Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s skin colour claims about the Royal Family took place before their marriage and were nothing to do with Archie, said a royal expert.
The Sussexes have been critical of the Royal Family in interviews with the media in the United States since their move to California, and the allegation of racism was especially stinging.
It has even been questioned whether racism played a part in Archie not being made a prince.
But while Meghan claimed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that the racism issue came up when she was pregnant, this is contested by royal biographer Robert Lacey.
In a new book, Lacey has said that Meghan and Harry’s accounts of when the racist comments were made are conflicting.
Meghan said “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born” took place while she was pregnant with Archie, in an interview with Oprah.
Harry, though, claimed he heard the supposed slur from a Royal Family member "right at the beginning".
Oprah asked Meghan why the royals didn’t want Archie to be a prince and Meghan brought up the issue of racism.
She said: “"I can give you an honest answer. In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time ... we have in tandem the conversation of 'he won't be given security. He's not going to be given a title' and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born."
Oprah said: "What? There is a conversation? Hold on. Hold up. Hold up. Stop right now. There's a conversation with you?"
"With Harry," Meghan replied.
Lacey writes: "When questioned by Oprah, Meghan admitted that no one in the Royal Family had ever asked her personally about the colour of Archie's skin - neither then, when she was pregnant, nor at any time.
"When Oprah later put it to him [Harry] directly, he almost shrugged his shoulders. Pushed for details, he admitted: 'That was right at the beginning...right at the beginning.'
"The skin colour conversation, as Harry described it, had actually taken place before the couple had even got engaged, at quite an early stage of their relationship - and it had been in general terms.
"The question had not been asked specifically about Archie, but about any babies that Harry and Meghan might possibly produce. 'Yeah,' said Harry, repeating the question that some unnamed person had put to him years earlier - 'What will the kids look like?'."
Lacey continued: "Nobody had had 'conversations' with Meghan about Archie while she was pregnant, nor asked her 'how dark his skin might be when he is born'.
"The problem lay in Meghan's having linked the question of her son's skin tone to the question of his royal status."
The Sussexes have not revealed who allegedly made the comment about Archie's skin colour, but said it was not the Queen or Prince Philip.
After the accusations came to light, Prince William insisted: "We are very much not a racist family."
It has been reported that Prince Charles’ plans for a slimmed down monarchy include not giving Archie a title but Lacey says he might be able to make his own decision on being a prince when he is 18.
He told The Times: "It is possible that Prince Charles may try to remove royal status from the Sussex children when he comes to the throne but that does not seem likely."
