Prince William Denies Racism Claims Made by Harry and Meghan

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine, have appeared in public for the first time since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on Monday night in the UK.

During their visit to School 2 in Stratford, East London, Prince William became the first senior royal to publicly speak out about the couple's claims.

As the couple walked past the media, a reporter asked Prince William whether he had spoken to his brother since the interview.

The Duke of Cambridge responded by saying that he hadn't spoken to him yet but would be doing so soon.

The reporter then asked whether the royal family was a racist family, to which Prince William replied, “We're very much not a racist family.”

In the interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle claimed that an unidentified senior member of the royal family initiated a discussion with Prince Harry about the skin tone of their baby while she was pregnant with Archie.

Meghan, who is of mixed-race heritage, also claimed that they received no support from the royal family amid trouble with relentless tabloids.

She also talked about how Catherine made her cry leading up to her 2018 wedding, related to a flower girl dress Princess Charlotte was to wear.

Meghan said that the stress of being under the spotlight and not getting support from the royal family was what led to them stepping down as senior family members last year.

They also claimed that when they made that announcement, Prince Charles stopped taking Harry's calls and he cut them off financially, including security detail.

On Tuesday, the Queen issued a statement about the interview and claims of racism, saying, “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.

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.

Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members.”

During their visit to School 2 in East London, Prince William and Catherine promoted a children's mental health program and congratulated teachers involved in reopening schools following the UK's lockdown.

The Duke and Duchess spoke about the return of children to classes this week and the roll-out to secondary schools of a mental health project Catherine launched in primary schools in 2018.

Catherine looked relaxed as she chatted to teachers and played with pupils.

The emphasis on mental health may feel prescient in light of Meghan's claims that the palace failed to help her, but the visit would have been planned weeks in advance.

The Royals usually release details of visits before they happen, but during the pandemic, they have been doing so afterwards to avoid large crowds during Covid.

The visit was to a school, and further details, such as that the pair would only discuss mental health, only surfaced afterwards.