Prince William breaks his silence on the racism accusations levied by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their Oprah interview (Photo by Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Cover Prince William breaks his silence on the racism accusations levied by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their Oprah interview (Photo by Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Earlier today at a public appearance with his wife Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William the Duke of Cambridge spoke for the first time in response to his brother's revelations on American television

At one of his first public engagements since the bombshell Prince Harry and Meghan Markle interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, made his first statement in response to the racism accusations levied upon the British royal family by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

During a visit to School 21 in Stratford to meet with and congratulate teachers involved in the reopening of the school following months of tier four Covid-19 related lockdowns across the United Kingdom, reporter Darren McCaffrey recorded a brief interaction with William wherein the prince is asked: "Sir, have you spoken to your brother since the interview?"

"No, I haven't spoken to him yet, but I will do," Prince William responds.

"And can you just let me know: Is the royal family a racist family, sir?" the reporter asks.

To which Prince William replies: "We're very much not a racist family."

In a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey on American network CBS last week, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle accused the royal family of racism, without naming specific individuals (though later recusing the Queen and Prince Philip, who remains hospitalized for more than 23 days following heart surgery). 

"In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time... so we have in tandem the conversation of 'He won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title,' and also concerns and conversations his skin might be when he's born," Markle told Winfrey. "There were... several conversations about it. With Harry."

Oprah follows up with: "Because they were concerned that if he were too brown, that that would be a problem? Are you saying that?"

"I wasn't able to follow up with why, but that—if that's the assumption you're making, I think that feels like a pretty safe one, which was really hard to understand, right?" Markle says.

Later in the interview broadcast, when Harry joins Winfrey and Markle in the garden, Winfrey asks him: "What was that conversation?"

Harry, visibly uncomfortable replies: "That conversation I'm never going to share, but at the time... at the time, it was awkward. I was a bit shocked."

"Can you tell us what the question was?" Winfrey asks.

"No I don't... I'm not comfortable with sharing that," Harry replies.

"OK," Winfrey says.

"But that was right at the beginning, when she wasn't going to get security, when members of my family were suggesting that she carries on acting, because there was not enough money to pay for her, and all this sort of stuff," Harry says. "Like, there was some real obvious signs before we even got married that this was going to be really hard."

Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Oprah Interview

Tatler Asia
Prince William breaks his silence on the racism accusations levied by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their Oprah interview (Photo by Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Above Prince William breaks his silence on the racism accusations levied by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their Oprah interview (Photo by Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Two days after the initial broadcast of the interview on American television, on the day following the broadcast of the interview on ITV in the UK, Buckingham Palace issued a statement that read: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members." 

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