Prince William has said the royals are “very much not a racist family” in his first comments after accusations by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The Duke of Cambridge also said he had not yet spoken to his brother but would do so.

Meghan and Prince Harry said a royal had expressed concern over “how dark” their son Archie’s skin might be.

Buckingham Palace previously said the claim was “concerning” but it would be addressed privately.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said “recollections may vary” but that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would “always be much loved family members”.

During a visit to a school in Stratford, east London, on March 11, Prince William was asked by a reporter: “Is the Royal Family a racist family, sir?”

The prince replied: “We’re very much not a racist family.”

Asked whether he had spoken to Prince Harry since the Oprah interview, the Duke of Cambridge said: “No, I haven’t spoken to him yet but I will do.”

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Prince William’s visit is not the first appearance by a senior royal since the interview aired – Prince Charles carried out an engagement earlier this week.

In the TV interview, Meghan told Oprah there were “concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie’s] skin might be when he was born”.

Both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle refused to say who made the comment – but Harry later clarified to Oprah that it was not the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh.

During the interview Prince Harry also said it hurt him that his family never spoke out about the “colonial undertones” of news headlines and articles.

Asked by Oprah if the couple left the UK because of racism from the tabloid media, Prince Harry replied: “It was a large part of it.”

In the interview, Prince Harry also spoke about his relationship with his family – especially with his father, the Prince of Wales, and brother Prince William.

At one point after stepping back as senior royals, Prince Harry said Prince Charles “stopped taking my calls”.

And of William, Prince Harry said: “The relationship is ‘space’ at the moment. And time heals all things, hopefully.”

Buckingham Palace issued a response to the interview earlier this week following crisis meetings involving senior royals.

Figures from CBS suggest that nearly 50 million people around the world have watched Oprah’s interview with the couple.

The fallout from the interview has also seen broadcaster Piers Morgan leave his role as host of Good Morning Britain, after his comments about Meghan Markle attracted 41,000 complaints.