Buckingham Palace has maintained its silence over Harry and Meghan’s latest Netflix accusations — as one of the late Queen’s most loyal aides hit out at claims of a briefing war.
The final three episodes of the documentary were released on Thursday, with Harry accusing his brother William of “screaming and shouting” at him in a Sandringham showdown.
The Duke of Sussex also claimed his brother authorised aides to brief against him, and the couple’s lawyer Jenny Afia said she had seen evidence of “negative briefing from the palace against Harry and Meghan to suit other people’s agendas”.
The King has decreed that his staff should maintain a dignified silence, with Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declining to comment.
However, the Standard understands that the King has made clear that he loves both his sons and hopes Harry and Meghan find peace and happiness.
More than 15 members of the royal family put on a united front on Thursday night at the Princess of Wales’s Together at Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey.
Aisla Anderson, who served as communications and press secretary to the late Queen for more than a decade, said briefing against the royals would be counterproductive and damaging.
“In the 13 years that I worked for the royal household, there is not one occasion where I ever briefed against another member of the royal family.
“It would be completely counterproductive; it would damage the institution. It would be wrong, and the Queen would not sanction it,” she told ABC’s Good Morning America.
Another former member of the Royal Household said Harry and Meghan seemed to have a “perverse” understanding of how staff serving the royal family operate. “To claim the media are the royal family’s ‘partner’ is ridiculous,” they said. “Like any institution the monarchy must have a working relationship with the press, but it cannot — in a free society — tell editors what to do. The press cannot be controlled by monarchy.
“As for people paid by the Queen, briefing against members of the royal family to bolster the popularity of their principal, well that would be a sackable offence.”
At the carol concert last night William read a passage from the Queen’s 2012 Christmas Speech in which she said she was “always struck by the spirit of togetherness” at Christmas.
Kensington Palace said the service, the second Kate has held, was dedicated to the late Queen and the values she demonstrated throughout her life, including “duty, empathy, faith, service, kindness, compassion and support for others”.
The palace said these principles were “shared and personified by the inspirational guests” who were invited to the abbey in recognition of their “tireless work to help and care for those around them”.
