The Palace’s stilted, fusty response echoes death of Diana – but Meghan’s interview is different

While nobody was expecting the royal family to fly Black Lives Matter banners from the crenellated walls of Windsor Castle – though more’s the pity, writes Andrew Buncombe – is this all they are going to say?

The palace bowed to public pressure after the death of Diana (AFP/Getty)

Years ago, I was ordered by the news editor of a mid-market tabloid to go to the picture desk and take a look at two images of Princess Diana.  One showed her wearing a green swimsuit. The other, in a costume that was blue. I was given the number of the photographer who’d provided the images and told he would fill me in on “the story”.

The “story”, the photographer (either sitting in the Caribbean or at his desk in his London agency) explained, was that both images had been taken the same day. Diana was very clearly sending a message by her change of swimsuit! The message, the photographer claimed, was aimed at her sometimes boyfriend Dodi Fayed, son of  tycoon Mohamed al-Fayed, then the owner of Harrods.

Back at my computer, I bashed out some paragraphs, assuming my words would never see the light of day. As it was, the next morning my story about Diana and her swimsuit “message” was splashed over the entirety of page three.