LONDON (AP) – Prince William on Thursday defended the British monarchy against accusations of bigotry made by his brother, Prince Harry and sister-in-law Meghan, insisting the family is not racist.
In comments made during a visit to a school in East London, William became the first royal to address directly the explosive interview broadcast on Sunday in the US that Harry and Meghan gave to Oprah Winfrey.
“We are not a racist family,” he said as his wife, Kate, walked with him.
Harry and Meghan’s accusations of racism and ill-treatment shook the royal family, and Buckingham Palace tried to answer them in a 61-word statement on Tuesday, but failed to quell the controversy.
William, second to the throne after his father Prince Charles, says he has not yet spoken to Harry after the interview, “but I will.”
Meghan, who is biracial, said in the interview that she was so isolated and miserable as a member of the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts. She also said that Harry told her that there were “worries and conversations” of a member of the royal family about the color of her baby’s skin when she was pregnant with their son, Archie.
Her and Harry’s comments touched on conversations around the world about racism, mental health and even the relationship between Britain and its former colonies.
William and Kate visited School21 in Stratford, East London, while the children were returning to school. The visit was also meant to mark the launch in secondary schools of a mental health project launched by Kate in primary schools in 2018.