LONDON (AP) – Prince William insisted on Thursday that his family is not racist as he became the first member of the British royal family to speak about the accusations of intolerance made by Prince Harry and Meghan, his brother and sister-in-law.
William made the comments in response to questions asked to him by reporters during a visit to an East London school. Although members of the royal family often ignore these questions, William took the opportunity to address the explosive claims that rocked the monarchy.
“We are not a racist family,” said William as his wife, Kate, walked beside him.
Buckingham Palace is struggling to calm criticism after Harry and Meghan claimed the Duchess was a victim of racism and cruel treatment during his time as a hardworking member of the royal family. The palace tried to respond to the accusations, made during an interview with American TV presenter Oprah Winfrey, with a 61-word statement that critics called “too little, too late”.
William, the second in line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles, said on Thursday that he had not yet spoken to Harry since the interview, “but I will.”
Harry and Meghan moved away from royal duties last year and moved to California, saying they wanted to escape the intrusive British media and live a normal life.
Meghan, who is biracial, said in the interview that she was so isolated and miserable as a hardworking member of the royal family that she had thoughts of suicide. She also said that Harry told her that a member of the royal family had expressed “concerns” about the color of her baby’s skin before the birth of her son, Archie.
William and Kate visited School 21 in Stratford, east London, while the children went back to school. The visit also aimed to mark the launch in secondary schools of a mental health project that Kate launched in primary schools in 2018.
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Follow AP coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview at https://apnews.com/PrinceHarry