Downing Street has refused 24 times to comment on the crisis engulfing the royal family after Boris Johnson watched Meghan and Harry's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman today confirmed Mr Johnson did watch the two-hour ITV special last night after saying he'd "probably miss" it.
But the spokesman refused to go further than Mr Johnson's comments at yesterday's No10 press conference, when he said: "I’ve always had the highest admiration for the Queen and the unifying role she plays in our country and across the commonwealth.
"As for all other matters to do with the Royal Family I’ve spent a long time now not commenting on Royal Family matters and I don’t intend to depart from that today."
This is untrue. Mr Johnson has regularly commented on the royal family.
Last year, when Meghan and Harry stood back as senior royals, he said "the whole country will want to join in wishing them the very best for the future" and "as I said before … I was sure the royal family, which has been around a very long time, will find a way forward.”
At a No10 briefing today, journalists asked if the Prime Minister was still friends with Charles Spencer; if he agreed with minister Zac Goldsmith that the couple were "blowing up" the royal family; if he agreed with President Joe Biden that Meghan was "courageous" for speaking out about mental health; if he thought the royals were racist; if he thought racism claims would affect the UK's reputation; what he thought of the couple being "trapped" in the system; whether there should be a debate on the role of the monarchy; whether he or others should speak out on racism or mental health more generally; and whether Buckingham Palace had asked him not to comment.
The PM's official spokesman refused to give substantive answers to any of the questions.
He told journalists: "All I can do is echo what the Prime Minister said in the press conference last night. I won't be adding anything further to his comments."
Buckingham Palace is in crisis talks over how to respond to the devastating interview by US chat-show queen Oprah Winfrey with Prince Harry and Meghan.
Meghan claimed she contemplated suicide when five months pregnant with Archie.
She said: “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. And I remember how he [Harry] just cradled me.”
Meghan claimed a member of the Firm, talking about baby Archie before he was born, had “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be”.
The Royal Family are now facing serious questions over the racism allegations and whether members and officials knowingly ignored the Duchess’s mental health issues, including contemplating suicide.
Oprah said yesterday the prince told her off camera that the remarks were not made by the Queen, 94, or Prince Philip, 99.
That has left speculation about which member of the royals may have made the comments.
