LONDON (Reuters) — Prince William said on Thursday that Britain’s royal family was not racist after revelations by his brother’s wife Meghan that a member of the family had asked how dark their son Archie’s skin might be.
The revelation emerged during an explosive tell-all interview Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, gave to Oprah Winfrey which was aired on Sunday, plunging the British monarchy into its biggest crisis since the 1997 death of Princess Diana, William and Harry’s mother.
On a visit to a school in east London, William said he had not yet talked to Harry, 36, since the interview was broadcast just over three days ago.
“I haven’t spoken to him yet but I will do,” William said.
Asked by a reporter if the royal family was racist, William said: “We’re very much not a racist family.”
TOPSHOT – Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (L) and Prince Harry’s brother and best man Prince William, Duke of Cambridge wait in the chapel ahead of his wedding to US actress Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018. (Photo by Owen Humphreys / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read OWEN HUMPHREYS/AFP via Getty Images) 
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: (L-R) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) 
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 09: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 9, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Phil Harris – WPA Pool/Getty Images) 
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – MAY 18: (L-R) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry greet members of the public as they embark on a walkabout ahead of the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 18, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Jonathan Brady – Pool/Getty Images) 
WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 19: Prince Harry walks with his best man, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge as they arrive at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Gareth Fuller – WPA Pool/Getty Images) 
TOPSHOT – Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives with his best man Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, at the West Door of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 for his wedding ceremony to marry US actress Meghan Markle. (Photo by Ben Birchall / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read BEN BIRCHALL/AFP via Getty Images) 
FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prince William and Prince Harry attend the opening of the Greenhouse Sports Centre in central London, April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool/File Photo 
FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prince William and Prince Harry attend a National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph in Westminster, London, Britain, November 10, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo 
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 09: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 on March 9, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Phil Harris – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
In the two-hour show, Meghan also said the royals had ignored her pleas for help while she felt suicidal, while Harry said his father, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, had let him down and that he had felt trapped.
On Tuesday, Buckingham Palace issued a statement on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, the princes’ grandmother, in which she said the family were saddened by how challenging the couple had found the last few years.
The statement added the issues of race were concerning and would be treated very seriously, but pointedly stated “some recollections may vary”.
The Palace have said that it was a family matter that should be dealt with privately.
During the interview, Harry laid bare how distant he had come from the other members of his family, saying his father had stopped taking his calls at one point, and saying there was “space” in his relationship with William.
“Much will continue to be said about that … as I said before, you know, I love William to bits, he’s my brother, we’ve been through hell together and we have a shared experience,” he said. “But we’re on different paths.”
The interview was watched by 12.4 million viewers in Britain and 17.1 million in the United States.
It has proved divisive among the British public: some believe it showed how outdated and intolerant the institution was, while others decried it as a self-serving assault that neither Elizabeth nor her family deserved.
