A Monarchy In Meltdown

Queen Elizabeth is facing a grave crisis in the wake of the Oprah interview with questions being raised over the future of the royal family

- Nici De Wet

Just four years ago, the world was transfixed by a glossy-haired young woman with a smile as sunny as the state of California and American confidence oozing out of every perfect pore.

It wasn’t hard to see why Prince Harry fell for her – the rest of the world was in love with her too.

She was a breath of fresh air in an institution regarded as stuffy and set in its ways, a woman of the world who would propel the family into the 21st century and help cement its place in the future.

But oh, how profoundly it has all come tumbling down – and now the monarchy faces one of the biggest crises in its history.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s explosive tell-all with Oprah Winfrey has divided the world firmly down the middle.

On the one side are the Sussex supporters, who believe Meghan (39) is right in telling “her truth” and that the monarchy is an archaic institution out of touch with today’s world – and racist and uncaring to boot.

On the other are royal fans, who view Meghan and Harry (36) as whiny, ungrateful, privileged so-and-sos and regard their “public trashing” of the royal family as unforgivable and disrespectful.

Veteran royal biographer Robert Lacey sums up the great divide: “It’s an enormous clash of cultures and values, a clash of generations, a psychological clash between the stiff upper lip and the wobbly lower chin.”

Appalled courtiers are calling the interview “Soprah”, the “Sussex circus” and even “an act verging on treasonous”.