Harry and Meghan rift is 'very sad' and 'difficult' for the queen, Prince Edward says

The rift between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the rest of the royal family has been "sad" and "difficult for everyone," including Queen Elizabeth, according to the queen's youngest child.

Prince Edward spoke in a CNN interview on Thursday amid the continuing fallout from Harry and Meghan's decision to step back from the royal family and their subsequent bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, and reporter Max Foster asked how "difficult" this "family rift" has been for the queen.

"It's very sad," Edward said. "Weirdly, we've all been there before. We've all had excessive intrusion and attention in our lives, and we've all dealt with it in very different ways. We wish them the very best of luck."

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Asked again specifically about the queen's reaction to the drama, Edward told CNN that "it's been difficult for everyone." But, he added, "that's families for you."

In the immediate aftermath of Harry and Meghan's bombshell interview with Winfrey earlier this year, in which they alleged there were "concerns" in the royal family about how "dark" their baby's skin color would be, the queen vowed to "privately" address their allegations. Edward's CNN interview comes amid more royal family drama as Harry and Meghan deny claims they didn't speak with the queen about naming their daughter after her.

The interview also aired on what would have been Prince Philip's 100th birthday, and asked how the queen is coping with the loss, Edward told CNN she's been doing "remarkably well."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.