LONDON — Harry and Meghan’s allegations of ill treatment by the royal household are so serious that observers say Buckingham Palace’s silence has only added to the furor surrounding their TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.

While the palace often tries to stay above controversy by riding out the storm, royal biographer Angela Levin says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s charges are so damaging to the royal family that it will have to respond.

Levin, author of a biography on Harry, says the palace response is likely being delayed by the Queen’s struggle to balance her roles as monarch and grandmother.

She says there’s little doubt the Queen will make her decision based on what’s best for the 1,000-year-old institution she has led since 1952.

Danica Kirka, The Associated Press