UK home secretary Priti Patel on Monday (13) dismissed suggestions that some of the country's media coverage of Meghan Markle had racist connotations, ahead of crisis talks to be hosted by Queen Elizabeth to chalk out the future roles for Prince Harry and his wife.
Patel will oversee the final security arrangements for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they step back from the royal frontline and divide their time between the UK and North America in the future.
“I'm not going to provide any detailed information on the security arrangements for either them or any members of the royal family… At this moment in time, right now, the royal family themselves need some time and space for them to work through the current issues that they're dealing with,” she told the BBC.
Asked if she believes there has been an element of racism in the press coverage against Markle, she noted: “I'm not in that category at all where I believe there's racism at all. I think we live in a great country, a great society, full of opportunity, where people of any background can get on in life."
Markle, 38, an American, spent a lot of her working life in Canada as an actress.
“I certainly haven't seen that through any debates or commentary or things of that nature,” added Patel.
In a Buckingham Palace statement back in 2016, Prince Harry had condemned the “racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls” against his then fiancee Markle.
Some media commentators have raised the issue again in the past few days after the couple went public with their intention to step back as senior royals, apparently without consulting the Queen.
The bombshell announcement last week triggered an unprecedented crisis within the royal household, with the 93-year-old monarch set for her first face-to-face discussion with grandson Harry on Monday.
Her son and heir, Prince Charles, has flown back from Oman to join the so-called Sandringham Summit at her estate in Norfolk along with his older son and the second in line to the throne Prince William.
Markle, who had left for Canada last week to be with the couple’s eight-month-old son Archie, is expected to join over the telephone.
They are set to review a range of possibilities for the couple, taking into account plans they themselves have laid out. Only a broad outline is likely to be agreed at the crisis talks, leaving the implementation details to be thrashed out over time.
Some of the issues to be discussed during what has been dubbed as a royal showdown would include how much “official” royal work Harry and Meghan will do in the UK and overseas on behalf of the royal family and the government; Harry and Meghan’s His and Her Royal Highness titles, and how they will be styled.
Also on the agenda would be how much money they might receive from the Queen and Prince Charles once their Sovereign Grant public funding is cut; and what commercial deals the couple might be allowed to strike.
Meanwhile, some UK media reports indicate that Harry, who has always been close to his grandmother the Queen, is in turmoil over the crisis.
“He is under intense pressure to choose. It is sad,” The Times quoted a source as saying.
There are also some fears that the couple might resort to a kind of tell-all interview unless an acceptable solution is found. This would result in further embarrassment for the royal household, which is said to be “hurt” by Harry and Meghan's move.
On their official Sussex Royal website, the couple have laid out their intention to assume a more financially independent role while supporting the Queen and the monarchy from a distance.
However, this half-in, half-out combination has never been tested by the royal family before and poses a range of complications for a traditionally conservative and stiff upper-lipped monarchy.
There is unlikely to be much official information released to the public after Monday's Sandringham Summit, with the expected outcome being an announcement that talks will continue.
Davindra and Seema Misra, and Vijay and Gita Parekh
Varchas Patel with his father Vipin and mother Jayshriben
Hasmukh Shingadia and his wife Chandrika were all victims of the Horizon scandal
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)