insults from close relatives might prefer not to talk to them for a fair while.
But, to their credit, Prince Charles and Prince William did not sit roasting. They appear to have picked up the telephone over the weekend to speak with hot-headed Harry. It seems they both love and care for him.
And what was their reward? CBS presenter Gayle King – a close friend of Meghan, as well as of Oprah Winfrey – informed the world yesterday that Harry had spoken on the phone with the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, jeopardising the peace process as she spilled the beans.
Ms King boasted she had talked to the Sussexes, and got from them the 'word that these conversations were not productive'.
According to her, it was 'frustrating' for Meghan and Harry that everyone was talking about the charge of royal racism.
All they had ever wanted was for the 'royals to intervene and tell the Press to stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slant'. It appears that neither Charles nor William was keen to take up the cudgels on their behalf.
I suppose we should consider the possibility that Gayle King is an out-and-out fantasist who imagines the thoughts whirling through Meghan's mind.
But it seems most unlikely. Apart from anything else, the Sussexes have not contradicted her account.
No, she was speaking as Meghan's spokeswoman – and Harry's too, I fear – in what almost amounts to an infringement of privacy by a couple who are forever complaining about media intrusion.
Yet once again they have spoon-fed an American broadcaster.
Appearances can be deceptive, but if Prince William's glum face yesterday was any guide, he was seriously cheesed off by the Sussexes' breach of confidentiality. One can understand his feelings.
Why has Meghan, with Harry presumably at her side, chosen to lob another grenade at the Royal Family just as Charles and William were recovering from the last assault?
For her calculated intervention will surely make the resumption of peace talks between the two sides more difficult. It could widen the gulf, and increase a justifiable sense of betrayal in royal circles.
Meghan is evidently an intelligent woman, who is well aware of the likely consequences of Ms King acting as her mouthpiece.
If she is prepared to risk the further souring of relations with the Royal Family, one can only assume it is because she has another motive.
Basking in the approval of millions of Americans after her Oprah Winfrey interview, and now an international celebrity in her own right, she is evidently prepared to go on undermining the Royal Family until or unless it comes to heel.
Her request for its help in her self-serving war against the Press is manifestly absurd.
She – I should say Gayle King – accuses the Press of still running 'unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slant' without (as usual) citing a single instance.
The truth is that in Meghan's view any criticism of her must be racist.
This is a wild and ridiculous assertion – which does not prevent it from being shared by her uncritical admirers.
Gayle King 'was speaking as Meghan's spokeswoman – and Harry's too, I fear,' writes STEPHEN GLOVER
How will this end? It seems increasingly unlikely that the wounds Meghan has caused, and continues to cause, will easily be healed.
She gives no indication that she wants to heal them.
From her spokeswoman Gayle King she received this implausible encomium.
'You know, she's really a very sweet, caring person. And, as I say, Meghan has documents to back up everything that she said on Oprah's interview. Everything.'
That is certainly good to know.
We await proof of her contention that she was married in secret three days before their wedding in Windsor.
Documents confirming 'several conversations' when she was pregnant about 'how dark [her baby's] skin will be when he's born' will also be fascinating.
There is, of course, one person who can help restore Meghan's sense of proportion, tighten her grip on reality, and rebuild bridges with the Royal Family. And that is her husband.
Harry can't want this increasingly messy and unpleasant estrangement from those he still loves.
I don't believe he can look forward to living as a celebrity, albeit one junior to his wife, in a foreign country, forsaken by his family.
There were wise words yesterday from former First Lady, Michelle Obama.
She spoke of the importance of public service, and insisted that 'there's nothing more important than family'.
Yes, wise words. But will Meghan – and Harry in particular – listen? I fear this story may have the unstoppable momentum of tragedy. Prince Charles and Prince William were right to pick up the phone. If they get the same treatment again, next time could be the last time.
'Public service is not about us... it's about the people we serve': Michelle Obama takes thinly veiled swipe at Meghan's interview but adds she was 'NOT surprised' by claims of Royal Family racism
Michelle Obama told NBC that racism claims didn't shock her
Michelle Obama reacted to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Oprah Winfrey interview this morning by saying that she personally chose to focus on the people she 'serves' rather than herself while in public service in what appeared to be a thinly veiled swipe at the couple.
Mrs Obama was asked by Jenna Bush Hager what she thought of Meghan's comments in a segment that aired on NBC today. 'When you watched Meghan Markle speak out, what went through your mind?' Ms Bush Hager asked.
Mrs Obama replied: 'Public service it's a bright, sharp, hot spotlight and most people don't understand it nor should they. The thing that I always keep in mind is that none of this is about us, in public service, it's about the people that we serve.
'I always try to push the light back out and focus it on the folks that we're actually here to serve.'
Ms Bush Hager then said: 'But what about when she talked about the fact that she experienced racism? I mean 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.'
Mrs Obama, who met most of the Royal Family when serving as First Lady, replied: 'Race isn't a new construct in this world, for people of color. So it wasn't a complete surprise to, sort of, hear her feelings and have them articulated.
She went on: 'The thing that hope for and the thing that I think about is that this first and foremost is a family and I pray for forgiveness and healing for them so they can use his as a teachable moment for them all.'
Mrs Obama's choice of words refers back to the war of words between Harry and Meghan and Buckingham Palace in February when the Palace said the pair were permanently stepping back from a life of 'public service' and not returning to work.
The couple responded with their own statement saying: 'We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.'
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