William's Response To The Tell-All Has The Internet Furious

Aside from one brief, blanket statement, the royal family have stayed pretty much mum in the wake of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Issued just a few days after the interview aired, that statement read: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. 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. Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much-loved family members." Some of the "issues" the Palace are referring to include the jaw-dropping revelation that certain members of the royal family were concerned over how dark baby Archie's skin tone could potentially be, along with Meghan's questionable treatment by the British media in comparison to that of Kate Middleton. And while people from all over the world remain divided over Meghan and Harry's interview, one member of the royal family has finally broken his silence on the matter. Royals correspondent Richard Palmer took to Twitter to share the first statement from the royal family, made by Prince William. In the video, Palmer asks the Duke of Cambridge if he's spoken to Prince Harry since the tell-all interview aired, to which William responds: "No, I haven't spoken to him yet, but I will do." Palmer then asked if the royal family is a racist one, and William said, "No, very much not a racist family." But Prince William's response didn't sit too well with social media users. One Twitter user, for example, wrote: "So Prince William can speak out to defend the royal family by saying 'we're not a racist family' but he can't speak out in defence of the ONE member of the family actually subjected to racism?" Another Twitter user agreed, adding: "Prince William, as a white man, doesn't get to decide if his family is racist. Meghan, as a woman of colour in your family, does. He and his family need to listen to her. She says they are. Then instead, publicly apologise and do the work of anti-racism." Meanwhile, one user wrote: "The fact that Prince William has spoken to the press before his own brother about the accusations & upset over racist comments, speaks volumes." As more and more people criticized Prince William for his response, others came to his defense. One user took to Twitter to say: "I thought he handled it well. He's doing [h]is job. Continuing on with his service. He's focusing on the charity at hand not this soap opera the public are salivating over." Another agreed, writing: "Doesn't owe anyone any explanation. 99 times out of 100 the family member airing dirty laundry in public is the a--hole of the group. I do not believe this to be the exception." One royal family enthusiast made their own bold claims about Prince Harry, Prince William, and Meghan Markle in particular. They wrote: "I agree completely with Prince William saying [the] Royal Family is not racist. [Oprah] gushed when Meghan blamed royals for racism and that was the high point of [the] interview. I see Meghan [as] a manipulator and attention seeker. She betrayed the Queen who I hope will kick her out with husband." Although Prince William has yet to reach out to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle directly — as far as anyone knows, at least — it's not all that surprising that the brothers have yet to speak. During the interview, Harry told Oprah Winfrey that he and Prince William are currently giving each other space, although he stressed that this doesn't necessarily mean he has any ill wishes toward his older brother. Referring to the brothers' experiences growing up in the spotlight, which included losing their mother Diana at a young age, he said in the interview, "I love William to bits. He's my brother. We've been through hell together, and we have a shared experience." Harry then suggested that he's feeling optimistic about his future relationship with his brother. "The relationship is space at the moment. And, you know, time heals all things, hopefully." Neither Harry nor Meghan have responded to Prince William's comments, but it's plain to see that pretty much everyone has their own opinion about the ongoing controversy surrounding the royal family. Now, with Prince William finally commenting publicly on Harry and Meghan's interview, we might just see other members of the royal family start to speak up, too… for better or for worse. #PrinceWilliam #MeghanMarkle #Oprah