Tabloid Misdeeds + Was the Queen’s Post-Oprah Interview Statement a ‘Jab’?

The Sun allegedly paid a private investigator more $2K to get private information on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry when they first started dating, according to a report in The New York Times. Meanwhile, the Queen‘s statement following Meghan and Harry’s historic interview with Oprah Winfrey was a “jab” at their remarks alleging racism, a source tells People.

In the statement, issued two days after the interview, she said the family was “saddened” to hear of Meghan and Harry's challenges and stated “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.” But she also remarked that “some recollections may vary” when it comes to the issues and concerns raised in their interview.

That remark about recollections varying was an indictment, insiders say. In the interview, Meghan said she was “silenced” and denied help, despite being suicidal. She also said that a senior royal voiced concerns over how “dark” Archie’s skin would be.

FALL OUT

The interview may have not had the results the pair anticipated, a new poll released by YouGov reveals. A poll of 1,476 adults, conducted by YouGov for The Economist, found Harry has a net favorability rating of +28 percent with Meghan on +15 percent. Elizabeth, meanwhile, had a favoribility rating of +42 percent, while Prince William‘s was +34 percent and Kate Middleton‘s was +33 percent.

Piers Morgan, who lost his job over his treatment of Meghan on Good Morning Britain, is now using Twitter as a way to vent his anger. He dubbed Gayle King Meghan and Harry’s “PR mouthpiece” after the CBS This Morning co-host revealed that Harry’s conversations with royals after the interview were “not productive.”

He tweeted: “Hi @GayleKing — rather than acting as your Sussex friends' PR mouthpiece to facilitate their ongoing public trashing of our Royal Family, how about doing your job as a journalist and ask them about all the lies they told in @Oprah's interview?”

He later followed up on those comments by writing, “It's not 'racist' to disbelieve someone who's telling lies” on social media.