People Magazine’s cover story this week is an excerpt from the paperback of Finding Freedom, which has a new epilogue. Plus, People Mag spoke to Omid Scobie, co-author of the book. Scobie told People that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will enter a new era this fall, an Era of Visibility. He also used the phrase “thrive chapter,” but I prefer Thrive Era. The point is that Harry and Meghan are looking forward, they’re focused on work, family and charity. But still, we’ve always got time for a little housekeeping, like what Harry and Meghan thought of the Queen’s infamous “recollections may vary” statement a day and a half after the Oprah interview aired.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were “not surprised” by Buckingham Palace’s reaction to their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, says an updated version of their joint bio “Finding Freedom.”
According to a new chapter in the paperback edition of the book by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand — excerpted in the newest issue of People Magazine and seen by Page Six — Queen Elizabeth’s “recollections may vary” comment on Harry and Meghan’s claims of the racism Markle said she faced as a royal “did not go unnoticed.”
The book quotes a source close to the couple as saying they were “‘not surprised’ that full ownership was not taken.”
“Months later and little accountability has been taken,” a source close to Markle said. “How can you move forward without that?”
“It took 36 hours for the palace to weigh in,” on Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, the authors write, “when Queen Elizabeth issued a statement saying they were ‘saddened to learn’ of the challenges Harry and Meghan had faced but adding that ‘some recollections may vary.’”
“Buckingham Palace,” they note, “had no further comment on the updated book.”
I still halfway wish Meghan and Harry had reacted to the “recollections may vary” statement with their own statement: “The Windsors’ recollections may vary but our records do not.” There is a paper and electronic trail backing up the Sussexes’ claims of how they were treated and what was being said behind the scenes. That, more than anything, is why the “bullying investigation” is taking so long – Buckingham Palace hired an outside law firm to look into Meghan and she has the receipts. And of course the Sussexes were “not surprised” that “full ownership was not taken.” They had been dealing with those a–holes for years.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid & WENN.
“Full ownership” will never be taken because the Windsors will never admit that they are racist – remember, they are “very much not a racist family.” and until they can admit that, they’re never going to be able to acknowledge everything else that went on, because so much of it was racist.
As what is in many ways a government agency, they should have immediately implemented diversity training and actual anti-racist training, and all working royals should have been required to attend. they are the face of the UK and the big question people had for months was “which one asked about the skin color” (not everyone was as smart as us to know that it was William.) They should have made very strong, pro-active moves to get ahead of that narrative and so far, 5 months after the interview, they have not.
The Palace should also not be exempt from anti-discrimination laws.
YES. When that story came out, what, two months ago? Rather than saying “our processes comply with all laws” they should have said something like “we waive our exemption and hereby agree to follow the anti-discrimination laws, including the processes for complaints” etc.
That just shows you the power they have to shut down stories when it suits them. That anti discrimination story should have been way bigger along with race ratio of staff that are doing domestic as oppossed to clerical work.
Full ownership would be Andrew talking to the FBI and cooperating with the investigation, rather than having protection officers or whatever conveniently lose records of his comings and goings. Full ownership would be returning every single thing that’s proudly on display at the British Museum and admitting to the harmful legacy of colonialism and seeking to make reparations instead of clinging to the delusion of the mighty British Empire. Full ownership would be transparency in their finances and accountability with respect to the money from the sovereign grant.
But you know. Long live the queen.
@LaraW how dare you. William tweeted that he wants racism in football to end. IS THAT NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU?!?!?!?!
OMG BECKS I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT GROUNDBREAKING HISTORY-MAKING TWEET! YOU’RE TOTALLY RIGHT I SEE THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN TOTAL OWNERSHIP NOW AND SOLVED EVERYTHING! 😝
Until the Royal family and all that make up that dysfunctional firm clean up and monitor the racist comments and attacks on every social media platform used by them. I don’t care to hear anything from them.. The fact that they leave those comments shows the WORLD exactly where BP, CH, KP and Firm stand on bullying and racism!
I see the tabloids are protraying this story as Harry and Meghan attacking the Queen but in reality she hasn’t taken any accountability for how they were treated. That’s just a fact. The Palace essentially called them liars even though they know that Harry and Meghan have evidence and refused to tackle the issue of racism in their institution. The tabloids will try to stretch out this story for as long as they can to distract from Andrew but I’m not getting the feeling that these “new” revelations are having the same impact as when the hardcover camd out because Harry and Meghan did the Oprah interview. Harry and Meghan doing that interview was the one of best decisions they have made.
It’s pretty stupid of the tabs to claim H&M are attacking the Queen, given that the Society of Authors yesterday retracted their statement that the media aren’t racist, and that a special issue was made re: Meghan’s race and dogwhistle coverage reflected that. Very stupid indeed.
I think you mean the Society of Editors. The SOA has had its own problems with racism, but none of it was about Meghan.
We keep hearing they have evidence, but H & M have yet to show any of it.
Newsflash: we are not surprised either. I think HM did the interview just to put out their narrative against all the slander they couldn’t defend against while inside. The royal family doesn’t change unless of course something drastic happens to the UK government and media.
Newsflash: we are not surprised either. I think HM did the interview just to put out their narrative against all the slander they couldn’t defend against while inside. The royal family doesn’t change unless of course something drastic happens to the UK government and media.
The only difference between Omid and other tabloid writers is that he tries to be fair to the Sussexes.
Their lawsuit and Oprah’s interview proved that he doesn’t have an inside tract, sure he gets stories, but nothing major.
Recollections may vary was a slap in the face and cold. But remember, this is the Queen that ignored her people’s absolute grief about the death of Diana for days and had to be dragged kicking and screaming in front of a television camera to act as if she cared. The Queen doesn’t want to deal with personal stuff and she’s not good at it anyway.
I think that’s why she doesn’t see eye to eye with people like Harry, Meghan, Diana or even a younger Prince Charles. To her, wearing your heart on your sleeve is something denigrating and dumb. This is why I think she likes Prince Andrew so much, because even though he may be going through what The Firm think its hell, he’s got the gall to ignore it and act as if nothing was happening, just like her. I agree with Meghan when she said that “what that does internally is probably very damaging”. HM’s empathy is non existent.
I’m reminded of the Helen MIrren movie, “The Queen,” in which someone says that TQ’s statement about Diana’s death has to “have the frost scraped off it.”
Betty is a passive-aggressive woman who cares only for her offspring and some grandkids. She comes out swinging in defense of pedo Prince Andrew by enabling him to play dodge ball with the USA Justice Department, paying for his legal fees out of the Sovereign grant (taxpayers money), admonishing reporters about wanting to take photos of her son Randy Andy.
When Princess Diana gave a candid interview with the BBC about the abuse she endured from bat ears Charles and the state of her toxic marriage, swift punishment was meted out by the Queen. Divorce was ordered, Security removed, and HRH title WITHDRAWN A year after their divorce was finalized Princess Diana’s life came to an early end via roadkill, after she started dating Dodi Fayed a part black Muslim.
Prince Harry and his biracial wife Meghan who are very popular (even more than Charles and William) were forced to step back by the Courtiers, William and CharlesTheQueen said and did NIL.
A lot of times the explanation is ” either he’s a liar or an idiot,” but, in this case, it’s that the BRF and their minions are both.
I guess I am a little confused by all of this because there seems to be a few Sussex supporters on Twitter who are upset with Omid Scobie over this. Are the supposed remarks about not being surprised untrue?
I really don’t think Harry and Meghan were at all surprised that the Firm refused to take ownership, maybe the “recollections may vary” bit caught them off guard because it basically said they were lying, but I doubt Meghan, at least, was surprised at the reaction.
And this:
“Months later and little accountability has been taken,” a source close to Markle said. “How can you move forward without that?”
This is the kind of thing where I doubt a source close to Meghan was saying anything, but I can also absolutely believe that’s the Sussex mindset. How can you move forward with a family who won’t admit they did anything wrong or won’t take accountability for their role in the past three years?
Maybe that’s what people were upset about? That camp Sussex does not leak and here Scobie is reporting “sources”. Hmmm. I just feel bad for H&M that yet again they’re having piles of poo lodged at them over nothing.
@LA84TEA: I think people are just tired of other people making money off the Sussexes and they’re upset that the tabloids and royalists are using this book to attack them again. For me now that Harry and Meghan has said their side of the story there’s nothing in Omid’s book that can stack up to what they actually said. And knowing that Harry is bringing out his own book nullifies the impact of Omid’s book.
Oh I see, gotcha.
It is no surprise that an institution founded on the belief that they, chosen by God, are supreme, and their whiteness reflects that supremacy. They will never admit fault because they perceive none; believe that they are above and beyond the law, and the law should curve in on itself to reflect their special status; are the epitome of arrogance, elitism and hubris.
This. I wish more people realized that what we experience or observe as racism (or misogyny) is better understood as a preference for a hierarchical world. People are good or bad, which category they are can’t be changed. These things are genetic, you can tell a lot about people from their “background.”
Really annoyed a diversity trainer when I answered the question Why are people racist? with Because they think that the racist POV is the morally superior one. They don’t think they are being racist, just “race realists.” Racism is hatred of POC because of their color. We don’t care about their color, we just know that whites are better.
That’s where the RF and palaces are on this.
The royals thought they were supreme and chosen by God before England became an empire, back when it was populated almost exclusively by white people. They still believe that they are superior to all the white people in their country (and much of the world). I really don’t follow you on “they believe their supremacy is reflected in their whiteness”. I think that argument holds a lot better for white people who have no other claims to superiority, but not at all to this arrogant bunch who thinks that they have all kinds of reasons for their superiority.
I don’t understand how they can feel that the Queen didn’t take full ownership of all that happened, and then a few months later name their daughter after her. Either they were able to make their peace with the statement and move on, or it didn’t bother them that much, but I don’t see how it can be both.
According to Omid, Harry and Meghan didn’t complain about the Queen, it was one of sources who said that. But it’s true that the Queen hasn’t taken accountability.
Well, we don’t know if they actually said any of this, but the point here is that they weren’t surprised, meaning that they expected the RF to react the way they did.
As for why H&M named their baby after the Queen, that’s been thrashed over a million times. Basically, it’s none of our business – they can name their child however they like.
+1
The statement didn’t specifically name the Queen though. That’s the tabloid spin. She wasn’t the one who said “We are very much not a racist family!” You didn’t see her running around grabbing black people to take pictures with. But you did see some other family members acting like that. Hit dogs will holler but they definitely will not take ownership.
My gosh!!! After the interview even gayle said h&m are frustrated that the palace or those people involved in chasing them out were not taking responsibility for it. This isn’t about the queen like the press is trying to make it. Stop falling for the lies. H&M have said with their whole chest they have no problem with the queen. It’s with Charles, William and the institution (men in grey suits).
I think the queen’s remark was not about herself, but about the other family members, as they are the ones who hated Meghan. My theory is that she was given a different version of events by William, in an attempt to explain away his (and his wife’s) vile behavior, and that’s why Harry and Meghan were not surprised that full accountability had not been taken. William will never ever admit that he’s wrong about anything.
They never talk directly about anything, so I took this is a backroad line of thought. I’m no fan of the queen.
Omid’s been on Twitter clarifying that a source complained about the Queen not taking accountability not Harry and Meghan. Anyway, Harry and Meghan have already said what they wanted to say to Oprah and Harry’s book comes out next year. That’s all I care about.
The one great thing about H&M trending on Twitter every week is that it keeps up their engagement numbers. If Reese Witherspoon can sell her company for $900 million based on the engagement numbers from social media…how much more will it be for H&M. I selfishly want them to take all the commercials, brand deals, endorsements and be rich rich but I know that’s not what they are aiming for. 😩
i’m glad h+m have their lives in their own hands now. they can bare their souls and speak their truth whenever they choose, get back to work when they’re ready, and give us cute anecdotes about their lives, etc, all on their own terms.
i for one am actually over the drama with the windsors. those people will never take responsibility because they’ll never get it and they just don’t care. they’re better off just pandering to their aging, right-wing base and sycophantic press, while they continue to lose both the wider narrative and the future.
i’m so ready for h+m’s next moves, though. i don’t see them ever doing tacky, desperate, typical celeb/hollywood stuff. but they’re going to be so exciting and inspiring for years to come. plus they have a huge, young, dynamic, forward-looking base of support that the other royals *wish* they had.
Ah…so this is what BM twitter was in a tizzy about. I’m trying to see where the Sussexes lied. The BRF took no ownership of the mess they made of Meghan and Harry’s life in England. None whatsoever. Couldn’t even admit there might have been some bias against Meghan. Just that bs line of “recollections may vary”. Recollections of racial abuse, misogyny and anti-Americanism may have been all in her head? Give me a break.
The weird thing about “recollections may vary” is the implication that they also may not vary. Basically, this statement doesn’t say anything one way or the other – it’s the equivalent of stating “I don’t recall” in a deposition. You don’t want to say anything for the record that might come back to bite you in court.
Not all families were made equal. This kind is the reason why some people bolt and never look back. I don’t blame them one bit. I made a decision to cut myself off from my extended family completely this year because the dysfunction and jealousy is real. Harry and Meghan, please do what suits you and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. They cannot die in the name of family.
esteemed #metoo lawyer gloria allred straight up called out the royal family for their glaring double standard in their treatment of the sussexes vs andrew (article is in the guardian).
of course the windsors are incapable of taking accountability for anything. they’re also hypocritical, and shortsighted, and bigoted, and pompous, and … you get the idea.
That Commonwealth day where Sofie and her husband were leaning over in the posture of someone trying really hard to please someone else says everything to me. It also makes the subsequent stories about Sofie and her husband’s attempts to elevate their profiles all too sad and true.
They only take ownership of colonies and resources, never for their own mistakes (including taking ownership of colonies and resources). I’ve been reading James Baldwin’s book No Name in the Street and he makes a very insightful and powerful analysis of dominating cultures and how they still benefit from their suppression of other peoples.
“Months later and little accountability has been taken.”
Check that, zero accountability has been taken. This article was kind, to the royal family.