William’s Response to Harry and Meghan’s Racism Allegations Showed His 'Molten Anger'
For a man who rarely is seen losing his calm or his composure, Prince William’s seven-word response in 2021 was unusually charged, and according to a royal commentator, it exposed 'molten anger' simmering beneath the surface. The remark came days after Meghan Markle’s and Prince Harry's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, where she alleged that senior royals had expressed 'concerns' over how dark her son Archie’s skin might be.
The allegation, dropped like a grenade, sent shockwaves through Buckingham Palace and beyond. While the monarchy’s official response was carefully worded, calling the claims 'concerning,' but promising to handle them 'privately.' At the same time, William’s pointed rebuttal, that too a random one at that, for a reporter questioning him about speaking to his brother, made headlines of its own. When a journalist asked if the royal family was racist, a very annoyed and clearly irritated William spelled out, “We're very much not a racist family.”
Experts said that his simple statement carried far more weight than its brevity suggested. Kevin Maguire, Associate Editor at the Daily Mirror, believes the moment peeled back the palace veneer to reveal William’s true emotions. Speaking on Channel 5’s Royal Heirs and Spares: Rivalry & Resentment, Maguire said the Prince’s tone was defensive. “That moment when William said the Royal Family isn't racist, that revealed molten anger,” he explained, adding, “He also appreciated the harm and the damage that the accusation had made for that family. That was absolutely extraordinary, those few words, that little response, told us a huge amount.”
It’s no secret that the fallout from the Oprah interview marked a turning point in the brothers’ relationship. Once the closest of allies, bonded by grief, shared duty, and public expectation, William and Harry have since drifted into opposing camps. The strain has only deepened over time, with private rifts spilling into the public domain through documentaries, interviews, and, most notably, Harry’s memoir Spare.
In the book, Harry described a particularly heated confrontation with William in 2019, claiming his brother physically attacked him during an argument at Nottingham Cottage. “He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor,” Harry wrote. “I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back.” The account cemented just how fractured their relationship had become, and led to speculations that the couple's exit from the firm stemmed from it.
Royal insiders say that for William, Markle’s remarks during the Oprah interview were a reputational blow to the monarchy and also ended up being as hurtful on a personal front. As the future King and the de facto custodian of the family’s image, he reportedly felt cornered. At the time, William admitted he hadn’t yet spoken to Harry about the interview but planned to do so. Four years on, that conversation seems unlikely to have repaired much. Despite the late Queen’s calls for unity and King Charles’s quiet attempts at reconciliation, the gulf between the brothers has grown wider, shaped by mistrust and years of simmering resentment.