Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made a series of damning allegations against the Royal Family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired Monday night in the UK.
In response to a question as to whether he had spoken to his brother since the interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince William said, “I haven’t talked to him yet, but I will.”
Harry and Meghan’s interview sent Buckingham Palace in a downward spiral and sparked a nationwide debate about royalty, race and the role of the media in perpetuating xenophobia.
In the interview, Meghan said the skin color of the couple’s child, Archie, was discussed as a potential issue before he was born. The pair did not want to reveal who made the comments.
The palace broke its silence on Tuesday evening, saying in a statement on behalf of the Queen that the allegations of racism were worrying and were “taken very seriously.”
“The whole family is sad to hear how challenging the past few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the statement said.
“The issues raised, especially those of race, are concerning. While some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be dealt with privately by the family.”
Married couple cites lack of support
In the interview, Meghan described having frequent suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy and short-term work as a royal, and the couple said the palace had failed to provide Meghan and Archie with sufficient security and protection.
The couple cited a lack of support due to invasive press coverage and the royal institution’s decision not to give their son Archie title – and thus his right to protection – as the basis for their decision to move out of the UK.
The interview has also affected the British press, whose tabloids are notorious for violating the privacy of royals and celebrities, and regularly engaged in legal battles for defamation.
High-profile TV personality Piers Morgan stepped down as the presenter of ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” a day after questioning whether the Duchess was honest about having suicidal thoughts. Morgan stormed the set live on TV when his own co-host, Alex Beresford, admonished him in devastating rebuke to his comments.
The Duchess of Sussex had complained about Morgan’s comments to the television station.
The executive director of the British Society of Editors, Ian Murray, resigned Wednesday after appearing in an interview refusing to acknowledge racist media coverage in the country.
Prince Charles – the father of William and Harry, and heir to the throne – first appeared in public earlier on Tuesday and did not respond to a question about the furor surrounding his family.
Harry had told Winfrey that his father had briefly stopped taking his calls after the couple announced last January that they were withdrawing from the royal family. He added that they were now talking again.