Let Prince William Tell It, The Royal Family Is “Very Much Not Racist”

We've finally gotten our first real royal response to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey, courtesy of one Prince William. But the prince's reaction to the devastating claims made by his family is more than a little disappointing — he could have kept those comments to himself.

In Oprah with Meghan and Harry, the couple talked openly for the first time with Oprah Winfrey about the struggles that they'd faced over the years as senior members of the Royal Family. The almost two-hour long interview dropped many bombshells, including the Firm's disturbing role in Meghan's very grave mental health crisis, a sketchy relationship with the British tabloids, and allegations of thinly-veiled racism towards baby Archie even before he was even born.

An official statement from the Royal Family barely grazed over the conversation by saying the institution was "saddened" to hear of what Harry and Meghan had gone through, but didn't speak to any of the specific claims that were made in the interview. However, a recent comment from William on the situation might hint to the general sentiment of the Firm.

The Duke of Cambridge made his first public appearance since the viral interview, visiting a school in east London when he was flanked by reporters eager to hear his thoughts. One reporter asked William point blank if the royals were racist, and he was quick to respond.

"We're very much not a racist family," he replied in a hurry.

Sure, William was just answering a question, but his reply feels a lot like gaslighting. In the interview, Meghan detailed a process of othering by the institution, giving multiple examples of the Royal Family suddenly changing centuries-long conventions and customs because of her. She is a biracial woman who shared that she has experienced social isolation and harassment in the Firm in part because of her race, a fact that even her husband acknowledged multiple times during the interview. Any attempt to downplay that nuanced experience just proves her point and answers Oprah's now meme'd question. Meghan was absolutely silenced as a royal, and they're still trying to silence her now.

William also said that he had not spoken to Harry about the tell-all special yet but was planning to. It might be the first time that the brothers have spoken in awhile; Harry told Oprah that he and William's current relationship could best be described as "space" right now. We probably won't ever know exactly how that conversation goes — Harry was observably tight-lipped about talking too much about the state of his relationship with his brother during the interview — but hopefully, it doesn't involve any further gaslighting.