Prince Harry has claimed the royals asked why Meghan should be "protected" from media speculation, alleging he was told it was something all royal women - including Princess Diana and Kate - have to go through.
Speaking in episode two of Harry & Meghan, the six-part Netflix docuseries released on Thursday, the Duke claims the Palace told them to say nothing when it came to stories printed about them - which is in line with the family's 'Never Complain, Never Explain' motto.
He tells the camera that his relatives said their wives had to endure press intrusion in the early days of their relationships, so when he started dating Meghan she shouldn't expect any special treatment.
As he speaks, a montage of photographers taking snaps of his mum Princess Diana, Sarah Ferguson and the then Kate Middleton plays over his voice.
Harry says: "The direction from the Palace was don’t say anything.
“But what people need to understand is, as far as a lot of the family were concerned, everything that she was being put through, they had been put through as well.
“So it was almost like a rite of passage, and some of the members of the family were like ‘my wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she be protected?'”
“I said ‘the difference here is the race element’.”
Meghan adds: "It was horrible, but I continued to hold the line and say nothing. "
While Harry says: "Eight days after the relationship became public I put out a statement calling out the racist undertones of articles and headlines that were written by the British press as well as outright racism from those articles across social media."
It comes after Harry has shared a tense relationship with his family since he quit his royal role with wife Meghan Markle back in 2020.
He hit out at his father King Charles during his interview with Oprah Winfrey, accusing his dad of cutting him off financially.
He also said his father and brother were unable to escape the royal system. He said: "Trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are. My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that."
During the explosive interview, Harry said he was speaking to Charles but admitted "a lot had happened".
He said: "There’s a lot to work through there, you know? I feel really let down, because he’s been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like.
"I will always love him, but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened. And, and I will continue to, to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship. And, but they only know what they know, and that’s the thing."
Harry's memoir, Spare, which hits the shelves in January is also set to include unflattering details about the King and his wife, Harry's stepmother, Camilla.
Despite the tension, Charles included his younger son in his accession speech following the Queen's death in September.
After appointing Prince William and his wife, Kate, as the Prince and Princess of Wales, he said: "I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas."
Ahead of the release, Charles and William's staff had crisis talks to prepare for how to deal with allegations.
A senior royal source told The Mirror: “There is a completely united front from the King and his family concerning the numerous attempts to privately make peace with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which sadly have once again resulted in the other side wishing to air their repeated grievances to the world.
“If there is a need to respond to anything in the upcoming series then you can be assured that response will be swift and robust.”
Palace insiders have nicknamed Harry and Meghan “the Kardashians” because “they want all the attention they can possibly get”.
