LONDON – Prince William denied on Thursday that Britain’s royal family has been racist in his first public comment since Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
“We are very much not a racist family,” William said in response to questions from the media when he visited a school in east London with his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.
William added that he had not yet spoken to his brother, “but I intend to.”
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Buckingham Palace has been shaken by a media frenzy and watched by millions of people since the explosive interview, which aired in the US and UK on Monday.
Harry and Meghan’s remarks to Oprah exposed problems from mental health to royal protocol, but also race.
Meghan said Harry told her that royal insiders had expressed ‘concern’ about how dark the skin of their children might be. The couple did not want to name the person who made the alleged comments, but Winfrey later said Harry made it clear that it was not Queen Elizabeth II, his grandmother, or her husband, Prince Philip.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement late Tuesday addressing the interview, saying the family was “saddened” by the scale of the couple’s challenges.
“The issues raised in particular are important,” the statement said. “While some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed privately by the family.”
Despite the Queen’s plea Tuesday night that the couple’s claims were “addressed privately by the family”, her 61-word statement did not limit the appetite of the British press and members of the public for more.
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