Royal family biographer Christopher Andersen revealed that it was King Charles III. was who wondered what skin tone would apply to Archie, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son. However, in an interview with UOL published this Sunday (17), the author claimed it was an “innocent” question and rejected the monarch’s racist attitude.
In the book “The King”, Andersen emphasizes that Charles’ doubts were related to his grandson’s appearance in general. “Well, I’m a grandfather. And I can say that every grandfather, just like their parents, speculates about what their grandchildren will look like. “What will they be like?” What will your children’s children’s children look like?'” he argued.
“It was in one of those innocent conversations with Camilla (Parker Bowles). He speculated about Archie’s height, hair color and eye color. There was nothing to do with race. But it was obviously interpreted that way by someone working in the palace and turned into something toxic,” the biographer continued.
Christopher also explained how the rivalry between the houses may have influenced this issue. “It must be remembered that the people who work behind the scenes in the palace, who Diana called “men in gray,” are in constant competition,” he stressed.
Harry and Meghan addressed the topic in their conversation with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in March 2021. (Photo: Reproduction/CBS)
“It’s always a question of who has the advantage between the different palaces.” Would it be William and Kate or Harry and Meghan? Of course, the queen always had the biggest advantage: control. But there is great competition for the best position in the royal family and between the houses. So these people behind the scenes made this comment into something that was not intended,” the author pointed out.
He then commented on how the issue reached such gigantic proportions that it was addressed by Harry and Meghan in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. For Andersen, the royal family is not racist. “It’s sad. I don’t think they are racist, although one can argue that the entire institution of colonialism and monarchy is symbolic of this type of racist attitude. But I do not believe that members of the royal family as individuals are racist,” he concluded. Regard:
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A royal biographer says King Charles III questioned the color of his grandson Archie’s skin pic.twitter.com/pCZeD0FppT
— WWLBD ✌🏻 (@whatwouldlbdo) September 17, 2023
In the interview, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex surprised Oprah by revealing the conversations that took place at Buckingham Palace. “In the months I was pregnant, there were concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be at birth,” Markle said. According to her, the speculation was directed against Harry himself, but she preferred not to name any names.
“I will never share this conversation. It was strange at the time, I was a bit shocked,” Harry admitted. Archie’s father also confessed that he was hurt by his family because he never spoke about the “colonial tone” (which portrays Meghan as inferior) in headlines and press articles.
Archie, son of Harry and Meghan. (Photo: Getty)
Megan even said that she was told during her pregnancy that her firstborn would not receive the royal title of prince. “There is no explanation, there is no version. It was a decision they felt was appropriate. It is not their right to take that away from them. During my pregnancy they decided to change the convention,” she explained.
His biggest concern was that his son would not receive the same security as other royals. “If we had known, we would have put comprehensive protection around him,” he noted. Finally, the Duchess also revealed that the royal family did not take Archie’s official portrait with his parents after his birth, as tradition requires. “You can tell the world that you took his title and didn’t ask us to take the photo,” he said.