Harry and Meghan blame Queen for not taking full ownership of their racism claims

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's friends have claimed that the couple felt Queen Elizabeth II fell short of taking accountability for the racism allegations they levelled against Buckingham Palace in their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March.

In a new chapter of "Finding Freedom," which details the couple's exit as working royals, co-authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand said that the Sussexes felt the Queen did not take "full ownership" of the racism allegations by saying that they had different recollections of the incidents. In a statement issued on behalf of the monarch after the tell-all, the palace had said, "the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

An excerpt from the new chapter published by People magazine reads, "The Queen's 'recollections may vary' comment 'did not go unnoticed by the couple, who a close source said were 'not surprised' that full ownership was not taken." A friend of the Duchess of Sussex told the authors, "Months later and little accountability has been taken. How can you move forward with that?''

The book further mentions that Harry and Meghan are done with airing their grievances about their royal lives, and are "really excited" about what is ahead. The couple, who have been on parenting leave since the birth of their second child Lilibet Diana on June 4, are planning to expand their in-person charity work through their Archewell Foundation and are looking forward to a busy fall and winter filled with multiple engagements.

"They're a couple who do very well in those moments of human interaction. They need to be on the ground. They say that the proof is in the pudding, and what we are about to see is that pudding," Scobie told the magazine.

"They seem to be existing in a different place, and that place is much healthier. Meghan famously spoke about that it was not enough to survive — we are now in the thrive chapter," he added.