Meghan and Harry Interview with Oprah: British Royal Family Says "Sad and Concerned" About Racial Issues Raised by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Sad and worried.
This is Queen Elizabeth II of England after the revelations made by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in her television interview with Oprah Winfrey broadcast in the United States last Sunday and in the United Kingdom on Monday.
In an expected statement released by Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, the British royal family expresses its sadness upon learning of the experiences lived by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and undertakes to address racial issues that were raised by the couple in the aforementioned interview.
"The entire family is saddened to learn the real extent of how challenging the past years have been for Harry and Meghan," the statement reads.
"The issues addressed, in particular the racial ones, are worrying. While some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be discussed by the family in private," she continues.
"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be very dear members of the family." she concludes the brief statement, which was prepared after several emergency meetings within the royal family.
The pressure on Buckingham Palace to comment on the interview was mounting, due to the sensitive topics that came up in the conversation, such as racism, mental health, the media and the dukes' relationship with other royals.
The child's skin tone
The mention of racial issues comes from one of the most shocking moments in the interview, when Meghan Markle said there were conversations from members of the royal family about how dark the baby's skin would be when she was born.
The Duchess of Sussex's statements aroused expressions of astonishment from the journalist, who asked exactly whom she was referring to.
According to Markle, it was a conversation between members of the British royal family and Prince Harry.
Asked about these comments, the grandson of Isabel II refused to give more details: "It is something that I will never share publicly."
"At the time, it was weird, I was a bit shocked," he said, adding that the conversation took place "right at the beginning" of their relationship.
Prince Harry also said that he had been hurt that no one in his family condemned the racist media coverage of them.
Later, the popular American journalist specified that Harry told her that "neither Queen Elizabeth nor her husband, Prince Philip" had made such comments.
