Meghan May Be Ready to Apologise to William and Kate, but Harry Has His Own Reckoning to Face
If Meghan Markle is genuinely preparing to apologise to members of the Royal Family for remarks made during her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, it could mark a significant change in tone after years of tension.
But there is another question hanging over any attempt at reconciliation: where does Prince Harry fit into it?
According to reports, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are considering an apology to Prince William, Princess Catherine, King Charles and Queen Camilla over comments made during their high-profile interview with Oprah.
The interview, watched by millions around the world, became one of the most damaging public moments in the relationship between the Sussexes and the wider Royal Family.
The Oprah interview remains at the heart of the dispute
During the 2021 interview, Meghan spoke about concerns allegedly raised within the Palace while she was pregnant with Prince Archie. She said there had been conversations about “how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
Harry confirmed that such a conversation had taken place but declined to identify the person involved.
He told Oprah: “That conversation, I am never going to share. At the time it was awkward, I was a bit shocked.”
Neither Meghan nor Harry named the individual they said had made the remarks, leaving the wider Royal Family under suspicion.
Harry later clarified that he regarded the comment as “unconscious bias” rather than deliberate racist malice.
The subject remains one of the most contentious elements of the couple’s account of their time as working royals.
Meghan also discussed her relationship with Catherine, recalling an incident shortly before her wedding to Harry.
She told Oprah that Kate had been upset about the flower girl dresses and that the disagreement had left Meghan in tears.
Meghan stressed that she was not raising the episode to be “disparaging” towards Catherine. Nevertheless, the story became another point of friction between the two couples.
Harry’s role cannot be overlooked
The suggestion that Meghan could now apologise raises a separate issue for Harry.
While Meghan’s comments during the Oprah interview attracted enormous attention, Harry subsequently made a series of highly personal claims about his family in his 2023 memoir, Spare.
Unlike the Oprah interview, the book named members of the Royal Family and included detailed accounts of private disagreements.
Harry wrote about William and Catherine, including the circumstances surrounding his decision to wear a Nazi uniform to a fancy-dress event. He also described a physical confrontation with William in 2019 and referred to his brother as his “arch nemesis.”
He claimed William had described Meghan as “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive”, and also wrote about conversations concerning William’s baldness.
The memoir also contained painful passages about King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Harry described Camilla as a “wicked stepmother” and wrote about his father’s difficulties with emotional expression, physical affection and communication.
He recalled the period following Princess Diana’s death and said Charles did not hug him when telling him that his mother had died.
Harry also questioned whether Charles had been equipped for the demands of raising two sons as a single parent following Diana’s death, arguing that his father lacked the patience, time and readiness required for the role.
Those revelations went well beyond the issues discussed during the Oprah interview and placed Harry himself at the centre of the family’s long-running public dispute.
A possible apology after five years
A source cited in reports about the couple’s plans has suggested that both Harry and Meghan now regret aspects of their decision to speak publicly about the Royal Family.
The source said their “one big regret” about leaving the Royal Family for the United States was the Oprah interview, adding that Meghan now believes her claim about discussions surrounding Archie’s skin colour was her “biggest mistake.”
The source also suggested that Harry’s anger towards his family influenced the way he responded at the time.
“Harry was angry with his family at the time, and backed Meghan up, but they now realise what a low blow it was,” the source said.
According to the same account, the couple want to sit down with members of the family and address what was said, with Meghan expected to apologise.
If that happens, the nature of Harry’s own response will be just as important.
Harry may have more to apologise for
An apology from Meghan could acknowledge the damage caused by the Oprah interview. But Harry’s public disclosures did not end there.
His memoir contained accusations and deeply personal descriptions involving William, Catherine, Charles and Camilla. Any genuine attempt to rebuild trust would therefore require him to confront his own contribution to the breakdown in family relations.
That could mean more than simply saying sorry.
Harry would also need to explain why his family should trust that private disagreements will remain private in the future. After years of interviews, public statements and a bestselling memoir, rebuilding that confidence could be a considerably bigger challenge than issuing an apology.
An apology would only be the beginning
There is a clear difference between acknowledging past mistakes and repairing a relationship damaged over many years.
If Meghan does apologise to William, Catherine, Charles and Camilla, it could open the door to a private conversation that has so far proved difficult to achieve.
But Harry’s role cannot be separated from that process.
He supported Meghan during the Oprah interview and later published his own detailed account of family disputes in Spare. If the couple genuinely want to move beyond the events of the past five years, Harry would have to accept responsibility for his own words as well.
For the family, an apology may matter. Trust, however, would have to be rebuilt over time.
Without that second step, even a carefully worded apology risks being viewed simply as another public relations exercise rather than a genuine attempt at reconciliation.