Lines of battle drawn as revelations divide British commentators
Buckingham Palace is under growing pressure to respond to accusations of racism in the royal family after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed they were asked “how dark” their son Archie’s skin might be.
Meghan Markle, 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 called for an investigation.
Rachel Boyle, a researcher on race and ethnicity at Edge Hill University in Lancashire, said there was “a denial of the existence of racism in the UK generally”.
“I would suggest that this is a turning point,” she told the
Today programme on BBC radio. “As black and mixed-race people in the UK, we experience it on a daily basis.”
Dean Stott, who has known Prince Harry 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 Ms Markle 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, that has a foundation that raises money for mental health, and they can’t even help a member of their own family.”
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 the queen’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 Ms Markle 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.”
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 out 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 they praised the monarch at several points in the interview.
Charles Moore, a member of Britain’s House of Lords, said they had “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.”
Former royal butler Paul Burrell said he felt “desperately sorry” for the queen as she approached 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 also defended the queen and suggested she was not behind the racist remark.
“Quite clearly they are accusing somebody at a senior level 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 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.”
But TV presenter Piers Morgan criticised his former friend Ms Markle.
“Let’s be clear: Prince Harry and his wife just spent two hours trashing everything the queen stands for and has worked so hard to maintain, whilst pretending to support her,” he said.
“And they did it while her 99-year-old husband Philip is seriously ill in hospital. It’s contemptible.”
Shadow education secretary Kate Green demanded that the claims “be treated by the palace with the utmost seriousness and fully investigated”.