"The Royal Family's silence on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle says more than you think"

Whether you’re a fan of the Royal Family, a critic or just entirely indifferent, it’s been impossible to ignore the royal drama that’s unfolded over the last few weeks. After dropping a handful of bombshells in Netflix’s Harry & Meghan docu-series – including that Meghan Markle was doing the royal job "better than the person born to do it" – the allegations continued to come in hot and heavy in the lead up to the release of Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare.

During an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby last night, we weren’t spared much at all. Harry shared graphic details of the night he lost his virginity, the heartbreaking moment he found out his mother Princess Diana had died and the breakdown of his relationships with Prince William and King Charles III. But, as the many, many allegations and heartbreaking confessions snowballed – which have probably left even more unanswered questions and a lot of muddy water – one thing has become increasingly clear: the Royal Family is staying silent.

In fact, there’s been no word from the Royal Family since Harry and Meghan began to spill the tea, with some online commenters describing the silence as "deafening". Some members of The Firm have continued with business as usual: King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla took to social media this morning to simply wish Kate Middleton a happy birthday. It felt like throwing a tea party in the middle of a war zone. Tone deaf? We’ll let you decide.

"There comes a point where silence is betrayal," Harry said by his own admission in last night’s interview, referencing the shocking, widely complained about comments made about Meghan by Jeremy Clarkson. "The world is asking for some form of comment from the monarchy. But the silence is deafening. To put it mildly," Harry went on, echoing what’s being said on social media.

Harry also claimed that the Royal Family frequently "leak" stories to the press, causing people online to question why they appear to be remaining tight-lipped around this particular topic when they have – according to Harry, anyway – divulged in other circumstances.

The Royal Family is known to have long operated by the motto: "Never complain, never explain." This has seen them remain quiet on many occasions where the public might expect a statement, such as following the claims made by Princess Diana in her controversial BBC Panorama interview with Martin Bashir, or when the then-Prince Charles was recorded telling Camilla Parker Bowles during a private phone call that he wanted to be reincarnated as her tampon.

On other occasions, Buckingham Palace has waded in with a carefully crafted statement to avoid potential PR disasters unfolding any further. Take the fallout from Harry and Meghan’s 2021 interview with Oprah, for example, after which a statement from the Royal Family read: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

Notably, if any of the allegations Harry and Meghan have put forward were made against, let’s say, the Prime Minister, a public response from Downing Street would be expected. Even though Harry and Meghan are not working royals, nor our elected representatives, it will be difficult for many not to read the absence of a response – or, more importantly, a denial – as a possible indication that several or more of their claims may actually be true. I know I would certainly want to shout my defence if my family were claiming such things about me. Harry and Meghan summed this up perfectly when promoting their docu-series last year, telling fans: "When the stakes are so high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?"

Of course, everyone knows the Royal Family is not going to engage in bickering with the Sussexes á la Jerry Springer – although it would make for brilliant TV. But, with several serious allegations having been made, including that William physically attacked Harry and that Camilla condoned leaks to the press, as taxpayers who continue to somewhat fund the monarchy, it does raise the question of whether the British public deserves answers to at least some of the claims made.

Unfortunately, it seems that we won't get them. The British public has been caught up in the Royal Family’s apparent use of the silent treatment towards Harry and Meghan, and despite the many questionable claims that are stacking up against the monarchy, they are content to leave us all reading between the lines of the statement they haven’t made.

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