Kate Middleton helped formulate Buckingham Palace's response to Prince Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview, a royal book claims

• Kate Middleton reportedly played a key role in the response to Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview.
• The line "recollections may vary" in the palace's statement was said to be pushed forward by Kate.
• Royal author Valentine Low spoke to anonymous sources with knowledge of the response. 

Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, was instrumental in wording Buckingham Palace's response to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, according to royal author Valentine Low.

Prince Harry and Meghan made a series of allegations about the royal family in their first major interview since resigning from royal duties which aired in the US on March 7 and the UK on March 8, 2021. Meghan said that Kate made her cry over bridesmaid dresses in 2018 and that an unnamed family member made comments about their son Archie's skin tone before he was born. 

In a statement released on behalf of the Queen on March 9, 2021, Buckingham Palace said that "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," it continued.

"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members," the statement concluded.

In an excerpt from the updated edition of his 2022 book, "Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown," which was published in The Times of London on Friday, Low spoke to anonymous royal sources who reflected on how the palace's statement was drafted. 

Low wrote that while some people have attributed the now-famous "recollections may vary" line to King Charles' private secretary, Clive Alderton, more than one source has attributed it to Jean-Christophe Gray, Prince William's private secretary, who had been in his role for less than three weeks at the time of the interview.

At least two senior royal officials were against the inclusion of the line because of the feared reaction from the Sussexes, according to Low. But one person who was instrumental in its inclusion was Kate, an anonymous source told the author.

"It was Kate who clearly made the point, 'History will judge this statement and unless this phrase or a phrase like it is included, everything that they have said will be taken as true,'" the source said. 

"She does not get as much credit as she should, because she is so subtle about it. She is playing the long game. She has always got her eye on, 'This is my life and my historic path and I am going to be the Queen one day,'" the source added.

Kate's involvement has not been officially confirmed by Buckingham Palace. Kensington Palace declined to comment when contacted by Insider and representatives for Buckingham Palace and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

Nonetheless, Low's book is "authoritative and well researched," Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator told Insider. Low is a royal correspondent for The Times and has worked at the publication since 2008, according to his author page on the publication's digital edition. As part of his role, he has traveled across the world with the royal family, including a visit to Russia with the late Queen Elizabeth and the Galapagos Islands with Charles.

The updated version of "Courtiers" will be available to purchase on July 6, according to The Times.