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The Queen and Prince Charles backed Prince William after the Duke of Cambridge defended the royals, saying they are ‘very much not a racist family’.
William became the first senior member of the Royal Family to tackle head-on the highly damaging allegations levelled by Harry and Meghan in their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.
He admitted he still has not spoken to his brother about their disclosures, which drew a global television audience of nearly 50 million, but insisted he will.
Last night, royal insiders claimed the pair are ‘prepared to come together’ and put on a ‘united front’ at the unveiling of a statue of their late mother at Kensington Palace in July.
A source told the Mirror: ‘Tensions are undoubtedly running high but they both realise it is important to put any differences aside for the ceremony at least.
‘There is definitely a feeling that both camps are prepared to come together and put on a united front for such a special occasion.’
The Daily Mail reported that Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, the official homes of the Queen and Prince of Wales respectively, were understod to be supportive of William’s intervention.
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It came during a visit to School21 in Stratford, east London, to mark the return of children to classes this week and the rollout to secondary schools of a mental health project launched by his wife Kate in primary schools in 2018.
Journalists had been told by royal aides that the couple would not be answering questions, but at the end of the visit Sky News reporter Inzamam Rashid received a response from him.
The broadcaster asked whether there has been any communication between the brothers, whose relationship is known to have been troubled in the past.
William replied: ‘No, I haven’t spoken to him yet, but I will do.’
With his wife by his side the duke was asked: ‘Is the royal family a racist family, sir?’
The duke turned so his voice could be heard and replied: ‘We’re very much not a racist family.’
William’s comments are the first public statement by a member of the Royal Family about the allegations made by the Sussexes, which have severely damaged the reputation of the monarchy, especially in the Commonwealth.
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The Queen is head of the Commonwealth, which has a combined population of around 2.4 billion people who are ethnically, culturally and religiously diverse.
Winfrey was left open-mouthed when Meghan and Harry recounted that a family member – not the Queen or Duke of Edinburgh – had raised concerns about how dark their unborn son Archie’s skin tone might be.
There has been much speculation about which member of the royal family they were accusing of racism.
But during the interview the couple would not be drawn on who had deeply offended them, and Winfrey later said Harry wanted it known it was not his grandparents.
In its statement, Buckingham Palace said the issues raised in Harry and Meghan’s bombshell interview, especially over race, were ‘concerning’ and would be addressed by the Queen and her family privately.
The royals appear to be at odds over the version of some events described by the Sussexes, as the statement highlighted how ‘some recollections may vary’.
But the sympathetic tone of the Buckingham Palace statement suggests a reconciliation through dialogue in private is the aim.
In the interview, Harry candidly said he did not speak to the royal family about his wife’s mental health problems, which saw her experience suicidal thoughts, because he was ‘ashamed of admitting it to them’.
He added: ‘I didn’t have anyone to turn to. You know, we’ve got some very close friends that have been with us through this whole process.
‘But for the family, they very much have this mentality of, “This is just how it is. This is how it’s meant to be. You can’t change it. We’ve all been through it”.’
A spokesman for the Sussexes declined to comment.
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Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview: Key moments
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have spoken to Oprah Winfrey in a bombshell interview about their decision to step back as senior working members of the Royal Family.
Here are the key points from the interview, which UK viewers can watch at 9pm on ITV on Monday, March 8.
- Meghan says it was Kate who made her cry over flower girls, not other way round
- Meghan says Harry was told there were ‘concerns how dark’ Archie would be
- Harry and Meghan reveal the gender of their baby due in summer
- Meghan sobs as she says pressures of royal life drove her to the verge of suicide
- Prince Charles stopped taking Harry’s calls after he quit Royal Family
- Harry says Meghan saved him from being ‘trapped’ like Prince Charles and Prince William are
- Princess Diana would be ‘sad and angry about how this has panned out'
- Meghan and Harry share adorable new video of son Archie at the beach
- Harry confirms terrible rift with William and says their relationship is now just ‘space’
- Queen ‘ghosted Harry during Megxit talks and got aide to say she was too busy’