Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview has sent Buckingham Palace into crisis this evening.
Aides have been locked in crisis talks since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's tell-all sit down with US TV host Oprah Winfrey aired on ITV this evening.
No topic was off limits, as the couple laid bare astonishing claims of racism, peddling lies and ignoring Meghan's cries for help when she struggled with mental health.
She told Oprah how, at one point, she 'didn't want to live anymore', according to The Mirror.
Now insiders claims the Royal Family facing its toughest test in 85 years after Edward VIII abdicated the thrown 1936 to marry US socialite Wallis Simpson.
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.
Insiders said an official inquiry would be the only answer to get to the bottom of the long list of grievances by the couple – just as the Palace last week launched an immediate probe into allegations of bullying against Meghan.
One source said: “I don’t think anyone would have predicted or will even quantify the utter devastation this will cause.
“There will be no coming back from this for Harry and Meghan.
"The Palace needs to strike the right tone with its response rather than creating a knee-jerk reaction.”
Sources suggested William and Kate were likely to be “completely dismayed” at the suggestion they did nothing to help Meghan and Harry, given their long and successful track record of championing mental health programmes.
In a dramatic day of behind- the-scenes activity aimed at softening the blows dealt by Harry and Meghan, aides locked themselves away to discuss the crisis through the night.
A reported 17 million viewers watched the Oprah interview in the US on Sunday, before it was shown on ITV here tonight.
Royal sources suggested the Queen’s most senior aides were waiting to see what the reaction to the UK airing of the chat was before responding to the catalogue of damaging claims.
Any pre-bout fears around their pal Oprah turning this TV extra- vaganza into a fluff piece about their charity work and family life were quickly kicked into touch.
From the first bell the gloves were off, with Meghan turning the heat on Kate to claim reports of her making the Duchess of Cambridge cry before her 2018 wedding were a falsehood.
Instead, it was the other way round, she insisted – but she had “forgiven” the mum of three. Meghan, 39, described it as a turning point from which she told Harry there was no return after fearing members of the monarchy’s communications teams had been briefing against her, setting her already fragile mind into overdrive.
She claimed she contemplated suicide when five months pregnant with Archie.
Meghan 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.”
The Duchess told how she sought help but claimed those she asked turned their backs on her problems.
She added: “I went to the institution and I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help… and was told I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.
“I remember this conversation like it was yesterday, because they said, ‘My heart goes out to you because I see how bad it is, but there’s nothing we can do to protect you because you’re not a paid employee of the institution’.
"This wasn’t a choice. This was emails and begging for help, saying very specifically I am concerned for my mental welfare.”
Asked if she was thinking of harming herself, or having suicidal thoughts, Meghan replied: “Yes. This was very, very clear… and very scary.”
Meghan claimed Archie, as the “first member of colour of the family” was not being titled and the convention was actively being changed to work against him.
That was debunked by insiders who pointed to the order since King George V which means when Charles becomes king their children are entitled to prince and princess titles.
Meghan told Oprah there were “several conversations” about her son Archie’s skin tone and said revealing who was involved in the talks “would be very damaging to them”.
Harry suggested his relationship with the Queen was better than ever, but his father and brother, William, were “trapped” by their destiny which stopped them from walking away as he had done.
He said he felt “really let down” by Charles, revealing how the Prince of Wales had stopped taking his calls and cut him off financially, despite him being worth £30million.
A royal source said: “The bitterness, the willingness to destroy everything and everyone they have left behind was truly breathtaking.
“The Palace has a lot to answer for but Harry and Meghan’s decisions will have monumental consequences, for ever.”
It came as Prince Philip continued his recovery in hospital from a heart procedure.
Mental health charity MIND today said: “It’s vital that when people reach out for support or share their experiences of ill mental health that they are treated with dignity, respect and empathy.
"If you or anyone you know is feeling impacted by the discussions that have taken place today, please reach out for support.”
Anyone who needs support can call the Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or email jo@samaritans.org.
