Asia Pacific Daily News - Focus on Asia-Pacific Development, Daily News Express, Scholar Creation Center

Buckingham Palace responded Tuesday to racism allegations by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, saying they were ‘taken very seriously,’ and that the two and their son Archie remain ‘much loved’ members of the royal family.

The Palace was said to be in “crisis talks” to limit fallout to the explosive interview Meghan Markle and Prince Harry gave to Oprah Winfrey Sunday night. Markle alleged that an unnamed top member of the royal family questioned how dark the color of her son’s skin would be. The Duke and Duchess also spoke of limited protection from racist treatment by the British Press and lack of support.

"The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the statement made on behalf Queen Elizabeth II said. “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.”

Markle is the firsts woman of color to join the British institution, paid in part with public funds.

The interview leaves the U.K. divided, with some major news outlets publishing critical commentary and others, like British journalist Nadine Batchelor-Hunt, applauding Meghan’s “fearlessness” for illustrating the deep-rooted racism experienced by Black people in Britain.A YouGov opinion poll showed on Tuesday Britons equally divided, with 32% in each camp on the question of fair treatment of the Duke and Duchess, while 36% didn’t know.

In another YouGov poll, 58% of Americans said that Meghan’s race played a role in how she was treated by the monarchy, with 42% saying they think this played a “major role.”

A certain lack of sympathy from American conservatives was also seen in comments to a post by Fox News host Dana Perino, statements like “she was speaking as if she had no idea what she was going into ahead of time,” and “I feel really badly for the Queen.”

With a growing movement throughout the world on systematic change, the interview seems to have brought the conversation of racial equity and justice to all tables on both sides of the pond.