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Prince William has broken his silence on allegations of racism in the Royal Family made by his brother, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle.
During a visit to a school in London Thursday, the Duke of Cambridge was asked about the couple’s recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which they alleged that a member of the Royal Family had raised concerns about how dark their baby’s skin would be.
About 17.1 million individuals in the US watched the interview when it first premiered on CBS. Meanwhile, British TV network ITV reportedly acquired exclusive interview rights or about US$1.4 million, Fox News said.
In 1992, Texan millionaire John Bryan was caught sucking the toes of Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. It made front page news and saw Australians’ support for a republic surge from 36% in 1991 to 57% in 1992.
Despite this, and the unedifying spectacle of Charles and Diana’s divorce (and a slew of other royal scandals), in the 1999 republic referendum, Australia still clung to the monarchy.
This should serve as a timely reminder as the uproar grows over the public relations disaster of Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey and renewed calls for an Australian republic.
If Fergie couldn’t bring down Australia’s monarchy, it’s unlikely Oprah can.