Prince William is the first royal to directly address the explosive interview that Harry and Meghan gave to Oprah Winfrey.
ADVERTISEMENTPrince William on Thursday defended Britain's royal family against accusations of racism made by his brother Prince Harry and sister-in-law Meghan in an interview broadcast Sunday.
The royals are "very much not a racist family,'' said William during a visit to an east London school.
William, second in line to the throne after his father Prince Charles, said he hadn't yet spoken to Harry since the interview.
"I haven’t spoken to him yet but I will do," the Prince told reporters.
William thus became the first royal to directly address the explosive interview that his brother and the Duchess of Sussex gave to Oprah Winfrey.
Buckingham Palace sought to respond to Harry and Meghan's allegations of racism and mistreatment in a brief statement earlier this week.
"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately," the statement said.
However, the comments failed to put an end to the controversy.
Harry and Meghan's claims have rocked the royal family and touched off conversations around the world about racism, mental health and even the relationship between Britain and its former colonies.
The couple revealed that Harry was asked about the skin colour of children that he and Meghan would have and speculation that a decision to strip their son, Archie, of royal titles was due to the fact that he was mixed race.
Meghan said in the interview she was so isolated and miserable as a working member of the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts.
“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore,” she told Winfrey.
She added that when she sought help through the palace's human resources department, she was told there was nothing they could do.