Royals have faced unflattering press coverage and fixation in the media before, but it's not the same as the racism the Duchess of Sussex continues to endure.

In a new clip from her interview with Oprah Winfrey, Duchess Meghan compared her treatment by the press with that of other royal family members. First, she noted that the volume of the criticism and the interest in her, especially when she first started dating Prince Harry, "was greater because of social media, because of the fact that I was not just British."

The Duchess of Sussex pointed out that Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, also faced some mockery in the press before she married Prince William. "Kate was called 'Waity Katie,' waiting to marry William," she said. "While I imagine that was really hard—and I do, I can't picture what that felt like—this is not the same.

"And if a member of his family will comfortably say, 'We've all had to deal with things that are rude,' rude and racist are not the same. And equally, you've also had a press team that goes on the record to defend you, especially when they know something's not true. And that didn't happen for us."

In that same clip, Harry also acknowledged the system of the monarchy, and the press that upholds its image, as a "toxic environment." He added that his father, Prince Charles, who is next in line to the throne and was targeted by a media frenzy during his divorce from Princess Diana, has "had to make peace" with the toxic relationship between royalty and the tabloid media.

Winfrey also asked Harry about how his family gave "no acknowledgement" that Meghan's treatment in the press was different because of race. Would a due acknowledgement from the royals make a difference to him? she inquired.

"Yeah, it would make a huge difference," the Duke of Sussex said. "As I said, there's a lot of people that have seen it for what it was. A lot of people, like it's talked about across the world. Yet, the very people that don't want to say it or can't see it choose not to see it."

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Erica Gonzales

Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.