Meghan Markle wrote to Charles over her private concerns about ‘unconscious bias’ in the royal family

Amid news Meghan Markle declined her coronation invitation, a new report has revealed the duchess wrote a private letter to Charles about her grievances.

Meghan Markle and King Charles III have shared private correspondence, it’s been revealed.

According to The Telegraph, the pair exchanged letters following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s televised interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, in which Meghan, 41, alleged racism within the royal family.

The publication reports Charles, then known as the Prince of Wales, sent a letter to Meghan first following her claims that an unnamed member of the family had made comments about what colour her unborn son’s skin might be.

Charles, 74, reportedly wrote to his daughter-in-law of his “sadness” over the divide between the Sussexes and the royal family, arguing the comments made by the royal in question were not made in malice.

Meghan, who was pregnant with Lilibet at the time of the claims, penned a letter in response, thanking the King for his kind words and agreeing that the comment didn’t come from a place of ill will.

She wrote to Charles, per the Telegraph, that she never intended to accuse anyone of racism, but spoke of her concerns about “unconscious bias” within the family.

A source told the publication that both letters named the senior member of the royal family who made the remarks. The source added that Meghan didn’t feel the exchange properly addressed her grievances.

Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey how an unnamed member of the royal family made comments about her unborn son’s skin colour.

Further, the duchess felt other problems she raised, including the way her staff bullying scandal was handled by the institution, weren’t adequately resolved in the letters.

The report lines up with Prince Harry’s public statements during his PR blitz for his memoir Spare that he was still hanging out for an apology from his family for the way Meghan was treated during her time as a royal.

The 38-year-old said in multiple TV interviews that he was open to “reconciliation”, but felt the ball was in his family’s court.

“They’ve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile up until this point,” Harry told ITV’s Tom Bradby in January.

“And I’m not sure how honesty is burning bridges. Silence only allows the abuser to abuse. So I don’t know how staying silent is going to make things better. That’s genuinely what I believe,” Harry added of his decision to go public.

The Telegraph reports Charles wrote to Meghan following the Oprah interview. Picture: Carl de Souza/AFP

During the couple’s bombshell six-part Netflix docuseries, which aired in December, Harry repeatedly claimed senior members of the family would leak stories about Meghan to protect others in the institution, which became the source of their frustration, and ultimately, their decision to move to step down as working royals and move to the US in early 2020.

It comes as Meghan has declined her invitation to King Charles’ coronation in London on May 6, and will instead stay in California with her two children, Prince Archie, 3, and Princess Lilibet, 1. Coronation day is Archie’s fourth birthday.

Harry will make a quick solo trip to his home country for the occasion, where he’s expected to observe the official crowning at Westminster Abbey before flying back to the US.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Harry’s attendance two weeks ago, which came several days after the RSVP cut-off had passed.

It’s understood the Sussexes delay in making a decision boiled down to frustrations over earlier emails with the palace about official plans for the coronation, where there was no mention of Archie and Lilibet’s potential involvement.

Harry will attend the King’s coronation without Meghan. Picture: Kirsty O'Connor/AFP

Meghan and Harry were also said to be disappointed with the amount of time it took for the palace to officially grant Archie and Lilibet with Prince and Princess titles, despite Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children immediately having their titles upgraded following the Queen’s death in September.

It wasn’t until March that it was finally confirmed Meghan and Harry’s kids were using their new titles, in a statement released by the Sussex team announcing Lilibet’s christening.

“I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the (Bishop) of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor,” a statement read.

Harry is understood to have confirmed his attendance to the coronation following a private phone call with Charles recently, which the British press described as a “heart-to-heart”.

Originally published as Meghan Markle wrote to Charles over her private concerns about ‘unconscious bias’ in the royal family