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'No longer any trust' between Harry, Meghan and Royal Family, says royal expert

Watch: Harry's talk with William and Charles was 'not productive', says US TV presenter

The decision to share some details about a conversation between Prince Harry and Prince William will lead to a breakdown of trust between the brothers and the wider Royal Family, according to a royal biographer.

Penny Junor, who has covered the royals for 40 years, said that the ongoing issues between the family members should be dealt with privately.

Speaking to Australian newspaper Courier-Mail, Junor said of the original interview between Harry, Meghan and Oprah Winfrey was "fine" and that the Royal Family's response was "fair enough", but criticised what happened afterwards.

She said: "It's a private matter. it's a breakdown of relationships between the family."

Referring to news that Harry and William spoke after the interview, she said: "Then they've had a phone call, Harry and William and Harry and Charles, the gist of that call was then on Gayle King's show.

"I think that's the most appalling thing of this whole story, there is no longer any trust at all between the family and Harry and Meghan.

"In an ideal world William could talk to Harry face to face but now who is to say that the conversation is not going to appear all over the world on prime time television?"

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 26: Costa Award final judging panelist Penny Junor pictured tonight at the Costa Book Awards, on January 26, 2016, in London, England.

The Costa Book Awards is one of the UK's most prestigious and popular literary prizes and recognises some of the most enjoyable books of the year, written by authors based in the UK and Ireland.


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Penny Junor, here in 2016, has covered the Royal Family for 40 years. (Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

On Good Morning Britain, presenter Susanna Reid also questioned the decision to share details of the call, comparing the situation to Meghan's court case against the Mail On Sunday which published parts of a letter she wrote to her father after her wedding.

Reid said on Wednesday: "The successful legal action that Meghan took was over the disclosure of private communication between family members.

"Now they have disclosed what I am sure the other family members thought was a private conversation between family members.

"That is troubling for people to see."

But others have suggested there are double standards at play.

Watch: Piers Morgan's Meghan outbursts on Good Morning Britain become Ofcom's most complained about TV moments

Royal editor of Harper's Bazaar and author of a biography about Harry and Meghan, Omid Scobie, said: "Bit confused here, so just want to get this new royal protocol correct. It’s okay when info is leaked to the papers via a palace source but not when Gayle King shares it on TV? Righty-ho then."

Piers Morgan, who left his role hosting GMB in the wake of tens of thousands of complaints about his comments on Meghan, criticised King.

He tweeted: "Hi @GayleKing - rather than acting as your Sussex friends’ PR mouthpiece to facilitate their ongoing public trashing of our Royal Family, how about doing your job as a journalist and ask them about all the lies they told in @Oprah’s interview?

"America should hear THE truth."

Junor, who has written several biographies on the Royal Family, said that William is "incredibly protective" of his wife, and added that he will have found Meghan's comments about the alleged row between the two wives "unforgivable".

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 11: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a service marking the centenary of WW1 armistice at Westminster Abbey on November 11, 2018 in London, England. The armistice ending the First World War between the Allies and Germany was signed at Compiègne, France on eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month - 11am on the 11th November 1918. This day is commemorated as Remembrance Day with special attention being paid for this year’s centenary.  (Photo by Paul Grover- WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Penny Junor said there'd be no trust between the Sussexes and the Royal Family. Prince William and Kate with Prince Harry and Meghan in 2018. (Getty Images)

Read more: Prince William teases wife Kate as they share St Patrick's Day message

Meghan gave her version of the story about a row with her sister-in-law before her wedding saying it was Kate who had made her cry. Previously, it was reported Meghan made Kate cry.

But Meghan said Kate was "a good person" adding that she'd bought her flowers and "owned it".

The fallout from Harry and Meghan's interview with Winfrey is continuing, with the Royal Family keen to keep the solutions to the issues raised private.

The Queen issued a statement which said they would take the issues raised seriously. No formal statement has been issued since then, but William did address a question from a reporter during his first engagement.

William said his family was "very much not a racist family" as he and his wife visited a school in east London.

They had a quieter trip to the same area on Thursday, when they visited an ambulance station to discuss mental health support with the staff and paramedics.