Michelle Obama says she hopes the royal family will learn from the allegations of racism made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in last week’s TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The former first lady said she was not surprised by the couple’s recollections about remarks made by an unnamed member of the royal family about the possible colour of her unborn son’s skin.
Speaking to NBC News, Obama said she hoped the couple could reconcile their differences with the royal family, amid reports that the rift was continuing.
Obama added: “This, first and foremost, is a family. I pray for forgiveness for them so that they can use this as teachable moment for us all. Race isn’t a new construct in this world for people of colour, and so it wasn’t a complete surprise to hear her feelings and to hear them articulated.”
Her plea to make this a “teachable moment” will be seen as urging the royal family to do more than deal with the issue privately as it had pledged.
Last week in its only comments on the interview so far, Buckingham Palace said: “The issue raised, particularly that of race, are concerning.” The 61-word statement said: “Whilst some recollections may vary they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”
Last Thursday, Prince William told reporters: “We’re very much not a racist family.”
At that stage he said he had not spoken to his brother, Prince Harry, since the interview. But according to a US-based friend of the Sussexes, Harry has now spoken to William and his father, Prince Charles.
Gayle King, the co-host of CBS This Morning, said she had spoken to Harry and Meghan at the weekend and was told of Harry’s conversation with his brother and father.
“It’s true, Harry has talked to his brother and he has talked to his father too, and the word I was given was that those conversations were not productive, but they are glad that they have at least started a conversation,” she said.
Kensington Palace, Prince William’s official residence, has not commented on King’s remarks.
The royal family is still struggling to cope with the fallout from an interview that has posed the biggest challenge to the monarchy since the death of Princess Diana.
The most shocking disclosure in the interview was Meghan’s account of how “concerns” were raised from someone in the royal household about how dark their baby son Archie’s skin would be.
Neither Meghan nor Harry would say who made the remarks saying to do so would be “very damaging”. Winfrey later clarified it was neither the Queen nor the Duke of Edinburgh.
Racism played a “large part” in why the couple left Britain, Harry said.