During a recent trip to School 21 in Stratford, London, to commemorate a re-opening as well as chat about the first ever Mentally Healthy Schools resource hub, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton couldn’t escape one particular paparazzo, who took their opportunity to ask the questions that have been on everyone’s lips.
“Sir, have you spoken to your brother since the interview?” the cameraman asked.
“No, I haven’t spoken to him yet but I will do.” the Duke replied as he strolled along with Kate and workers from the school.
The paparazzo managed to squeeze in just one more query, one that has been on the minds of everyone since the interview aired.
“Can you just let me know, is the royal family a racist family, sir?” they asked.
“We are very much not a racist family.” William stated simply before heading off to perform his royal duties.
Much was the response to the initial Oprah interview, the public was heavily divided by the Duke’s response.
“LOL – Sure, Jan” wrote one unconvinced Twitter user.
“‘Mentally healthy school programme’. Forgive me for being cynical, but this just after ‘that’ interview in which MM claimed no support when she felt suicidal. Looks to me like a royal damage limitation exercise.” another penned.
But some remained firmly on the royal’s side, writing “Just because one person says something (not even been publicly announced what was exactly said) doesn’t mean the whole family should be tarnished!”.
“Handled with dignity and class, William. Proud of you!” added another.
The accusations of racism within the royal family stem from Meghan Markle’s claim that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark (her son Archie’s) skin might be when he was born” from within The Firm.
The former Duchess told TV presenter Oprah this much but did not go so far as to reveal the royal’s identity, claiming it would be “very damaging for them”.
William’s response to the claims comes not long after the Palace released an official statement in the wake of the interview, writing, “the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning” while also claiming that “some recollections may vary”.