Analysis: Royals hope for jubilee reset after tumultuous 12 months

This is a version of the December 31 edition of CNN’s Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on Britain’s royal family. Sign up here. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex exposed a major schism in the Windsor clan in March, and gave their story to the world’s most high-profile interviewer, Oprah Winfrey. Much has been written about their revelations. But most of it has been from the Sussex point of view — because it’s pretty much all we have. There have been indications from the palaces that suggest disquiet, but unofficial policy has been to “retain a dignified silence” in the face of the allegations against the family, ranging from racism to neglect.Emily Nash, royal editor at Hello! Magazine, says there’s “no doubt the Oprah interview had a huge impact on the family and the institution.” “I think there was a lot of hurt on both sides,” she tells CNN, adding that “the timing of the interview, inadvertently coinciding with Prince Philip’s hospitalization, was unfortunate.” In the immediate aftermath, the only official statement came from Queen. There were no words from Princes Charles or William. Instead, both continued their diary of engagements. William was thrown a question in a rare breach of protocol by a British reporter. He responded only to say the royal family “is very much not racist.” Neither have granted any interviews on the subject since, though we did raise it with Prince Edward, who refused to be drawn. ‘);$vidEndSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–active’);}};CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;var configObj = {thumb: ‘none’,video: ‘world/2021/03/11/prince-william-harry-family-racism-sot-newday-camerota-berman-vpx.cnn’,width: ‘100%’,height: ‘100%’,section: ‘international’,profile: ‘expansion’,network: ‘cnn’,markupId: ‘body-text_10’,theoplayer: {allowNativeFullscreen: true},adsection: ‘const-article-inpage’,frameWidth: ‘100%’,frameHeight: ‘100%’,posterImageOverride: {“mini”:{“width”:220,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210311070550-prince-william-0311-small-169.jpg”,”height”:124},”xsmall”:{“width”:307,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210311070550-prince-william-0311-medium-plus-169.jpg”,”height”:173},”small”:{“width”:460,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210311070550-prince-william-0311-large-169.jpg”,”height”:259},”medium”:{“width”:780,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210311070550-prince-william-0311-exlarge-169.jpg”,”height”:438},”large”:{“width”:1100,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210311070550-prince-william-0311-super-169.jpg”,”height”:619},”full16x9″:{“width”:1600,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210311070550-prince-william-0311-full-169.jpg”,”height”:900},”mini1x1″:{“width”:120,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210311070550-prince-william-0311-small-11.jpg”,”height”:120}}},autoStartVideo = false,isVideoReplayClicked = false,callbackObj,containerEl,currentVideoCollection = [],currentVideoCollectionId = ”,isLivePlayer = false,mediaMetadataCallbacks,mobilePinnedView = null,moveToNextTimeout,mutePlayerEnabled = false,nextVideoId = ”,nextVideoUrl = ”,turnOnFlashMessaging = false,videoPinner,videoEndSlateImpl;if (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === false) {autoStartVideo = false;autoStartVideo = typeof CNN.isLoggedInVideoCheck === ‘function’ ? 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The last time they engaged in a public war of words was in the 1990s when the court of public opinion took the side of Princess Diana side rather than Charles, to the detriment of the monarchy.This time, public reaction has been more complex. The struggles Harry and Meghan spoke of resonated with some because, at the heart of it, they were about identity. Some Britons (and others in the Commonwealth) have been left asking themselves if the monarchy still represents them. “It really divided opinion in the UK, with younger people tending to side with Harry and Meghan and older people staying firmly loyal to the Queen and her family,” says Nash. “It was a huge talking point at the time, but I wonder if some of that impact has diminished now. Certainly, the images of the Queen sitting alone at Prince Philip’s funeral … elicited enormous sympathy with the public.”American-British playwright, author and columnist Bonnie Greer feels it has left a lasting mark. “It feels like the interview may have collided with a generational shift in regards to the family,” she says, citing Barbados recently becoming a republic as an example of how times are changing. Couple this with more personal blows to the family, such as the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew and Prince Philip’s death, and Greer says, “they don’t look ‘solid’ and I think that’s what people look up to them for.” The Queen may have lost her “strength and stay” but she quickly returned to her duties. Since her own health scare in October, however, her planner has been cleared. The Queen may say “you are as old as you feel” — which is what aides told a British magazine when declining an old age award on her behalf — but the reality is she’s 95 and now using a walking stick “for comfort.” With her advancing age, she simply hasn’t been able to carry on as she once did. Ok… so this technically came out last week while we were on hiatus but it’s so cute — how could we not include it? The Sussexes finally offered us a glimpse of six-month-old daughter Lilibet in their 2021 holiday card. Taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski, Meghan is captured holding Lili in the air while Harry balances Archie on his lap. Read more.

“I remember with fondness my meetings with him and his great warmth and humour.”
The Queen remembers human rights “champion” Desmond Tutu.
Other members of the royal family sent messages of condolence following the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Prince Charles said he was “deeply saddened” over the Archbishop’s passing and described him as an “inspiration to us all” for “speaking out against the evil of apartheid and highlighting the threat of climate change.” Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, also paid tribute to Tutu, calling him an “icon for racial justice” and a “friend.””Archbishop Tutu will be remembered for his optimism, his moral clarity, and his joyful spirit. He was an icon for racial justice and beloved across the world,” they said. “It was only two years ago that he held our son, Archie, while we were in South Africa — “Arch and The Arch” he had joked, his infectious laughter ringing through the room, relaxing anyone in his presence. He remained a friend and will be sorely missed by all,” they added.