A noble queen KATE'S VISION FOR HER FUTURE SELF

How the princess sticks up for her family behind the scenes

- Judy Kean

They were three words that raised many eyebrows. When the statement issued by the royal family in response to Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey contained the phrase "recollections may vary", it seemed like a dig at the couple.

The iron-fist-in-velvet-glove comeback to the Sussexes' interview was unusually robust for the royals, who tend to stick to a stance of "Never complain, never explain". Now it has been revealed that it was Catherine, Princess of Wales who pushed for the phrase to be included in the carefully worded statement signed off by the late Queen in March 2021.

During a meeting to discuss how to respond to the controversial interview which included claims from Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, that a member of the family had made racist comments about the possible colour of their son in favour of a "toughened up" statement, according to royal correspondent Valentine Low.

In an updated version of his book Courtiers, Valentine says Kate, 41, was even "steelier" than William, 41, when it came to deciding what to write. Palace staff had wanted to send out "a much milder version" than the statement that was released after the interview sparked a global racism storm, but Kate stood her ground when it came to disputing what the Sussexes had said.

In the end, the statement read, "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.