Prince Harry Says Racism ‘Large Part’ of Why He Left UK in New Oprah Interview Clip (Video)

“The U.K. is not bigoted, the U.K. press is bigoted,” the royal says in new clip from Oprah Winfrey’s interview

Prince Harry Oprah Interview
CBS

Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey that racism was a “large part of” the reason he and Meghan Markle left the U.K. last year.

The revelation came Monday morning, one day after Winfrey’s interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex aired. “CBS This Morning” ran it as an exclusive next-day clip.

“Did you leave the country because of racism?” Winfrey asked, referring to the couple’s decision to move to America and step back from royal duties.

Harry acknowledged racism was a “large part of” what drove him to leave with Markle, who is of mixed race, and their son, Archie. He recalled a conversation with an unnamed individual who is friends with members of the British press. That person warned him, he said, of bigotry in the country and its media.

“I stopped him and said, ‘The U.K. is not bigoted,’” Harry recalled telling this individual. “The U.K. press is bigoted, specifically the tabloids.”

After rolling the clip on “CBS This Morning,” co-anchor Gayle King noted, “I think that’s so interesting for people to hear, guys, about how closely the tabloids work together with people in the palace who are feeding stories and they actually feed off each other.”

During the interview that aired Sunday night, the duke and duchess revealed that unidentified members of the royal family expressed concern about the skin color of their son, Archie.

She told Winfrey that while she was pregnant, unidentified members of Harry’s family shared “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” Markle, who identifies as mixed-race, declined to identify the royal family members, adding, “I think that would be very damaging to them.” She also added that the concerns were not raised directly to her but to Prince Harry.

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