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Former Royal aide Paul Burrell has defended Queen Elizabeth after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle claimed a member of the family discussed baby Archie’s skin colour.
In an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in the US last night, Meghan revealed that while pregnant with her son, a senior member of the family had ‘concerns and conversations’ into how dark the baby’s skin would be.
However, neither Harry nor Meghan gave the family member a name, saying it would be ‘too damaging’ for the person involved.
While they never implicated the Queen, and instead spoke fondly of the reigning monarch, Burrell – Princess Diana’s butler – has spoken out in her defence on Lorraine this morning.
‘Can I say how sad and disappointed I am to hear what was being said in this interview – because it reflects on the entire Royal family and not just one member but all of it and the institution itself, of which Harry’s grandmother is head.
‘I feel desperately sorry for the Queen because in her 70th year of her reign she is facing another crisis, and she has enough on her plate already with her sick husband who’s in hospital. How much can she take?
‘She has to bear all her family’s problems, and this is just another one of them, and to level racism against her and the institution is a very serious criticism.
‘Her Majesty absolutely is not racist in any way, shape or form. I stood beside her on tours and her greatest achievement, of course, is the Commonwealth, and she loves touring her Commonwealth and seeing her people.
‘They don’t see colour, they don’t see that. They see people and her majesty is a good kind Christian lady. This can’t be levelled at her.’
Lorraine then stepped in and said that the person involved was never named, and Harry and Meghan generally spoke fondly of the Queen and her support within the monarchy.
But Paul didn’t think that was enough, and said: ‘Why tell half a story? I mean, he’s told half of a story, lit a fire underneath it, and now there’s going to be a witch hunt to find out actually who did say that.
‘There’s blood in the water Lorraine, the sharks are circling, and you know what happens next. They just will not let go.
‘So, I am saddened that all of this has to be aired in public and, you know, I just feel for the institution which is the monarchy, and it’s a wonderful institution.’
Lorraine airs weekdays from 9am on ITV.
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