London – Prince William became the first British royal on Thursday to directly defend his family against allegations of racism made by his sister-in-law Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and her husband, Prince Harry, in interview with Oprah Winfrey. William told reporters that kings are not “very much a racist family.”
Commenting during a visit to a school in East London, Prince William added that he had not spoken to his brother Harry since the interview, but said he would.
SWIMMING POOL / REUTERS
In the interview with the bomb – broadcast on Sunday in the United States and on Monday in the United Kingdom – Meghan said that she felt so isolated in the royal family that she faced serious mental health difficulties, even contemplating suicide. She and Harry also said that an unnamed family member expressed concern about the color of their unborn son’s skin.
Buckingham Palace issued its first response to the interview on Tuesday, with a Statement with 61 words in the name of Queen Elizabeth II.
“The whole family is saddened to learn how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the statement said. “The issues raised, especially those related to race, are worrying. Although some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be approached by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members.”
But before the interview aired, the royal family issued a statement saying they were investigation of the allegations of intimidation committed by Meghan’s staff against her during her royal period.
Oprah’s interview sparked a heated debate around the world about the royal family and race, and Dawn Butler, a member of the British Parliament in London, told CBS News’ Holly Williams on Wednesday that the royal family existed. “cocooned in a white bubble. “
“It’s a well-established racist tropist against black women to call them aggressors or to call them angry,” Butler said. “What Meghan has faced is what black women face every day at work.”
In response to the barrage of negative stories about Meghan in UK tabloids, Butler said the royal family must be held accountable for the racism that happened in his watch.
“When an institution meets with another institution such as the tabloid press and decides to amplify that racist tropism, it is a problem. This is structural racism and this is what we need to get along with in this country and this is what the institution around the royal family needs to deal with that they were complicit in amplifying a racist tropist against a black woman, “Butler said.