Queen ‘personally takes charge of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry fall-out with 3-line whip on Palace staff to stay quiet’
THE Queen is said to be personally taking charge of the Meghan and Harry fall-out as she quizzes senior royals over the race row.
The monarch is "privately" investigating after the Sussexes' two-hour interview with Oprah Winfrey.
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The Queen is reportedly set to take a more personal approach as she extends an olive branch to the Sussexes - with phone calls expected to take place in the next few days.
It comes after the tell-all chat with Oprah - which saw Meghan break down in tears as she and Harry revealed the pressures of being part of the Royal Family.
The Queen waited until Tuesday to comment on the explosive interview so Brits could watch it first - with the royals deciding to deal with the matter in privacy.
A statement from the Palace issued on behalf of the Queen said: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.
"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.
"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members."
The monarch will now speak to senior royals – including Charles, Camilla, William and Kate – to see what they know.
Members of the Royal Family were said to be locked in crisis talks after it aired in the US.
And the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip is still recovering in hospital after undergoing heart surgery.
The Queen had initially refused to sign off a prepared statement that officials hoped would ease tensions and show the royal's love for the couple.
The monarch was understood to have wanted more time to consider her response.
A royal insider says Harry pressed the "nuclear button on his own family" with the sensational two-hour interview.
They claimed there was a sense of "intense personal shock and sadness" - with the palace said to be paralysed with "horror and dismay".
One insider said: "There’s a lot people want to say but no one wins with a tit-for-tat battle."
Prince Harry has also said he would ";never share" the full details of the discussion but that he was asked at the start of his relationship with Meghan, how dark the skin of their children might be.
But Oprah Winfrey revealed it was not the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh who made the comment about Archie's skin.
Speaking to Oprah, Meghan said the concerns had been raised at the same time that the future parents were told Archie would not receive security as he was not a prince.
She said: "All the grandeur around this stuff is not really important to me.
"But in those months when I was pregnant, all around same time: we have in tandem he won’t be given security, a title and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born."
Oprah was left stunned and replied: "What? There is a conversation…hold on. Hold up. Hold up. Stop right now. There's a conversation with you?"
Meghan replied "With Harry" and Oprah went on: "About how dark your baby is going to be?"
Meghan replied: "Potentially, and what that would mean or look like."
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Oprah then gasped: "Whoa."
Asked whether there were concerns that her child would be “too brown” and that would be a problem, Meghan said: “If that is the assumption you are making, that is a pretty safe one.”