The Queen is “saddened” to hear the full extent of the challenges faced by the Sussexes and the issues raised around race are “concerning”, Buckingham Palace has said in response to the shocking Oprah interview.

The Palace said while “some recollections may vary” they are taken “very seriously”, but would be addressed by the family privately.

Harry, Meghan and Archie will “always be much loved family members”, the statement said.

The monarchy was left in crisis after Harry and Meghan delivered their dramatic revelations on primetime television.

The Sussexes laid bare their brief lives as a working royal couple, alleging a member of the family – not the Queen or Duke of Edinburgh – made a racist comment about their son, and how the duchess had suicidal thoughts but her approaches to the monarchy for help were turned down.

The statement on behalf of the Queen said: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.

“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.

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”

Pressure had been mounting on the Palace to respond to accusations of racism in the royal family following the explosive interview.

The statement came a day and half after the two-hour conversation was aired in the US.

During the candid interview, Meghan suggested her son was not made a prince because of his race – although rules set by George V meant he was not entitled to be one.

She also spoke about having suicidal thoughts but her approaches to the monarchy for help were turned down.

Other revelations included Harry’s admission he has become estranged from his father, the Prince of Wales, saying: “I feel really let down”, but added that he would make it one of his priorities “to try and heal that relationship”.

In a lighter moment, the couple, who announced in February that they are expecting their second child, said they are due to have a baby girl in the summer.

Winfrey asked of Archie’s lack of title: “Do you think it’s because of his race? I know that’s a loaded question.”

Meghan replied: “I can give you an honest answer. In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time, so we (had) the conversation of he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title.

“And also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”

The chat show host was told it had been raised by a member of the royal family with Harry.

The duchess said: “That was relayed to me from Harry, those were conversations the family had with him, and I think it was really hard to be able to see those as compartmentalised conversations.”

Meghan would not say who the family member was and when Harry was later asked about the episode he also declined to name the person and said: “That conversation, I am never going to share. At the time it was awkward, I was a bit shocked.”

The duke also added that none of his relatives spoke out in support of Meghan following the racism he said she faced in the media.

“No-one from my family ever said anything over those three years. That hurts,” Harry said.

Commenting on her mental health crisis, when she felt she did not “want to be alive anymore”, the duchess said: “I went to the institution, and I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said that, ‘I’ve never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere.’

“And I was told that I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.” Meghan described how nothing was done when she contacted other unnamed individuals and she “had to find a solution”.

When Winfrey suggested if the answer was “I don’t want to be alive anymore,” Meghan replied “Well, I thought it would have solved everything for everyone, right?”

Harry was equally cutting about the financial support he received from his family, saying they “literally cut me off financially” in the first quarter of 2020, and he went for the Netflix and Spotify deals to pay for his security.

He said he had what Diana left him and “without that we would not have been able to do this”.