Prince Harry denied that he and his wife, Meghan Markle, ever accused the royal family of racism, but says they are guilty of “unconscious bias.”
In a new interview with ITV reporter Tom Bradby, Harry — whose memoir “Spare” hits shelves Tuesday — was asked about the shocking claims the couple made during their 2021 Oprah Winfrey sit-down.
In it, Markle alleged that when she was pregnant with their firstborn child, Archie, there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
“In the Oprah interview, you accuse members of your family of racism,” Bradby said to the renegade royal.
“No,” the Duke of Sussex interjected. “The British press said that, right? Did Meghan ever mention ‘they’re racists’?”
Bradby shot back: “She said there were troubling comments about Archie’s skin color. Wouldn’t you describe that as essentially racist?”
Harry refused to categorize the incident as racist, but as unconscious bias, which are social stereotypes held subconsciously about specific groups of people.
“The difference between racism and unconscious bias… the two things are different,” Harry, 38, continued. “Once it’s been acknowledged or pointed out to you as an individual, otherwise an institution, that you have unconscious bias, you have an opportunity to learn and grow from that … otherwise unconscious bias then moves into the category of racism.”
Harry then used the example of Lady Susan Hussey, who was recently forced to step down as a longtime aide of the royal household after repeatedly asking black British charity boss Ngozi Fulani where she “really came from.”
“What happened to Ngozi Fulani is a very good example of the environment within the institution,” he explained, before adding that both he and Markle “love” Hussey.
“We think she’s great,” he said. “I also know that she never meant any harm at all. But the response from the British press and from people online because of the stories that they wrote was horrendous, absolutely horrendous.”
Harry’s media blitz, which includes interviews with “60 Minutes” and “GMA,” is to promote his explosive memoir, “Spare.”