Prince Harry glad to have started conversations with Princes Charles and William following Oprah interview, Gayle King says
Prince Harry has been in touch with his father Prince Charles and his older brother, Prince William, for the first time since his and Meghan's groundbreaking interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier in the month, "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King said Tuesday.
Those conversations were not productive, the couple told King over the weekend.
However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they were glad they had begun a dialogue with the royal family and that they want the family to heal.
King said the family has yet to reach out to Meghan following the two-hour interview.
Harry had told Winfrey that he had a difficult relationship with his father following his and Meghan's decision to step back from their roles as senior royals early in 2020.
"When we were in Canada, I had three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father," he said, adding "before he stopped taking my calls."
While the Duke said he has since resumed speaking to his father, he felt "let down" by him given Charles' own past experience with Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, and her relationship with the U.K. tabloids.
The Prince was reportedly "upset" and "cut up" to hear what his younger son said, and ignored a reporter's question about it the day after the interview aired in Britain.
As for Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, Harry categorized their current relationship as "space."
Through the interview, Meghan also challenged a previous allegation that William's wife, Kate, made Meghan cry within days before her wedding — stating that the reality was in the reverse.
She and Harry also compared Meghan's harsh treatment by U.K. tabloids to Kate's, stating that racism played a role in the Duchess of Sussex' coverage. They accused the palace of not defending her like they had the Duchess of Cambridge.
Prince William told reporters the royals were "very much not a racist family" following the interview. Buckingham Palace released a statement calling the couple's allegations, particularly those of race, "concerning."
"I think what is still upsetting to them, is that the palace keeps saying they want to work it out privately, but yet, the false stories are coming out that are disparaging against Meghan still," King said.
Shortly before the interview, it was revealed that Buckingham Palace is also looking into allegations of bullying made against Meghan by royal aides. The palace has hired an external law firm to look into the claims.
King said the couple "are not going to be part of that investigation themselves."
However, the "CBS This Morning" co-host said Harry and Meghan are hoping for a less contentious relationship with the prince's relatives.
"They both want to move forward with this and they both want healing in this family," King said.