"Why Meghan Markle Called the Royal Family 'The Firm' in Her Interview With Oprah"

In a preview of her interview with Oprah Winfrey (via Oprahmag.com, the Duchess of Sussex referenced the British Royal Family as "The Firm", saying:

"I don't know how they could expect that after all this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us."

But what is The Firm? 

"The Firm" is the name given to  an exclusive set of the British royals, an inner circle of senior members of the House of Windsor chosen to represent it. The phrase is said to have been first used by the queen's father, King George VI, who quipped (via New York Times): 

"British royals are 'not a family, we're a firm."

Now that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have forever turned their backs from "the Firm,"and that Prince Andrew "kicked out" over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal,  a new "Firm of Eight" composed of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Princess Anne was launched last December when they gathered at the quadrangle of Windsor Castle  "to thank local volunteers and key workers" at the height the pandemic.