Who Is Defending Prince Charles' Comments About Archie's Skin Tone?

Meghan Markle shook the foundations of the British royal family during her March sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, when she accused an unnamed member of the institution of explicit racism. According to the Duchess of Sussex, this royal expressed concerns regarding Archie's skin color before he was born. "There [were] conversations with [Prince] Harry about how dark your baby is going to be and what that would mean or look like," Meghan said, as Oprah Daily reported at the time. Meghan also implied that race might have been a factor in the royal family's decision not to give her and Harry's son a title, the report detailed.

Now, in the biography "Brothers And Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan" (via Page Six), set to be released on November 30, author Christopher Andersen described how Prince Charles wondered about Harry and Meghan's future children's complexion when the two announced their engagement in November 2017, though the book didn't say he was the person Meghan referenced in said interview. 

While having breakfast that day, Charles reportedly talked to his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, about the matter, according to a "a well-placed source," who helped Andersen with his book. "I wonder what the children will look like?" Charles asked, a remark that caught Camilla off-guard. "Well, absolutely gorgeous, I'm certain." But Charles didn't stop there. He allegedly lowered his voice and tried again. "I mean, what do you think their children's complexion might be?" However, some say Charles's intentions were innocent.

Speaking to "TODAY" on Monday, November 29, biographer Christopher Andersen not only stood by his account of Prince Charles' musing about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's future children, but he also defended the heir to the throne's alleged behavior. "In a very kind of benign way, Prince Charles, you know, started to muse on what their future grandchildren might look like. I mean, here's this beautiful biracial American woman and the world's most famous redhead. I'm a grandfather. Of course, we all do this," Andersen said.

Andersen said the episode described in "Brothers And Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan" was presented in a different light by palace advisors. "It was turned into something very toxic. It was weaponized, really, by the Men in Gray who run the palace organization," Andersen added. In the interview, the author expressed Meghan might have been referring to this episode when she accused a member of the royal family of racism earlier this year. "Unfortunately, by the time it got to Harry, that's the way he took it," he added. Meghan and Harry declined to name the person, but later clarified it was neither Prince Philip nor Queen Elizabeth, per CBS News.

Charles denied that he ever had this conversation with Camilla Parker Bowles, NBC News reported. From Barbados, where he is attending a formal affair, Charles said via a spokesperson that Andersen's account "is fiction and not worth further comment."