LONDON (AP) – Prince William on Thursday insisted his family was not racist as he became the first member of Britain’s royal family to speak out against the accusations of Princess and Prince Harry and Meghan, his brother and sister-in-law .
William made the comments in response to questions raised by reporters during a visit to an East London school. While members of the royal family often ignore such questions, William takes the opportunity to address the explosive allegations that have upset the monarchy.
“We are very much not a racist family,” William said as his wife, Kate, walked to his side.
Buckingham Palace struggles to silence criticism after Harry and Meghan claim the Duchess was the victim of racism and callous treatment during her time as a working member of the royal family. The palace tried to respond to the charges, made during an interview with American TV presenter Oprah Winfrey, with a statement of 61 words that critics call ‘too little, too late’.
William, second in line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles, said on Thursday he had not spoken to Harry since the interview, “but I will do it.”
Harry and Meghan withdrew from royal duties last year and moved to California, saying they wanted to escape the invasive British media and lead a normal life.
Meghan, who is bisexual, said in the interview that she was so isolated and miserable as a working member of the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts. She also said Harry told her that a member of the royal family had expressed ‘concern’ about the color of her baby’s skin before the birth of their son, Archie.
William and Kate were touring at school 21 in Stratford, east London, when children returned to class. The visit was also intended as the launch of secondary schools of a mental health project that Kate launched in 2018 in primary schools.
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Follow AP’s coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview at https://apnews.com/PrinceHarry