London:
British Queen Elizabeth II’s statement on explosive racism claims by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dominated British media on Wednesday, with some saying she necessary to give a stronger response.
Several tabloids ran front-web page headlines choosing up on the 94-year-old monarch’s a lot-anticipated response, issued late Tuesday afternoon.
“We will always love you,” wrote The Mirror, though Metro went with “Our royal sadness”.
The Sun, on the other hand, utilised a quote of the Queen’s that appeared to cast doubt on Meghan and Harry’s account: “Recollections may vary”.
In an interview with US chat show host Oprah Winfrey, Meghan and Harry mentioned an unnamed royal asked how dark their baby’s skin would be. Meghan also recommended there have been moves to deny their son Archie privileges mainly because he is mixed-race.
The queen’s statement mentioned the household was “saddened” and that “the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning”.
It mentioned that “some recollections may vary,” but the claims “are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”
The statement “sought to draw a line under damaging racism claims,” wrote The Guardian, a leftwing broadsheet.
The Independent, a newspaper that offers tiny coverage to royal matters, named it a “rare intervention” from a monarch who “has historically kept quiet on matters of controversy”.
Former royal correspondent Peter Hunt told BBC radio the 61-word statement was “the bare minimum” at a time when the royals located themselves in an “enormous hole”.
“In my judgement, it was too little and it was too late,” he mentioned.
There have been varying interpretations of what specifically the queen meant by “recollections may vary”.
“It could refer to remarks over Archie’s skin colour, or, perhaps, the fact the couple believed protocol was to be changed to deny their son the automatic title of prince when Charles accedes the throne,” wrote The Guardian.
Most assumed it referred to the racism claim.
The Times, a rightwing broadsheet, named this “a sign that the Palace will refuse to let everything the couple said go unchallenged”.
In a commentary piece, the newspaper also mentioned the claims — and the furore it has brought on — was “a soft-power disaster for Britain”, and dragged the royal household in to the US “culture war”.
The Telegraph, a different conservative broadsheet, mentioned the statement “suggests the individual has been identified”, amid fevered speculation about the probable culprit.
But it mentioned the public is unlikely to study more as this was “expected to be Her Majesty’s final word on the matter”.
(This story has not been edited by TheSpuzz employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)