Good Morning Britain
- Thomas Markle Sr. has defended the UK royal family over claims of racism towards Meghan Markle.
- He said "concerns" over Archie's skin color could just have been "a dumb question."
- Thomas doesn't think the UK is racist but "Los Angeles is racist. California is racist."
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Thomas Markle Sr. said he doesn't think the UK or the British royal family is racist, and claims there were "concerns" over Archie's skin color could just have been "a dumb question."
The Duchess of Sussex's father was speaking on Good Morning Britain following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired on Sunday on CBS in the US.
One of the most shocking claims in the interview was that members of the British royal family had "concerns and conversations" while she was pregnant about how dark her son Archie's skin would be.
Neither Harry nor Meghan would say who made the comment, but Winfrey said the Duke of Sussex had confirmed to her that it wasn't the Queen or Prince Philip.
Speaking to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Tuesday morning, Meghan's estranged father Thomas downplayed the comments.
"I'm guessing and hoping it's just a dumb question from somebody, it could just be that simple," he said. "It could be somebody asked a stupid question rather than being a total racist."
Thomas later added: "It could have been just the stupid question from someone, someone who doesn't understand that, a Black person marries a white person, what you get, you get a baby, that's what you got. You got a baby."
"Maybe we're getting a little too political," he said.
-Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 9, 2021
A running theme throughout the couple's interview with Winfrey was that racist treatment, particularly from the British tabloids, was what drove Harry and Meghan to step back from royal life.
Harry said racism was "a large part" of their decision to leave the UK.
However, Thomas defended the royal family, saying he does not think they nor the UK is racist.
"I have great respect for the royals and I don't think the British royal family is racist at all," he said. "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."
Thomas said that he will always love his daughter, and now that he lives only 70 miles away from the couple in Rosarito, Mexico, he would love to meet his grandson Archie.
However, Thomas says he hasn't spoken to his daughter since before her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018.
Representatives for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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