Serena Williams says she understood the 'pain and cruelty' suffered by Meghan
(CNN)Tennis superstar Serena Williams says she understands the "pain and cruelty" suffered by Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, after the Duchess of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey that an unnamed member of the royal family raised the issue of how dark their unborn baby Archie's skin would be while she was pregnant.
Empathizing with her friend Meghan, the 23-time grand slam winner wrote
on Twitter that she knew "first hand the sexism and racism institutions
and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us,
to break us down and demonize us. We must recognize our obligation to
decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism."
There were several "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he was born," Meghan told Winfrey.
Serena Williams (left) and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (right)
Meghan's
revelations threaten to spark a racism scandal around Buckingham
Palace, which did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.
"That
was relayed to me from Harry. Those were conversations that family had
with him," added Meghan, declining to reveal who was involved in those
conversations about Archie's skin tone. "That would be very damaging to
them," she said.
Harry
was asked about the matter when he joined his wife for part of the TV
special, which was shown on Sunday evening on CBS and dominated
headlines in the UK on Monday.
"That conversation, I am never going to share," Harry said. "At the time, it was awkward, I was a bit shocked."
Willliams and Meghan reportedly first met in 2010 at party celebrating the Super Bowl and the tennis star attended the couple's wedding 2018.
"Meghan
Markle, my selfless friend, lives her life -- and leads by example --
with empathy and compassion. She teaches me every day what it means to
be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she's
experienced," tweeted Serena.
In
her bombshell interview with Winfrey, Meghan said that her life as a
British royal was so isolating and lonely at one point she "didn't want
to be alive anymore."
Prince Harry and Meghan interview with Oprah.
"The
mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are
devastating, isolating and all too often lethal," wrote Serena on
Twitter.
"I
want Meghan's daughter, my daughter and your daughter to live in a
society that is driven by respect. Keep in your memory the fruitage of
the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness,
faith, mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law."
The
Duke and Duchess of Sussex have raised "issues that need to be looked
at carefully," a former Press Secretary to Queen Elizabeth has said. But
Charles Anson, who held the position of press secretary from 1990 to
1997, said there "wasn't a strand of racism" within the royal household.
Speaking
to the BBC on Monday, he recalled an "overwhelming sense of welcome"
for Meghan around the time of their wedding in 2018, which he covered as
a royal commentator. "I think that it was both evident in the press and
from the reaction of the public and I don't think there's a strand of
racism in that within the royal household at all, I think, is much more
in the broadcast media. I think such racism as exists tends to be most
active on social media."
On
Monday, UK shadow education secretary Kate Green said that Buckingham
Palace should launch an investigation into any allegations of racism
after Meghan's revelations.
"If
there are allegations of racism, I would expect them to be treated by
the Palace with the upmost seriousness and fully investigated," Kate
Green told British broadcaster SkyNews Monday.
When
asked if this interview demands a response from the Palace, Green said:
"I'm sure the Palace will be thinking very carefully about that and I
certainly think people will be wondering what is going to be said but
there's never any excuse in any circumstances for racism and I think it
is important that action is taken to investigate what are really
shocking allegations."
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