Queen Elizabeth Breaks Silence Over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Interview With Oprah Winfrey

Queen Elizabeth II is speaking out following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen on Tuesday, just two days after the special aired on CBS. Throughout the broadcast, titled Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special, Meghan and Harry addressed everything from "feeling trapped," to personal struggles with mental health and allegations of racism within the institution. 

"The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan," the new statement from Buckingham Palace reads. "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," the statement continues. "Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members."

Pertaining to the issues of race, Meghan claimed in the interview that there were "concerns and conversations about how dark [son Archie's] skin might be when he's born," for example. She said it would be "damaging" to reveal who had voiced those concerns. 

Harry later confirmed to Oprah that a conversation about Archie's skin color did take place, but he wasn't comfortable sharing any further details. "That conversation, I'm never going to share. But at the time, it was awkward. I was a bit shocked," he said. "That was right at the beginning... 'What will the kids look like?'"

During Monday's CBS This Morning, Winfrey revealed that Harry had told her that the person who made these remarks wasn't his grandmother, the queen, or his grandfather, Prince Philip.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl told ET earlier this week that Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family are taking the couple's allegations, particularly about racism, very seriously, and that Buckingham Palace would have "no choice" but to respond. 

"The queen's mantra has always been, 'Never complain, never explain.' I think the Palace was hoping and certainly newspapers were being briefed over the weekend that this would just be a storm that blew over given time,'" Nicholl said. "I think we've all realized on both sides of the pond that this storm is not going to go away anytime soon." 

"The can of worms has been opened, some very serious things have been said, and I think the Palace really has no choice but to issue some sort of a comment," she added. "It's opened up a Pandora's Box and there is something of a witch hunt to find out which royal it is."

Hear more in the video below.

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