Buckingham Palace has issued a statement on behalf of the Queen commenting on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell CBS interview.

The Palace has been under pressure all day to respond to claims made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and released a statement around 5.30PM UK time, revealing that Queen Elizabeth II is “saddened” to hear of their challenges.

She added: “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”

The unusual statement comes after Prince Harry and Markle dropped a series of bombs during their sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, which was seen by 17 million people in America and 11.3M in the UK on ITV.

During the two-hour special, Markle revealed that she was questioned about her son’s skin color before he was born. The Sussex’s did not reveal the identity of the individual who made the remarks, but later told Winfrey that it was not the Queen or Prince Philip.

Other brutal moments included Markle revealing that she considered taking her own life because her mental health took such a battering during her time in the UK, while Prince Harry said his father, Prince Charles, stopped answering his calls at the height of their break from the royal family.

The Queen stopped short of announcing a formal investigation into the race remarks, despite Buckingham Palace pledging last week to look into allegations that Markle bullied her staff while she was in residence at Kensington Palace.