Boris Johnson declined to comment on the Harry and Meghan interview, as a minister accused Harry of “blowing up his family.”
Mr Johnson said he had the “highest admiration” for the Queen but refused to be drawn on the bombshell claims in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Oprah Winfrey interview.
At a Downing Street press conference, he said: “I have always had the highest admiration for the Queen and the unifying role that she plays in our country and across the Commonwealth.”
But on “all other matters to do with the royal family, I have spent a long time now not commenting on royal family matters and I don’t intend to depart from that today”, he dded.
Mr Johnson also remained silent over the Duchess of Sussex’s suggestion of racism.
Asked whether he believed the royal family was racist, he told a Downing Street press conference: “I really think that when it comes to matters to do with the royal family, the right thing for prime ministers to say is nothing and nothing is the thing that I propose to say today about that particular matter.”
Not ‘Buckingham Palace’ - Harry’s family. Harry is blowing up his family.
— Zac Goldsmith (@ZacGoldsmith) March 8, 2021
“What Meghan wants, Meghan gets”. https://t.co/2ui5anDvpg
However, Government minister Lord Goldsmith took a different tact, claiming Harry was “blowing up his family” with the Oprah interview.
Lord Goldsmith made the statement in response to a tweet by ITV Royal Editor Chris Ship claiming that Harry and Meghan had "dropped bomb after bomb" on Buckingham Palace during their interview.
"Not Buckingham Palace - Harry is blowing up his family",the Conservative peer and minister for Pacific and the environment said in a tweet.
“‘What Meghan wants, Meghan gets'", he added.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the allegations made by the Duchess of Sussex in her television interview must be taken seriously.
Speaking during a visit to a school in Dagenham, east London, Sir Keir said: “It is really sad to see the family in turmoil like this.
“The issues that Meghan has raised of racism and mental health are really serious issues.
“It is a reminder that too many people experience racism in 21st-century Britain. We have to take that very, very seriously.
“Nobody, but nobody, should be prejudiced (against) because of the colour of their skin or because of their mental health issues.
“This is bigger than the royal family. For too many years we have been too dismissive and too willing to put these issues to one side.”
