The mystery royal who asked Meghan Markle and Prince Harry about their son Archie’s skin color was just ‘being realistic,’ says former professional footballer John Barnes.
He also claims that most people of color would say ‘so what?’ to the question asked by the unnamed royal during the Duchess of Sussex’s pregnancy.
Meghan left the monarchy plunging into crisis after the bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The duchess told Oprah that a member of the royal family had expressed ‘concern’ about her son’s skin color before he was born because Harry is white and she is mixed-race.
“That conversation, I am never going to share. At the time it was awkward, I was a bit shocked,” Harry added.
The royal couple did not name the mystery royal as it would be ‘damaging’ to them but said it was not Prince Philip or Queen Elizabeth.
Barnes, who tied the knot with a white woman, said he would “expect that conversation” to happen, adding people will “always wonder” what the child will look like.
In an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine, the former England star said: “You speak to most black people and they’ll say “Yeah, so what?” I would expect that conversation to be had by the family.
“People will always wonder what the baby will look like and if it is going to be dark.”
“If you listen to what Meghan says, it’s not about them (the unnamed royal) worrying if the baby is dark or not, it’s them worrying about how the public are going to view that,” Barnes continued.
“Because they know if the baby is too dark, the public will not view the baby as positively. They’re being realistic.
“Let’s not pretend the public won’t care whether it’s a blond-haired blue-eyed baby or jet black, because they will.”
The father-of-seven, who wrote the book ‘The Uncomfortable Truth About Racism,’ claimed many people of color he knowns are not fans of the Sussexes.
“The problem now is that if you don’t like her, people will call you a racist, when it’s got nothing to do with that.
“That’s why it’s important to separate the idea of racism and her character as a human being.”
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