Thomas Markle has said he hopes comments over grandson Archie's skin colour before he was born was just 'a dumb question'.
The father of the Duchess of Sussex appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday to give his first interview on his daughter and Prince Harry's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Mr Markle, who hasn't spoke to his daughter since her wedding in 2018, was also asked for his reaction to the claims made about the royal family - particularly the claim that an un-named royal raised "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born".
Harry refused to give details, adding: "That conversion, I am never going to share. At the time it was awkward, I was a bit shocked."
Mr Markle responded on ITV's GMB: "I have great respect for the royals and I don’t think the British royal family are racist at all. I don’t think the British are racist."
On the comment alleged to have been made by someone on how dark Harry and Meghan’s baby’s skin tone might be, he said: "I'm guessing and hoping it's just a dumb question from somebody.
"It could just be that simple, it could be somebody asked a stupid question, rather than being a total racist."
Oprah spoke out about the interview in the US on CBS Morning Live on Monday and said that Prince Harry wanted to make it clear that the Queen or Prince Phillip were not behind comments over his son's skin tone.
She said: "He did not share the identity with me but he wanted to make sure I knew, and if I had an opportunity to share it, that it was not his grandmother or grandfather that were part of those conversations.
"He did not tell me who was a part of those conversations."
