When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sat down with Oprah Winfrey, they made several shocking allegations against the royal family.
Meghan says she was told she couldn't get help for suicidal thoughts and claimed there were "concerns" about how dark her son Archie's skin would be, while Harry said he wasn't protected by his family.
There have been calls for the Queen to respond to the upsetting and shocking statements ever since it first aired in the US on Sunday night, however Buckingham Palace waited until Tuesday night to have their say.
56 hours after the interview ended, a statement issued by Buckingham Palace on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen said: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.
"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.
"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members."
After the statement was issued, a senior source explained why the Queen and the senior members of the family waited until it had been aired in the UK.
There were reports last night that the Queen had refused to sign off a statement aimed at 'de-escalating tensions' yesterday.
The newspaper writes that the monarch was believed to want further time to consider her response before penning any direct statement.
The source said: "At the heart of all of this there is a family.
"They should be given the opportunity to discuss the issues raised privately, as a family.
"It has been important for us to carefully consider any response before issuing; and of course releasing something today meant viewers in the UK had the opportunity to watch the interview, if they wished to, first.
"Diversity, equality, inclusion and mental health are important issues and highlighting that has formed part of the work of Members of the Royal Family for many years."
According to the Daily Mail the Queen, at Windsor, spoke with her son Charles and grandson William before releasing the statement.
The Queen was said to have chosen not to watch the chat, but received a detailed report from aides who did at breakfast on Monday morning.
A Palace source said: “The overriding feeling throughout this whole sorry saga is one where many people, especially the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge, have been left immensely saddened.
“There is a distinct feeling inside the camp there must have been a better way to solve the issues by coming together, rather than the nuclear decision that has resulted in everything being discussed so publicly and without reason.
“When all is said and done, no one is likely to come off smelling of roses.”
Another source added: “The family do feel Meghan and Harry were given a lot of support, but of course questions will be raised as to what else could have been done to smooth the transition for them.
"A lot of the feeling is that Harry didn’t necessarily explain to her it was a marathon and not a sprint, before they both got totally carried away with thinking everyone was against them.
“There will always be a willingness to repair the relationships, even though they are pretty shattered, but first everyone needs to take a step back to try to understand why it came to this.”
Senior royals have called for calm after the much-anticipated interview which was heavily teased last week to ensure maximum impact.
