MICHELLE OBAMA has weighed in on the fallout from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey which aired last week.
The former First Lady of the United States said she was "not completely surprised" by Markle's claims of racism within the Royal Family.
Ms Obama did however take a thinly veiled swipe at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying that she chose to focus on the people she served, rather than on herself, while in public service.
Last week, Ms Markle claimed that a member of the British Royal Family had made a racist comment about her unborn baby son Archie, and that she had been refused medical help when she was having "suicidal thoughts" during her time in the UK.
Speaking to NBC's Jenna Bush Hager on Tuesday, Michelle was asked what she thought of Meghan's comments during her Oprah interview.
"The things that I always keep in mind is that none of this is about us, in public service, it's about the people we serve," said Obama.
"I always try to push the light back out and focus it on the folks that we're actually here to serve."
The interviewer then asked her: "But what about when she talked about the fact that she experienced racism?"
Michelle replied: "I mean I feel like that was heartbreaking to hear that she felt like she was in her own family, her own family, thought differently of her.
"Race isn't a new construct in this world, for people of colour. So it wasn't a complete surprise to, sort of, hear her feelings and have them articulated.
"The thing that I hope for and the thing that I think about is that this first and foremost is a family and I pray for forgiveness and healing for them so they can use this as a teachable moment for them all," she added.
