King Charles III Did Not Initially Realize Meghan Markle Was Biracial—Book

King Charles III thought Meghan Markle was "completely charming" and "absolutely delightful" at their first meeting—and did not initially realize she was a woman of color, a new book says.

Prince Harry introduced his father to the Duchess of Sussex in 2016 before the public knew of their relationship, according to author Christopher Andersen.

His biography The King: The Life of Charles III, published on November 8, reads: "After returning from Botswana that fall, Harry introduced Meghan to his father and Camilla. The Prince of Wales found the young American actress—who bore a passing resemblance to Kate's sister, Pippa—'completely charming, absolutely delightful.'

"At the time, Prince Charles had no idea that Harry's new girlfriend was biracial. 'Not that it would have mattered at all, of course,' Charles told an American friend. 'But no, I didn't realize that until later'."

An advance copy of the book, seen by Newsweek, describes how Queen Elizabeth II "appeared utterly devoid of prejudice" but Prince Philip had, up until the 1970s, to use the N-word.

The book read: "For her part, the Queen, who experienced countless up-close-and-personal encounters with people of all races, ethnicities, and religions during her record-breaking reign, appeared utterly devoid of prejudice.

"Not once had she ever been heard to make a racially insensitive comment. The same could not be said for Charles, although his gaffes were rare—like the time he told a writer of Guyanese descent that she didn't 'look like' she was born in the British city of Manchester, presumably because she was black and wore dreadlocks."

"Like others of his generation and his class," Andersen continued, "Philip had used the N-word with some frequency—although, said a retired member of the Balmoral household staff, 'I haven't heard him use the word in a very long time—at least not since the 1970s.'
Nonetheless, Philip, like Charles, warmed to Meghan immediately."

Prince Philip, according to The King, was dismissive of a scandal from December 2017, months before Meghan and Prince Harry's Windsor Castle wedding.

Princess Michael of Kent, the wife of the queen's cousin Prince Michael, was accused of racism after wearing a brooch from the "Blackamoor" tradition of European jewellry that depicts people of colour in service roles.

Andersen wrote: "Prince Philip dismissed the Blackamoor brooch brouhaha as 'complete nonsense,' but then again, he was scarcely a paragon of political correctness. 'If you stay here much longer,' he told a group of British students during a royal visit to China, 'you'll all be slitty eyed'."

A spokesman for her said: "The brooch was a gift and has been worn many times before. Princess Michael is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offence."

Elsewhere in the book, Andersen describes how Donald Trump inspired anger from Prince William, Harry and Charles after stating on Twitter that Kate Middleton had "herself to blame" for topless photos taken on a long lens while she sunbathed in private in France.

The former U.S. President Tweeted in 2012: "Kate Middleton is great – but she shouldn't be sunbathing in the nude – only herself to blame.

"Who wouldn't take Kate's picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate!"

Andersen wrote: "Trump's criticism of Kate resulted in what one Clarence House butler referred to as 'torrents of profanity' from both Prince Charles and his sons."

Prince Harry's own memoir is due to be released on January 10, 2023, and will tell the Duke of Sussex's life story.

A press release read: "Spare takes readers immediately back to one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother's coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror.

"As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on. For Harry, this is his story at last."