Prince William has spoken out about the shocking racial abuse that has been hurled at England football players following their loss to Italy in the Euros final. But the heir’s statement has been slammed for hypocrisy.
WATCH: Prince George, Prince William & Duchess Catherine celebrate at the EUROs
After Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka missed their penalty kicks during the final match, their respective social medias were flooded with disgusting racial abuse. A mural of Rashford was also defaced.
Prince William, who is an avid football fan and President of the FA, took to his Twitter to condemn the abuse.
The royal wrote: “I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match. It is totally unacceptable that players had to endure this abhorrent behaviour. It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable.”
While many praised William for his statement, others found his words hypocritical considering the royal family’s history with Meghan Markle.
Journalist and political blogger Imani Gandy in particular sparked a conversation when she quote tweeted William’s statement and wrote, “Oooh now do the racist abuse aimed at Meghan Markle. *pulls up chair*”.
And there were plenty of people who echoed her sentiment.
“The hypocrisy is overwhelming,” one user penned.
“If only Meghan knew she needed to play soccer to be shown this consideration, maybe things would be different,” another added.
“After seeing what happened last night I kept thinking of them – Harry literally saved his family when the royals wouldn’t,” a third said.
“I wonder if they have a guilty conscience for not doing more for Meghan’s defense with the press. Or maybe they are seizing the opty to be more vocal because they’ve been called out,” another speculated.
WATCH: Prince William responds to Meghan and Harry’s explosive Oprah interview (Story continues after video)
During Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s sit down with Oprah Winfrey earlier in the year, the couple spoke about the intense media scrutiny the duchess has faced and how the Palace failed to protect her.
They also claimed that, as well as being refused a royal title, their son Archie was also neglected when it came to security and that a certain royal expressed concerns about how dark his skin might be when he was born.
Following the interview, Prince William denied the claims of racism within the monarchy, telling a paparazzo, “We are very much not a racist family”, while Buckingham Palace also released a statement alleging that “some recollections may vary”.
