The royal row

1. ‘Never complain, never explain’

Race row

The Royal Family is facing an unprecedented PR disaster as racism allegations made by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle threaten to tarnish the Crown’s reputation across the world.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired in the US on Sunday, the couple claimed that a member of the family raised “concerns” about “how dark” the colour of their son Archie’s skin would be when he was born.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex declined to name the family member. But the allegations of racism within “The Firm” are dominating headlines and reportedly sent shockwaves through Buckingham Palace.

What next for Royal Family after ‘racism’ allegations by Sussexes?

2. The tell-all Oprah interview

‘Final straw’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to give their first in-depth television interview since stepping back from royal duties. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expected to tell US chat show host Oprah Winfrey why they walked away from the monarchy in a 90-minute special to be shown on the US network CBS on Sunday.

In a third teaser clip for the interview, Markle said she is not afraid of the consequences of speaking out because “a lot... has been lost already”. But the exclusive tell-all is expected to further damage relations between the Sussexes and Buckingham Palace.

Why Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview is the ‘final straw’ for Royal Family

3. Is Markle a ‘bully’?

Palace allegations

A year after Prince Harry and Markle suddenly stepped down from frontline royal duties, an explosive series of briefings against the Duchess of Sussex in The Times have seen her accused of bullying during her time in Kensington Palace.

Coming just days before the pair sit down for the exclusive interview, the allegations have prompted some pundits to suggest that the royals are worried about what the pair may have disclosed.

Aides “approached The Times because they felt that only a partial version had emerged of Meghan’s two years as a working member of the royal family and they wished to tell their side”.

Are Royal aides out to sink Meghan Markle - or is she really a ‘bully’?

4. The ‘Sussex Survivors Club’

The denial

Hopes of repairing the rift between the Sussexes and “The Firm” are fading fast following the announcement that Buckingham Palace is launching an investigation into claims that Markle bullied royal staff.

The complaints come from a group in Kensington Palace who “only half-jokingly” refer to themselves as the “Sussex Survivors’ Club”, the Daily Mail reports. But the couple have pushed back against the bullying allegations, with a spokesperson saying the duchess was “saddened” by the “latest attack on her character”.

Can Harry and Meghan avoid the ‘revenge of the Sussex survivors’?