Queen Elizabeth Is Fighting Back Against Meghan And Harry's Claims Of Racism. Here's How

The royal family has been left reeling following Oprah Winfrey's sit-down with defectors Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. During the lengthy chat, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex went into excruciating detail about how tough their short time together in the monarchy was, from the British tabloids hounding Markle to an unnamed senior royal questioning how dark their son's skin would be. Buckingham Palace issued an official response, its foundations clearly rocked. 

As Marie Claire reported at the time, the Queen acknowledged in her statement that the whole family was "saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan," noting that accusations of racism, in particular, were "concerning" and promising they were being "taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately." Now, it seems the first steps towards righting their perceived past wrongs have indeed been taken.

While attending to public duties a couple weeks ago, Prince William was asked outright about the accusations and stated simply "we are very much not a racist family" before continuing on apace. According to the Daily Mail, the royals are taking the accusations against them more seriously than his statement suggests, with a review of all diversity policies across the board. Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace already have various procedures in place but more work is evidently required. According to Markle, there were "concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie's] skin might be when he was born." Although neither she nor Prince Harry would be drawn on who made the offensive comments, Harry later confirmed it was neither the Queen nor Prince Philip (via US Magazine). 

The complaints made by the Sussexes during their headline-grabbing interview will form a major part of the diversity review, which seeks to include independent views from disabled people, POC, and LGBTQ+ communities on how the royal family can improve going forward. They're also considering appointing a so-called "diversity chief" to assist with their ongoing efforts, but insiders claim the royals understand more must be done regardless. However, sources also made a point of advising the British monarchy has a great track record on diversity, particularly through their charitable endeavors. Still, everybody is motivated to do better and according to a source their main concern is "to get this right."