Royal Family ‘very much not racist’ – William

The Duke of Cambridge has said the royals are "very much not a racist family" in his first comments after accusations by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a TV interview.

Prince William also said he had not yet spoken to his brother but would do so.

Meghan and Prince Harry said a royal had expressed concern over "how dark" their son Archie's skin might be.

Buckingham Palace previously said the claim was "concerning" but it would be addressed privately.

In a statement, the Palace said "recollections may vary" but that the Sussexes would "always be much loved family members".

During a visit to a school in Stratford, east London, on Thursday, Prince William was asked by a reporter: "Is the Royal Family a racist family, sir?"

The duke replied: "We're very much not a racist family."

Asked whether he had spoken to Prince Harry since the Oprah interview, Prince William said: "No, I haven't spoken to him yet but I will do."

Prince William's visit is not the first appearance by a senior royal since the interview aired – the Prince of Wales carried out an engagement earlier this week.

In the TV interview, Meghan told Oprah there were "concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie's] skin might be when he was born".

Both Prince Harry and Meghan refused to say who made the comment – but Harry later clarified to Oprah that it was not the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh.

During the interview Harry also said it hurt him that his family never spoke out about the "colonial undertones" of news_copy headlines and articles.

And asked by Oprah if the couple left the UK because of racism from the tabloid media, Harry replied: "It was a large part of it."