The British royal family is considering hiring someone to spearhead diversity and inclusion efforts in the wake of allegations of racism by Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
A royal source told NBC News that Buckingham Palace is focused on the diversity issue after the former Meghan Markle, who is biracial, told Winfrey that when she was pregnant with her and Harry's son, Archie, there were "concerns and conversations" among the royal family about "how dark his skin might be when he's born."
"Diversity is an issue which has been taken very seriously across the Royal Households," the source said. "We have the policies, the procedures and programmes in place, but we haven’t seen the progress we would like in terms of representation and more needs to be done, we can always improve. The work to do this has been underway for some time now and comes with the full support of the family.
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"Lots of measures are being considered. Certainly the idea of someone to spearhead this work and look at diversity / inclusion across the three households is something that has to be considered. It is too early however for any firm plans to be announced. We are listening and learning, to get this right."
Harry's brother, Prince William, 38, defended the family against allegations of racism on March 11 when a reporter asked him about the claims from the interview with Winfrey.
"Very much not a racist family," the future king replied.
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Two days earlier, Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of Queen Elizabeth.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the message read. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."
A long profile of William released in The Sunday Times, a British newspaper, cited a source close to the Duke of Cambridge saying he was "reeling" in the wake of Harry and Meghan's interview. The story also paints a picture of a man ready to be king and comfortable with the royal life, unlike his younger brother.
"He doesn't feel like he's trapped in a cage in the way that I think Harry perhaps projected how he felt onto his brother," the author of the article, Roya Nikkhah, said on TODAY Monday. "It's not how William feels."
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A friend close to William told The Sunday Times that the royal misses his brother but "it's still raw." Nikkhah added that "the friction" between the brothers started even before Harry's relationship with Meghan.
"The situation between them is bad," Nikkah said. "They will try and repair that relationship, but I think at the moment, it's not in a good place."
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a pair of public appearances over the past week, with William speaking virtually with aid workers in Syria and the couple visiting an ambulance station in London to hear about the experiences of first responders during the pandemic.
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