Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson has said she was left “dumbfounded” by Meghan Markle’s claims during her infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey
Meghan and Harry pictured with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in July 2018 (Image: Max Mumby/Indigo, Getty Images)
One of Queen Elizabeth II’s most trusted advisers has discussed the moment Meghan Markle left her “dumbfounded”. Ailsa Anderson, who served more than a decade as the late Queen’s press secretary, delivered the striking remarks on a Channel 5 documentary titled Harry and Meghan: Has America Had Enough?
The programme, which broadcasts this weekend, examines how sentiment has shifted towards the Sussexes following their relocation abroad. Throughout it, Prince Harry and Meghan’s extraordinary interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 was examined.
One of the most distressing segments of that broadcast occurred when Meghan disclosed her difficulties during her pregnancy with Archie. She discussed the “very clear and real and frightening constant thought” of no longer wanting to be alive.
She also famously told Oprah: “So we had in tandem the conversation of he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born.”
Responding to these allegations of racism within the Royal Family, Ailsa told the documentary: “This was not the monarch I recognised. I worked for the late Queen for almost 13 years. I have never ever heard any utterings, in private or in public, of anything of a racial nature, ever. Absolutely ever.
Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth pictured in 2018 (Image: Getty Images)
“So I was dumbfounded… I really was.”
Following the jaw-dropping interview, the late Queen famously issued a statement where she said “some recollections may vary” in response to suggestions of palace racism. Meghan subsequently disclosed in her and Harry’s behind-the-scenes Netflix documentary that she had been given “strict orders” about her public wardrobe, and that she was forbidden from wearing the same colour as the Queen.
Responding to this, however, Ailsa remarked: “When those queries and doubts start creeping in, the public start doubting everything else you are talking about. It’s a gradual erosion of her credibility.”
Despite this, Ailsa believes Harry and Meghan are capable of rebuilding their public image in America, and that nothing would come as a surprise to her going forward.
Ailsa Anderson and Queen Elizabeth (Image: Philip Coburn)
Sharing her concluding views on the high-profile couple, she said: “I don’t think it’s too late for them. I mean, who would have thought President Trump was going to be president again?”.
“The world is a very forgiving place. They haven’t murdered anyone. If they can’t find a place in America, where can they find a place?”.
Last year, Ailsa offered an insight into what Harry was like in person, telling the Daily Mail: “My engagement and my experience with Prince Harry has only been positive. He is very warm and very engaging and kind, so only fond memories of him, truly.”
She also urged him to “stop being the victim” in a documentary entitled Prince Harry: My Terrible Year, further adding: “I think potentially it is almost a crossroads for him now, what does he do next?”
Harry & Meghan: Has America Had Enough will air on Channel 5 on Saturday June 13 from 8.35pm