LONDON (AP) — Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has dismissed a UK media report that says she decided to skip King Charles III’s upcoming coronation because of her response to a letter he sent her about «unconscious bias » in the British royal family.
Both Buckingham Palace and the Duke and Duchess’s representatives previously confirmed that Prince Harry would attend the coronation without Meghan, who plans to remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The coronation will occur on Archie’s fourth birthday.
«The Duchess of Sussex lives her life in the present, without thinking about correspondence from two years ago related to conversations from four years ago,» a spokesperson for the Sussexes told NBC News. “Any suggestion to the contrary is false and downright ridiculous. «
“We encourage the tabloid media and various other royal correspondents to stop exhausting the circus that only they are creating,” the spokesperson added.
The comment comes after a report in a British newspaper. the daily telegraph citing an anonymous source, he claimed that Meghan would not attend the May 6 event because of the king’s response to concerns she raised about unconscious bias (beliefs and stereotypes that people may not be fully aware they hold), then from her explosive interview with Prince Harry on Oprah. Winfrey show in March 2021.
NBC News was unable to independently confirm these details, and Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the report.
During the interview, Meghan had said that a family member had made a comment speculating about how dark their unborn child’s skin would be, prompting widespread outcry and questions about who made the comment.
A spokesman for Charles, then heir to the throne, previously dismissed claims that he had discussed the issue.
On the heels of Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying the royal family was «saddened» to learn the extent of the challenges Meghan and Harry face.
«The issues raised, particularly that of race, are troubling,» the statement said. «While some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed privately by the family.»
Prince William has also previously commented on the interview, saying in March 2021 that the royals are «not very much a racist family.»
The king’s coronation will see Harry reunited with the rest of the family for what appears to be the first time since the release of his tell-all memoir, Spare.
Previously, it was unclear whether Harry or Meghan would take part in the big event following their announcement three years ago that they would «step back» as royals.
The lingering animosity between the sides was on full display recently in the Netflix series «Harry and Meghan», in which the pair also discussed the issue of unconscious bias.