Buckingham Palace breaks silence and responds to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's claims of racism in bombshell interview

• The royal family on Tuesday issued a response to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Oprah interview.
• Buckingham Palace said the family was "saddened to learn" how hard things had been for the couple.
• It said the racism allegations "are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

The royal family broke their silence following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday.

In a statement released on behalf of the Queen on Tuesday, Buckingham Palace said that "the whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan."

"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately," it continued.

-Omid Scobie (@scobie) March 9, 2021

"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members," the statement concluded.

More than 17 million people watched Markle and Harry's two-hour interview with Winfrey when it aired in the US on CBS on Sunday. When it aired in the UK on ITV on Monday night, 11.3 million people watched.

Markle and Harry dropped several bombshells during the sit-down chat

The Duchess of Sussex said she had suicidal thoughts after joining the royal family but did not receive support from the palace despite "begging for help."

"I just didn't want to be alive anymore," she told Winfrey. "That was a clear and real and frightening and constant thought."

Markle and Harry also said that there had been "concerns and conversations" before Archie was born about how dark his skin would be.

The couple refused to name anyone involved in the discussions, though Winfrey later said it was not the Queen or Prince Philip.

Buckingham Palace was said to be in crisis talks following the interview

The BBC reported earlier on Tuesday that senior royals had been in "crisis meetings." An unnamed royal source also told Reuters that the Queen wanted to take time more before responding.

Rebecca English, the Daily Mail's royals editor, tweeted on Tuesday morning that Prince Charles, Harry's father, was asked for his thoughts about the interview at an event but "smiled and didn't answer."

-Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) March 9, 2021

The royal family's response to Harry and Markle's interview came a week after Buckingham Palace announced it would investigate claims that Markle had bullied palace staff members.

Representatives for Buckingham Palace and for Markle and Harry did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.