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British Royals

The Queen and Prince Philip are in the clear – Harry says his grandparents were not responsible for racist remarks about Archie’s skin tone

Oprah Winfrey has revealed that The Duke of Sussex asked her to confirm that neither The Queen nor The Duke of Edinburgh was the royal who questioned how dark the skin of his son, Archie, would be while The Duchess of Sussex was pregnant.

During the two hour interview that Oprah recorded with Meghan and Harry, both referenced a conversation that The Duke of Sussex had with another member of his family before Archie was born. The person involved asked how dark the baby’s skin might be.

Speaking on CBS’s This Morning programme, just hours after the interview aired, Oprah said that she tried several times, both on camera and off, to find out from Prince Harry which member of his family was involved. However, she said he wouldn’t reveal their identity but added ”he wanted to make sure that I knew and if I had an opportunity to share it, that it was not his grandmother nor his grandfather that were a part of those conversations. 

The conversation was just one of several revelations in the interview, which is set to air in the UK on March 8th. The Duchess of Sussex revealed she had had suicidal thoughts during her first pregnancy and praised her husband for getting them out of the Royal Family. She also stated that she had married Prince Harry three days before their wedding at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor in a private ceremony.

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About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.