Royal family: King Charles Corresponded with Meghan Markle Regarding Concerns About Skin Color… See more

It was an interview that changed everything.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat down for their March 2021 conversation with Oprah Winfrey, major bombshells were dropped—including that there had been discussions within the royal family about what the skin color of the couple’s son Archie Harrison would be prior to his 2019 birth. Now, a new book from Omid Scobie titled Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival, sheds new light on the incident, and on how Buckingham Palace responded.

To refresh, one month after the interview aired in 2021, the Telegraph reported that King Charles III had written to Meghan expressing his sadness over how the family had become divided, and his regret that she and Harry has chosen to share so much publicly. Omid’s book now provides more details on this alleged correspondence.

Per the book, sources said that Charles wanted to make clear to Meghan that he didn’t feel the remarks regarding skin color were made with “ill will” or “casual prejudice.” His daughter-in-law then tried to explain how the conversations were an example of, per Endgame, a “lingering unconscious bias and ignorance” that needed to be addressed.

The Most Shocking Parts of Prince Harry’s Spare

Omid details that the two had a “respectful back-and-forth,” but that the then-Prince of Wales and Meghan likely still didn’t regard the incident in the same way. The letters did, however, accomplish “at least a feeling that both had been heard.”

Shortly after the interview aired, Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, addressing some of the issues raised during the conversation.

Though Harry was sure to clarify to Oprah that the Queen and Prince Philip were not part of the race conversation, the statement included, “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.”

In April, after the Telegraph‘s report about the alleged letter exchange was published, noting it’s “thought to be one of the factors” behind Meghan’s decision to not attend Charles’ coronation, a rep for the Duchess of Sussex spoke out.

The Duchess of Sussex is going about her life in the present, not thinking about correspondence from two years ago related to conversations from four years ago,” her spokesperson told E! News at the time. “Any suggestion otherwise is false and frankly ridiculous.”

And keep reading for more bombshells from Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival.