LONDON (AP) – Prince William defended the British monarchy on Thursday against accusations of intolerance made by his brother, Prince Harry, and his sister-in-law, Meghan, insisting that the family is not racist.
In comments made during a visit to a school in East London, William became the first member of royalty to speak directly about the explosive interview broadcast on Sunday in the United States that Harry and Meghan gave to Oprah Winfrey.
“We are not a racist family,” he said as his wife, Kate, walked beside him.
Harry and Meghan’s allegations of racism and ill-treatment have shaken the royal family, and Buckingham Palace tried to respond to them in a 61-word statement on Tuesday, but failed to contain the controversy.
William, the second in line to the throne, after his father, Prince Charles, says that he had 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 hardworking member of the royal family that she had thoughts of suicide. She also said that Harry told her that there were “concerns and conversations” by a member of the royal family about the color of her baby’s skin when she was pregnant with her child, Archie.
Her and Harry’s comments sparked 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 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.