Buckingham Palace is under growing pressure to respond to accusations of racism in the royal family after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex alleged they were asked questions about the colour of their baby’s skin.
In the most controversial topic of their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, the duchess said Prince Harry was asked by an unnamed family member "how dark" their son Archie's skin might be.
The duchess, who is mixed race, said she would not reveal who asked the question because of “how damaging” it would be to them.
But anti-racism campaigners were quick to call for an investigation and said the allegation should be taken seriously.
Rachel Boyle, a researcher on race and ethnicity at Edge Hill University in Lancashire, suggested the alleged remark chimed with “a denial of the existence of racism in the UK generally”.
"I would suggest that this is a turning point in terms of public perception," she told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme.
“As black and mixed race people in the UK, we experience it on a daily basis.”
Dean Stott, who has known the Duke of Sussex for more than a decade after they met during military training, described the interview as "powerful", "honest" and "uncomfortable at times".
He said that problems in the monarchy could be traced back to palace aides and not the royal family members themselves.
“None of the family have a voice, they are trapped within this system,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I think the palace aides are doing a disservice with the family because they are so out of touch with the modern world.”
He said allegations that Buckingham Palace did not help Meghan while she was suffering suicidal thoughts were particularly concerning.
“It’s very clear now why they had to step back,” he said.
“This was an institution, mind you, that has a foundation that raises money for mental health, and they can’t even help a member of their own family.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to comment on the allegations.
"I’ve always had the highest admiration for the queen and the unifying role she plays in our country and across the Commonwealth," he said.
"I’ve spent a long time not commenting on royal family matters and I don’t intend to impart from that today."
Republic, a campaign group that wants to abolish the monarchy, said the royal family was facing the worst crisis in decades.
"This rotten institution needs to go,” the group said.
Charles Anson, who was Queen Elizabeth II's press secretary for seven years from 1990 to 1997, said there was “not a strand of racism” within the royal family.
Asked about the claims that Meghan did not get help from within the royal family when she expressed suicidal thoughts, he said: "There is a medical household and I remember it being very responsive both to members of staff and the queen and her family.
"In my experience - seven years - nearly everybody wanted to do the best they could for their principals - about programmes, security and life.”
He said the queen was unlikely to personally respond to the allegations in the interview.
“I think the palace's instinct will reflect how the queen has carried her role in the last 69 years,” he said.
"Try to take things gently, to be open and fair and deal with ... [the issue] in a private, family setting. They tend to treat these family matters privately - not to do it all over the airwaves."
Others criticised the duke and duchess for “disrespecting” the queen even though the couple praised the monarch several times throughout the two-hour interview.
Commentator Charles Moore, a member of Britain’s House of Lords, said the duke and duchess “presented one version of the facts”.
“We are suffering from Covid and the Sussexes haven’t been in the country,” he told the BBC.
“It does seem self-absorbed and irrelevant.”
Paul Burrell, who was Princess Diana’s butler, said he felt “desperately sorry” for the queen ahead of the 70th anniversary of her reign.
“She is facing another crisis. How much more can she take?” he told ITV.
Former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole was also quick to defend the queen and suggested she was not behind the remark.
“Quite clearly they are accusing somebody at a senior level in the royal family of being racist,” he said.
“[The queen’s] whole life has been dedicated to the furtherance, success and the cohesion of the Commonwealth.”
Emily Nash, royal editor at Hello! Magazine, said the revelations had left her and many other viewers "shell-shocked".
"I don't see how the palace can ignore these allegations, they're incredibly serious," she said. "You have the racism allegations. Then you also have the claim that Megan was not supported, and she sought help even from the HR team within the household and was told that she couldn't seek help."
TV presenter Piers Morgan, a former friend of the duchess, said the couple had “trashed everything the queen stands for”.
“Let’s be clear: Prince Harry and his wife just spent two hours trashing everything the queen stands for & has worked so hard to maintain, whilst pretending to support her,” he wrote on Twitter.
“And they did it while her 99-year-old husband Philip is seriously ill in hospital. It’s contemptible.”
Children’s minister Vicky Ford said there was no place for racism in society, while shadow education secretary Kate Green demanded the allegations “be treated by the palace with the utmost seriousness and fully investigated”.
Harry 'shocked' over skin colour question
Harr said he was "never going to share" which family member asked him about the colour of his unborn child's skin.
"But at the time, it was awkward. I was a bit shocked," he said.
"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's not enough money to pay for her, and all this sort of stuff. There were some real obvious signs, before we even got married, that this was going to be really hard."
Meghan also declined to name who expressed those concerns: "I think that would be very damaging to them. That was relayed to me from Harry, those were conversations that family had with him."
Asked whether there were concerns that her child would be “too brown” and that would be a problem, Meghan told Winfrey: “If that is the assumption you are making, that is a pretty safe one.”
Meghan: Kate crying story was untrue
It was sensational tabloid fodder: the story of how of Meghan made Kate Middleton cry after a bridesmaid dress fitting for Princess Charlotte.
And by Meghan's account - it was entirely fabricated.
"Everyone in the institution knew it wasn't true," the duchess told Winfrey of the alleged incident, claiming that in reality: "The reverse happened."
Kate, she said, "was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised".
"A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining - yes, the issue was correct - about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings."
Meghan called the incident "a turning point" in her relations with the royal family.
"The narrative about, you know, making Kate cry I think was the beginning of a real character assassination," she said.
"And they knew it wasn't true. And I thought, well, if they're not going to kill things like that, then what are we going to do?
"I came to understand that not only was I not being protected but that they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family."
Harry feels 'let down' by Prince Charles
Speaking candidly about his relationship with Prince Charles, Harry said had he felt "really let down" by his father throughout the painful episode - but that they were now talking to one another.
"There's a lot to work through there, you know? I feel really let down, because he's been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like," an emotional Harry said.
“I will always love him but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened.
“My family literally cut me off financially. But I’ve got what my mum left me and without that we would not have been able to do this.”
He said Charles and Harry's older brother William were "trapped" by the conventions of the monarchy, but vowed he would "always love" his father.
"My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don't get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that.
"Much will continue to be said about that ... as I said before, you know, I love William to bits, he's my brother, we've been through hell together and we have a shared experience. But we're on different paths."
Harry went on say that he and Meghan "did everything we could" to stay in the royal family.
"I'm sad that what's happened has happened, but I know, and I'm comfortable in knowing that we did everything that we could to make it work."
Harry denies disrespecting queen
Asked whether he told his family about his plans to step away from his royal roles and about a newspaper story that they had "blindsided" the queen with their decision, Harry said: "I've never blindsided my grandmother, I have too much respect for her."
Asked where the story came from, he said: "I'd hazard a guess that it probably could have come from within the institution.
"I had three conversations with my grandmother, and two conversations with my father before he stopped taking my calls. And then he said, can you put this all in writing?"
Asked why Prince Charles had stopped taking his calls: he said: "By that point I took matters into my own hands, it was like, I needed to do this for my family. This is not a surprise to anybody. It's really sad that it's got to this point, but I've got to do something for my own mental health, my wife's and for Archie's as well."
Harry says his mum would want him to be happy
Asked how his late mother would think about his split from the royal family in January 2020, Harry replied: “she would feel very angry with how this has panned out and very sad. But ultimately, all she’d have ever wanted is for us to be happy.”
Harry compared media behaviour to that faced by Princess Diana before her death in a Paris car crash in 1997.
"My biggest concern was history repeating itself, and I've said that before on numerous occasions, very publicly. And what I was seeing was history repeating itself, but more perhaps more definitely far more dangerous because then you add race in, and you add social media and when I'm talking about history repeating itself I'm talking about my mother."
-
Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince Harry and his fiancee US actress Meghan Markle visit the Terrence Higgins Trust World AIDS Day charity fair at Nottingham Contemporary on December 1, 2017 in Nottingham, England. Getty Images -
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Reprezent 107.3FM in Pop Brixton on January 9, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle attend a street dance class during their visit to Star Hub on January 18, 2018 in Cardiff, Wales. Getty Images -
Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle pose with award winners Ben Lee, Sean Gane, Daniel Claricoates and the other award nominees during the 'Endeavour Fund Awards' Ceremony at Goldsmiths Hall on February 1, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Meghan Markle meets well wishers during a walkabout on the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle on February 13, 2018 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the first annual Royal Foundation Forum held at Aviva on February 28, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry meet school children in the Dean's yard before attending a Reception after attending the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 12, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle take their seats at a star-studded concert to celebrate the Queen's 92nd birthday at the Royal Albert Hall on April 21, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend an Anzac Day service at Westminster Abbey on April 25, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after their wedding on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. Getty Images -
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend The Prince of Wales' 70th Birthday Patronage Celebration held at Buckingham Palace on May 22, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth II sitts and laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018 in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire, England. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend day one of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 19, 2018 in Ascot, United Kingdom. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the Your Commonwealth Youth Challenge reception at Marlborough House on July 05, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex chats with Sinead Burke, writer and advocate of fashion and disability rights during a reception at Glencairn, the residence of Robin Barnett, the British Ambassador to Ireland during day one of their visit to Ireland on July 10, 2018 in Dublin, Ireland. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet Ireland's President, Michael Higgins and his wife Sabina Coyne at Aras an Uachtarain during day two of their visit to Ireland on July 11, 2018 in Dublin, Ireland. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit Trinity College on the second day of their official two day royal visit to Ireland on July 11, 2018 in Dublin, Ireland. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex helps to prepare food at an event to mark the launch of a cookbook with recipes from a group of women affected by the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington Palace on September 20, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are presented with native flowers from children, Dasha Gallagher and Finley Blue, during a ceremony at Taronga Zoo on October 16, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex interact with Luke Vincent, 5 years old, after arriving at Dubbo Airport on October 17, 2018 in Dubbo, Australia. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet with lifeguards at South Melbourne Beach on October 18, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit the University of the South Pacific on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks on stage during the 2018 Invictus Games Closing Ceremony at Qudos Bank Arena on October 27, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex addresses a reception hosted by the Governor-General celebrating the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage in New Zealand at Government House on October 28, 2018 in Wellington, New Zealand. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex react during their gumboot throwing competition after unveiling a plaque after dedicating 20 hectares of native bush to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy project at The North Shore Riding Club on October 30, 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand. Getty Images -
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex meets a Jack Russell called "Minnie" during her visit to the Mayhew, an animal welfare charity on January 16, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex greets Gary Barlow and Howard Donald at The Royal Variety Performance 2018 at London Palladium on November 19, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex watch students play football during their visit to Lycee Qualifiant Grand Atlas, the local secondary school on February 24, 2019 in Asni, Morocco. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose with their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor during a photocall in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019 in Windsor, England. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meets cast and crew, including Beyonce Knowles-Carter and Jay-Z as she attends the European Premiere of Disney's "The Lion King" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 14, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits Auwal Mosque on Heritage Day with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex during their royal tour of South Africa on September 24, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe at the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation during their royal tour of South Africa on September 25, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the Mountbatten Music Festival at Royal Albert Hall on March 7, 2020 in London, England. Getty Images -
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks to stundents during a visit to Robert Clack School in Dagenham ahead of International Women's Day (IWD) held on Sunday 8th March, on March 6, 2020 in London, England. Getty Images -
Oprah Winfrey interviews Meghan Markle on A CBS Primetime Special premiering on CBS on March 7, 2021. Getty Images
