To think that if the only black adult in your family says they have experienced racism...

[Overcastcloudy]

... it's counterproductive to send a white man out to say, We're very much not racist?

That just is never going to end well. Ask Ian Murray how it worked out for him.

I couldn't care much either way about the Royal Family. Just baffled at the headline of William saying this.

@Sprining

“ thought she was above her station”

Dog whistle racism

I cant see that. The same was said about Kate Middleton.

It's an opinion. PW is allowed an opinion about his own family (as a group)

Yes, but when his opinion is clearly factually wrong, you can't expect no-one to say so. You can't say your family is not racist when you know you have racist elements in your family. He knows he does.

Yes its her fault she explained racism.....Ffs please read your own post and realise what you are saying, it’s ludicrous

That's not what I said. I said no one should have to experience racism but the fact that she would be surprised that the British monarchy would be racist is incredibly naive. Of COURSE some of them are. She must have been very idealistic/lacked a basic knowledge of history to get involved with them in the first place.

I don't understand how people see her as anything but white

I think they find it pretty easy, because she manifestly isn’t white.

when he cannot even be arsed supporting his own brother

And you know this how??? He said he hasn't spoken to Harry yet. How do you know he hasn't tried to and has been unable to.

When it comes to racism and equality the UK is not the USA.

Racism may manifest differently here in some respects but the USA began as the colonialist project of the UK and learned a lot from it. I don't like the way we are apt to pat ourselves on the back whilst kidding ourselves that we weren't/aren't just as invested in the oppression of other humans as the USA.

thought she was above her station

This is an appalling phrase, whether it’s racially motivated or not.

He hasn’t spoken to his brother yet, even though his sister in law revealed she was suicidal at one point????

He's probably still in consultation with the tech people, trying to make sure that anything he says can't be recorded and sold ...

@itispersonal sorry the older generation thing doesn't wash with me at all. My dad is 78 year old white man, campaigned against racism his whole life, even before he married my Asian mom, is a feminist who raised me to believe I could do anything, and has mixed group of friends, gay, straight etc.

All of this could have been stopped if the Royal family had supported the couple and called out the media instead of being cowards. They dipped their toes in the water with the ' straight outta Compton' headlines and it spiralled from there.

They were quite happy to leave that couple and their child to the wolves, it will be interesting to see how they cope now they're the ones getting backlash from the public and media.

We will never know who said what/why/how the royal family are keeping it private and H&M said they’ll never discuss it. I would be surprised if William wanted to speak to Harry

When some one of a different race accuses you of racism, the sensible and grown up thing to do is to reflect and learn.

When it happens within a family, one needs to even more open to reflection.

I think his answer and that he hasn’t reached out to his brother doesn’t reflects well on William, I’m afraid. He seems to lack maturity and humility

@kateemo

instead of taking counsel from his brother's story, he makes this throwaway public statement which makes him just sound tone deaf.

Your very thoughtful post did a much better job at clarifying my thinking than I did myself. Yes, he sounded tone deaf. Which has been such a consistent problem for the RF that you'd have thought they would have been better prepared. To at least sound reflective.

So we're not allowed to disbelieve Meghan, but we are obliged to disbelieve William? Ridiculous. To me he certainly seems a lot more trustworthy than her.

@intheenddoesitreallymatter

The family aren’t racist.

One is quite literally a paedophile and didn’t another go on the radio to talk about how people care more about the breeding of their dogs than they do their family.

Ok sure.

Uncle Edward was a Nazi and a Moseley sympathiser, Granddad’s sister married one and Granddad himself has made comments which are ironically ‘colourful’ to say the least.

@intheenddoesitreallymatter Don't forget the one that's recently been done for sexually assaulting a woman, think its the brother of the girls dumped in an asylum for being disabled that they told everyone had died.

@TheKeatingFive

thought she was above her station

This is an appalling phrase, whether it’s racially motivated or not.

It is isn't it.

Personally I believe her, why wouldn't I?

But I also believe that it is nigh on inconsequential when compared to the wider issues the 2 brothers have to contend with.

The media have never helped them, their mother and are not going to start doing so now. Whatever gets sprayed across the headlines the only thing we can be sure of is that the family destruction started by Prince Charles continues.

And I find anything, anyone that glorifies that, pretends to understand one or the other of them, to sympathize with one more than the other, to have a valid view on their relationship, is fooling themselves.

Journalists are flesh eating monsters when it comes to them. We need to stop watching the bollocks they try to feed us.

it's hardly "sending out a white man" though is it?

While no-one other than Philip or Princess Michael have or would make overtly racist comments in public, for the others, it's one thing being nice to a Nigerian dignitary at a royal bash, it's quite another having a mixed race people in the family. It can bring out all kinds of atavistic attitudes the holders may not have been aware of.

Im not sure the royal family was quite ready for that. The country sure isn't.

He's probably still in consultation with the tech people, trying to make sure that anything he says can't be recorded and sold ...

Oh, wow. Has that ever happened - H&M recording his family and then selling it on?

I know her Dad sold on letters about her. But I wasn't aware of Meghan doing it to anyone.

@Thewordgame

He hasn’t spoken to his brother yet, even though his sister in law revealed she was suicidal at one point???? And experienced clear racism whilst living in the UK. He is a hypocrite if he supports mental health charities when he cannot even be arsed supporting his own brother.

Maybe Harry's not taking his calls

he hasn't spoken to his brother yet....

He was hardly likely to go into details with a reporter. It was a version of "no comment".

And maybe William has tried but Harry has refused.

Cannot believe some of the rf appologists on here.

We have just had a year of black people telling us about the effects of covert and institutional racism. Most of us have nodded along, agreed black lives matter and then in the next breath we claim that the only black member of a family must be the liar because it's impossible that our royal family might have a racist member. They must feel they have been shouting into the void.

If I learned one thing from the BLM campaign it's that if we don't speak out against racism and discrimination when we see it then we are part of the problem. It's interesting that the RF didn't feel the need to speak out / issue a statement when the gutter press were denigrating MM. Easy to have no comment when you are not the one who is being dragged through the mud.

PW only speaks out in defence of white members apparently, he just looks completely out of touch. What on earth are the RF PR team doing if they are not preparing members to answer questions from the press - hardly a surprise to be asked!! A short statement of ' an allegation has been made and obviously we are taking it very seriously' would have been fine.

And if my sil had admitted to feeling how MM has been feeling I would have phoned my brother immediately.

After Dianna died there was so much in the press about how the RF need to modernise and become more relatable to people.

This has just shown that really nothing has changed. They don't represent us. They might patronise or raise money for mental health charities and speak out in support of BLM but their actions make it clear that they themselves believe they are above such things.

Is this the same Meghan that used the term "Male, Pale and Stale" ?

... it's counterproductive to send a white man out to say, We're very much not racist?

What is he supposed to do? Nod and agree that he's racist? Even if he isn't?

it's hardly "sending out a white man" though is it?

Is he not white? Not a man? Not rather unbelievably left to deal with this shitstorm in person and on his own, apparently without any guidance on what line to take?