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London (AP) - After the explosive interview by Prince Harry (36) and Duchess Meghan (39), leading royals met for crisis meetings, according to a report by the BBC.

The broadcast of the program on British television had attracted more than eleven million people to the screens on Monday evening, according to the ITV broadcaster.

A response from the palace was still pending on Tuesday.

Prince Charles (72) appeared briefly in public when visiting a vaccination center, but did not answer questions.

Meghan and Harry had raised serious allegations against the royal family in the interview with US talk show legend Oprah Winfrey, accused them of lack of support and accused them of racist mind games.

When she was pregnant with son Archie, there were concerns "how dark his skin could be when he is born," Meghan said.

The couple did not want to reveal which royal these statements came from - only Queen Elizabeth II (94) and her husband Prince Philip (99) were later excluded.

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Harry also explicitly criticized the fact that none of his family members had spoken out against "colonial undertones" in reports in the British tabloids.

Above all, this accusation is likely to cause concern for the Queen, who has always tried to protect the Commonwealth.

She is at the head of the loose association of states to which 54 countries belong.

Most of them used to be part of the British Empire.

The Queen is also head of state in 16 of these countries.

On Monday, of all days, the palace celebrated Commonwealth Day with a recorded speech by the Queen.

There was talk of appreciation.

Meghan and Harry's allegations are likely to have raised doubts in some countries as to whether the Royals really mean it.

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull was strengthened by the interview in his call for an end to the monarchy in his country.

When the Queen is no longer on the throne, one has to think about whether the King or Queen of Great Britain should automatically be the head of state of Australia, he told ABC TV.

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Meghan's father Thomas Markle defended the Royals against accusations of racism.

"I have a lot of respect for the royals, and I don't think the British royal family is racist at all," Markle told British broadcaster ITV on Tuesday morning.

Meghan's relationship with her father is considered shattered and even culminated in a legal battle over private letters that were published against her will.

"I suspect and hope it was just a stupid question from someone," said 76-year-old Thomas Markle.

"It could just be that someone just asked a stupid question instead of being a total racist."

The American himself is white, Meghan's mother is black.

The father offered his daughter Meghan and Harry in his ITV interview to resume the thread of the conversation and meet.

If he hears directly in front of the couple, he will also stop talking to the media, announced Markle.

The subject had dominated the headlines of almost every newspaper in the UK on Tuesday.

"What did they do?" Was the headline in the Daily Mail for a picture of Meghans and Harry.

"Worst royal crisis in 85 years," it said on the front page of the Daily Mirror.

The "Guardian" described the racism allegations as "devastating" and the "Daily Express" headlined: "So sad that it has come to this."

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210309-99-750603 / 4