United Kingdom: Prince William swears that the royal family is “not racist”

Prince William has defended the British royal family against accusations of racism brought by his brother Harry and his wife Meghan on American television, which have plunged the monarchy into a deep crisis. “We are not a racist family at all,” said the Duke of Cambridge, second in line to the throne, on Thursday, March 11, 2021, during a visit to a school in east London. He clarified that he had not spoken to his brother since the explosive interview aired on Sunday, but that he planned to do so.

Asked by star Oprah Winfrey, Harry and Meghan explained their estrangement from the royal family and their exile in California. The 39-year-old Métis actress and her 36-year-old husband, sixth in the line of succession to the throne, have argued untenable media pressure, racism and the lack of support from the royal family to justify their withdrawal from the throne. the monarchy.

Above all, leaving Oprah Winfrey speechless, Harry and Meghan reported conversations from an unnamed member of the royal family about what skin color their now 22-month-old son Archie would have before his birth. The accusations sparked speculation about who made the statements and reignited a heated debate in the UK, fueled by the Black Lives Matter protests last year.

Treated “in private”

Prince William is the first member of the family to speak publicly on the subject. Asked about the interview during a visit to a vaccination center on Tuesday, Prince Charles preferred to remain silent, responding with a nervous little laugh. Brought to mend the broken pieces, Queen Elizabeth II reacted Tuesday evening via a statement from Buckingham Palace, saying “saddened to learn how difficult the past few years have been” for the couple. The Queen said she took the accusations of racism launched by Meghan and Harry “very seriously”. But she vowed to treat them “in private” and stressed that “memories may vary,” appearing to show that she doesn’t take these statements at face value.

In explosive confessions seen by 17 million Americans then 11 million viewers in the United Kingdom, the Duke of Sussex, sixth in the order of succession to the throne, said he was distant from his father Charles and his brother William , described as prisoners of the monarchy. These confidences shook the British monarchy, facing its worst crisis since the death of Lady Diana in 1997. The interview also divided the British, the youngest showing strong support for the thirty-something who left for California, and revived the debate on the racism.

“Sectarianism”

Prince Harry accused the press, especially the tabloids, of “sectarianism”, which sparked an outcry from the Society of Editors, which represents journalists. Its executive director resigned after assuring that the press was neither sectarian nor racist, causing floods of opposite testimonies on social networks, from journalists having seen this sectarianism at work and highlighting the lack of racial diversity in the media .

Prime Minister Boris Johnson refuses to get involved, except to salute the “unifying role” of Elizabeth II which reigns over the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, an association of 54 countries inherited from the British colonial Empire, most of which , 4 billion inhabitants are not white.

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