Royal news – live: Kate Middleton ‘slapped down’ Meghan racism claims as Palace reveals new set of values

The Princess of Wales orchestrated the “ultimate royal slapdown” after Meghan Markle accused the family of racism, according to a new biography of Kate Middleton by royal author Rob Jobson.

In her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan claimed that then-unidentified members of the royal family had speculated about the colour of Prince Archie’s skin ahead of his birth.

Royal biographer Omid Scobie later claimed in his 2023 book Endgame that the royals Meghan referred to were King Charles and Kate Middleton .

It has now emerged that it was Kate, rather than the Queen, who responded with the powerful phrase released by the Palace at the time, stressing that “‘recollections may vary”.

This comes amid the news that Buckingham Palace has released a new set of royal values for the first time in King Charles’s reign.

These include a commitment to “stay curious” and “help shape a better world”.

The Palace said in its annual report: “The new reign has given the royal household the opportunity to define a new expression of purpose underpinned by a refreshed set of values.”