Meghan Markle's father, Thomas Markle, has addressed the controversy surrounding allegations of "racism" within the British Royal Family after his daughter claimed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that one of the members of the family, whose name she did not disclose, raised concerns about her future child's skin colour while she was still pregnant with Archie.
Speaking to ITV, the Duchess's father dismissed the remark as "a stupid question" rather than outright racism.
"I have great respect for the Royals, and I don't think the British Royal Family are racist at all. I don't think the British are racist, I think Los Angeles is racist, California is racist, but I don't think the Brits are", Markle said.
The rebellious royal couple's tell-all interview aired on Sunday. In it they recounted some of the troubles they encountered before they stepped down from their royal duties. Apart from the dubious skin colour remark, Meghan complained about being "silenced" and even having "suicidal thoughts" at some point.
Prince Harry and Meghan relinquished their royal duties last year and moved to the United States with their son Archie. In February, they notified Queen Elizabeth II that they would not be resuming their roles in the UK Royal Family. Prince Harry said that the decision partly stemmed from the mental health impact of the "toxic" UK press coverage.