Buckingham Palace says Meghan claims racism “taken very seriously”
The British royal family said in a statement on Tuesday that it was sad to hear about the challenges Harry and Meghan had faced in recent years – and that the issues raised would be dealt with privately.
Buckingham Palace breaks its silence against explosive claims by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying that the “issues raised, especially the race, apply”, and are taken very seriously.
“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members,” the statement said.
The statement follows Harry and Meghan’s two-hour interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they claimed that Meghan had experienced racism and difficult treatment during her time in the royal family.
Earlier, some observers had said that Buckingham Palace’s silence on the subject had only contributed to the furore surrounding the TV interview.
The interview, which aired Sunday night in the United States and a day later in the United Kingdom, has shaken the royal family and divided people around the world.
While many say the accusations point to the need for change in a palace that has not kept pace with the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, others have criticized Harry and Meghan for dropping their bombshell while Harry’s 99-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip, remains in hospital in London after a heart procedure.
During the interview, Meghan described that she felt so isolated and miserable within the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts, but when she asked for mental health help from the palace staff, she was told that she was not a paid employee.
She also said that a member of the royal family had expressed “concern” for Harry about the color of her unborn baby’s skin.
Winfrey later said that Harry told her from the camera that the family member was not Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip, which sparked a flood of speculation as to who it might be.
Harry also revealed the strain the couple had endured had broken off relations with his father, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his brother, Prince William, who highlighted the depth of the family divisions that led the couple to move away from royal duties and move to California last year.
Prince Charles did not comment on the interview on Tuesday during a visit to a vaccine clinic in London.
( Jowharwith AP)
