Prince Harry Downplays His Past Racism Insinuations Against The Royal Family
Prince Harry has switched from a senior working royal to a published author.
Shortly after the launch of the Netflix series "Harry & Meghan," Harry released his memoir "Spare," that offers a candid look into his own life but also the lives of other members of the royal family. The book, in addition to his packed press tour around it, is revealing never-before-seen details about Prince William, King Charles III, and his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, not to mention the feud between Meghan Markle and Catherine, Princess of Wales. The contents of the book have obviously created friction between Harry and his family, yet the duke points the finger at William and Charles for the ongoing rift.
Fans will remember that Harry and Meghan spoke with Oprah Winfrey about uncomfortable questions from the royal family surrounding the birth of their son, Archie. During the interview, Meghan said, "In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time ... So, we have in tandem the conversation of, 'He won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title' and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born," according to Newsweek. As expected, the royal family was accused of being racist after this news broke. However, in Harry's more recent conversations, he's claiming that his family isn't racist — and people are confused about his changing story.
Harry says it was 'unconscious bias' rather than racism in the royal family
When Prince Harry sat down with Michael Strahan on "Good Morning America" on January 9, he backpedaled on his and Meghan Markle's earlier claims to Oprah Winfrey that the royal family was racist. Strahan asked Harry, "Do you think in the 21st century, there is a place for the British monarchy?" To which Harry replied, "I genuinely believe that there is ... not the way that it is now."
Harry elaborated, claiming that the family suffered from unconscious bias. "I think the same process that I went through regarding my own unconscious bias would be hugely beneficial to them. It's not racism, but unconscious bias if not confronted, if not acknowledged, if not learned and grown from, that can then move into racism." Harry added that his family "missed a chance to grow" through Meghan and to learn more about representation through her, as he had to. "And I, as a privileged white man, didn't really understand what [Meghan] was talking about," he said of his own unconscious bias.
People were upset and felt like Harry was waffling; many also felt like Harry let his family get bashed for racism after the Oprah interview and that he didn't step in for years to rectify the situation. One tweet read, "It's been 2 years since the Oprah interview, and now he decides to provide clarification after so much damage has already been done..."