The Buckingham Palace on Tuesday broke their silence after the shocking interview of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey and said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their son Archie remain ‘much loved’.

In the issued statement, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II said the family was saddened to learn of the challenges Harry and Meghan had faced in the past few years — and that they would address the issues privately.

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members,” the statement said.

Also read: Meghan Markle’s father says Duchess ‘exaggerated royal racism’

Meanwhile, addressing the claims of racism in the Royal Family, the palace said the “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.”

During the explosive interview, Markle informed Winfrey about the questionable instance of her yet-to-be-born son Archie having faced questions pertaining to the colour of his skin, and speculations such as whether he would be given any titles or security.

Also read: Meghan Markle poses with husband Prince Harry and son Archie in adorable family photo

Markle said the prince informed her of conversations having taken place within the Royal Family of whether or how much the child would be dark in colour and its implications.

This set off a whirl of speculation about the identity of the senior royal who asked how dark their child’s skin would be before he was born.

Meghan, whose mother is black and father is white, also spoke about how she had suicidal thoughts, but failed to receive any support during her time in the royal family.

Winfrey was left open-mouthed by the racism claim, which reportedly left the palace in turmoil and scrambling how best to address it.

Prince Charles, Harry’s father and the heir to the throne, earlier ignored a question about what he made of the interview, as he made his first public appearance since the row erupted.

Meanwhile, Meghan’s estranged father Thomas Markle defended the royals, saying he hoped the skin tone comment was “just a dumb question”.

“It could just be that simple, it could be somebody asked a stupid question, rather than being a total racist,” he told Britain’s ITV.

The statement is the first comment by the palace following Harry and Meghan’s two-hour interview with Winfrey in which they alleged that Meghan had experienced callous treatment during her time in the royal family.