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 talk about the accusations of bigotry made by Prince Harry and Meghan, the his brother and sister-in-law.
William made the comments in response to questions reporters asked him during a visit to a school in East London. Although members of the royal family often ignore these questions, William took the opportunity to address the explosive accusations that have shaken the monarchy.
“We’re not a racist family,” William said as his wife, Kate, walked beside him.
Buckingham Palace is struggling to silence criticism after Harry and Meghan alleged the duchess was the victim of racism and insensitive treatment during his time as a working member of the royal family. The palace tried to answer the charges, made during an interview with American television host Oprah Winfrey, with a 61-word statement that critics said “too little, too late”
William, second in line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles, said Thursday 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 working member of the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts. He also said that Harry told him that a member of the royal family had expressed “concerns” about the color of his baby’s skin before the birth of his son, Archie.
William and Kate toured School 21 in Stratford, east London, when the children returned to classes. The visit also wanted 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’s coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview at https://apnews.com/PrinceHarry