LONDON—Queen Elizabeth expressed concern on Tuesday over allegations of racism in the royal ranks raised by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this week, but said that the royal family would address them privately.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey broadcast on Sunday, the Duchess of Sussex, who is biracial, spoke of feeling suicidal while working in the palace and said that a member of the royal family voiced concerns about how dark her unborn child’s skin would be.
On Tuesday, Buckingham Palace issued a four-line statement on behalf of the queen stating “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.” The statement added that the duke and duchess will always be “much loved family members.”
The statement appeared to exclude a full-blown probe into the allegations of racism in royal circles and instead aimed to draw a line under a bubbling crisis that has swept the monarch since Sunday.
During the two-hour interview, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they had experienced racism before and during their 2018 marriage. Prince Harry said that discrimination in Britain was a “large part” of the couple’s decision to relocate from the U.K. to the U.S. last year.