Tennis player Serena Williams on Monday extended support to the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, following her explosive allegations of racism in the British monarchy. In a two-hour interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said her husband Prince Harry revealed his family’s concerns over “how dark” her son Archie’s skin would be.

In a long note on Twitter, Serena said, “Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced.”

“I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of colour to minimise us, to break us down and demonise us,” said Williams, hailing her “selfless friend.”

“We must recognise our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism. The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimisation are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal,” Serena continued.

Meghan told Oprah she had contemplated taking her own life after joining the royal family and that she was denied help during her mental health crisis.

The tell-all interview was the biggest one since Harry’s mother Princess Diana detailed her crumbling marriage to his father Prince Charles in 1995.