KEY POINTS

  • An ex-lieutenant of the royal family dismissed claims of racism in the palace
  • The former lieutenant claims the comment about Archie's skin tone was 'innocent'
  • Hussain is of South Asian descent

A former lieutenant of Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday said claims that the British royal family are racists are “out of touch.”

In an op-ed published in the New York Post, Dr. Musharraf Hussain said the British royal family isn't racist and is “respectful” of his background. Hussain, who worked with the royal family for 10 years, is of South Asian descent.

“In the 10 years I have spent representing the royal family, they have been nothing but respectful of my background. The notion that they are racist is simply out of touch with reality,” he wrote in the op-ed. “If racism was in their DNA, I would have certainly smelt it.”

On Sunday, when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the duchess revealed that there were conversations about the possible color of their son’s skin after birth. The duke and duchess of Sussex refused to reveal who made the remarks.

Winfrey clarified on Monday, while appearing on CBS This Morning, that Harry did not "identify with me" to her who made the remarks.

"But he wanted to make sure that I knew, and if I had an opportunity to share it, that it was not his grandmother, nor his grandfather that were part of those conversations," Oprah revealed. "He did not tell me who were a part of those conversations. As you could see I tried to get that answer, on-camera and off."

During the interview Oprah on Sunday, Markle told the host that, “In the months when I was pregnant… we have in tandem the conversation of he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."

In his op-ed for the New York Post, Hussain dismissed the comment about the child's skin tone as an “innocent” question. He also noted that experiencing racism was different from the concept of racism.

“The experience of racism is not the same as racism. There are, for example, lots of innocent reasons to ask about a baby’s skin tone, eye color, or hair color (I’m sure someone will have asked if the baby was likely to be ginger; evidently Oprah Winfrey did not see this as newsworthy),” the ex-lieutenant wrote.

Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday released a statement that addressed the issues brought up during the tell-all interview on Sunday with Winfrey as “concerning.”

"The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan," Buckingham Palace wrote in a statement 40 hours after the interview. "While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle speaks of her suicidal thoughts during her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey
Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle speaks of her suicidal thoughts during her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey CBS / Sébastien VUAGNAT