King Charles wrote letters to Meghan Markle about Archie’s skin color

Omid Scobie’s latest book, “Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival,” provides fresh insights into letters exchanged between King Charles III and Meghan Markle following the explosive Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021. 

The interview, which laid bare discussions within the royal family about the potential skin color of Meghan and Prince Harry’s son, Archie Harrison, marked a pivotal moment in their relationship with the monarchy.

One month after the interview aired, the Telegraph reported that King Charles III had written a letter to Meghan, expressing his sorrow over the family’s division and regret that personal matters had been aired publicly. Scobie’s book now delves deeper into this alleged correspondence.

According to sources cited in the book, Charles aimed to convey to Meghan that the remarks about skin color were not made with “ill will” or “casual prejudice.” Meghan, in turn, explained that these discussions reflected a “lingering unconscious bias and ignorance” that required attention. The exchange between them, as detailed by Scobie, was characterized by a “respectful back-and-forth,” even though both parties likely retained differing perspectives on the incident. Nevertheless, the letters achieved a sense that both had been heard.

Shortly after the Oprah interview, Buckingham Palace issued a statement on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, addressing concerns raised during the conversation. While Prince Harry clarified that the Queen and Prince Philip were not involved in the race-related discussions, the palace’s statement acknowledged the seriousness of the issues and pledged to address them privately.

Omid Scobie’s book refrains from explicitly naming individuals involved in the conversations about Archie’s skin color. In April, following the Telegraph’s report on the alleged letter exchange, a spokesperson for Meghan refuted claims that the correspondence influenced her decision not to attend Charles’ coronation.

“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,” the spokesperson asserted, dismissing any suggestion to the contrary as false and ridiculous.