Can Boris sustain his royal silence?

Boris Johnson is clearly determined to avoid being dragged into this Harry and Meghan story. At his press conference this afternoon, he said that he has the ‘highest admiration for the Queen’ but emphasised that he wouldn’t be commenting on the story.

One can understand why Boris Johnson doesn’t want to get involved in this intra-family row; it is hard to see how Keir Starmer’s opining on the matter is going to help him politically. 

But Johnson’s line might prove difficult to hold. The racism charge against the royal family is incendiary. It is worth noting that Oprah Winfrey has said that Harry has told her that neither the Queen nor Prince Philip made the comment in question which will only intensify the guessing game that Harry and Meghan must have known they would start with this accusation.

If this charge begins to affect things such as how the next head of the Commonwealth is to be chosen, then it will be hard for the government to carry on just not saying anything about it.