Following the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle interview with Oprah Winfrey, former royal butler Paul Burrell has said he feels “desperately sorry” for the Queen.
During a chat on Lorraine on Monday (March 8) morning, Paul, 62, said he felt “disappointed” over everything the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in the bombshell TV programme.
What did Paul Burrell say about the Prince Harry and Meghan interview?
“Can I say how sad and disappointed I am to hear everything that’s been said in this interview?” he told host Lorraine Kelly.
“Because it reflects on the entire Royal Family and not just one member of it, and also the institution itself, of which Harry’s grandmother is head.”
Read more: Piers Morgan declares Meghan and Harry interview disgraceful and shameful
Speaking further, Paul said the Queen “has enough on her plate already” with her husband, Prince Phillip, still in hospital.
And he demanded to know how much more the 94-year-old Monarch would be able to take.
Paul continued: “I feel desperately sorry for the Queen because in the 70th year of her reign, she is facing another crisis and she has enough on her plate already, with her sick husband in hospital.
“How much can she take? She has to bear all of her family’s problems and this is just another one of them.”
I feel desperately sorry for the Queen because in her 70th year of her reign she is facing another crisis.
He also addressed the allegations of racism – and said that the Queen is “absolutely” not racist.
Paul said on the daytime show: “And to level racism against her and the institution is a very serious criticism, Her Majesty absolutely is not racist in any way, shape or form.
“I’ve stood beside her on tours and her greatest achievement, of course, is the commonwealth. And she loves touring her commonwealth and seeing her people.
Paul praises ‘good, kind’ Queen
“They don’t see colour! They don’t see that, they see people. Her Majesty is a good, kind Christian lady. It can’t be levelled at her.”
However, Lorraine argued that Harry and Meghan hadn’t actually criticised the Queen directly.
Read more: Meghan and Harry interview highlights: The 8 key revelations
She pointed out: “I don’t think they’re levelling at the Queen, they were careful not to criticise the Queen directly, what they’ve said is there was a conversation about the colour of their little boy’s skin, but they won’t tell us who it was.”
However, Paul argued that the comments are out there now. He said: “There’s blood in the water, and the sharks are circling.”
– Oprah with Meghan and Harry airs in full tonight (Monday, March 8) at 9pm on ITV
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