The claims by Prince Harry and Meghan that an unidentified member of the royal family had “concerns” about the color of their unborn baby’s skin have posed a thorny issue in countries with historic links to Britain: Do those countries really want to be so closely linked to Britain and its royal family anymore?

The interview was intended to reveal further schisms within the royal family. It now appears to be risking divisions within the Commonwealth, which is made up of 54 nations, the majority of which were once British colonies and are bound together by historical relations. Queen Elizabeth II has been the Commonwealth’s guiding force for decades.

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull cited the TV interview, which aired on the eve of Commonwealth Day in the United States, as yet another justification for the nation to sever its constitutional relations with the British monarchy.

Turnbull told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that after the queen’s reign ends, “that is the time for us to say: OK, we’ve passed the watershed.” “Do we really want whoever happens to be the head of state in the United Kingdom, the king or queen, to be our head of state?”

The Commonwealth’s worth has been questioned in the past, with critics debating whether countries and citizens that were once colonized — and still marginalized — should continue to be associated with a former colonizer. Its stated goal is to strengthen foreign ties, but diplomatic blunders and the history of empire have clouded Britain’s relationship with its members. The queen spoke of “the spirit of peace” in a speech on Commonwealth Day on Monday.

Harry and Meghan, both charismatic royals, have previously been deployed to Commonwealth-related activities for young people, entrepreneurs, and volunteer organisations.

However, their interview this week “opens our eyes more” on the Commonwealth’s merits, according to Nicholas Sengoba, a newspaper columnist in Uganda’s former colony.

He cited “unresolved problems” in his country related to colonialism’s violations and questioned whether Commonwealth leaders should still be “proud to share dinner” with members of the British royal family in light of the allegations.

Meghan, who is biracial, said in the interview that when she was pregnant with her son, Archie, an anonymous member of the royal family raised “concerns” about the color of her baby with Harry, and that the palace refused to support her when she had suicidal thoughts. The claims of prejudice leveled against Harry and Meghan are “concerning,” according to Buckingham Palace, and the royal family will discuss them privately.

The interview drew particularly harsh criticism in Africa. One South African Twitter user summed it up this way: “It’s Britain and the royal family.” What were your expectations? For years, they oppressed us.”

In 2019, Meghan and Harry visited South Africa, where their impending split from the royal family became clearer, and they even mentioned the possibility of relocating there.

Mohammed Groenewald, who showed them around a mosque in Cape Town, said he was still digesting the interview, which premiered in South Africa on Monday. But, more than anything, he said it brought back memories of “British colonial racism.”

He said, “It comes out really clearly.”

News of the interview has started to appear in Kenyan newspapers, a former colony where a young Princess Elizabeth was visiting in 1952 when she learned of her father’s death and thus that she would become queen.

“Seeing our fellow African sister being abused because she is black makes us really angry,” Nairobi resident Sylvia Wangari said of Meghan. She went on to say that Kenyans did not show Elizabeth any bigotry in 1952, and that she remained in the country “without us showing her any discrimination.”

Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, declined to comment on the interview. He claims that many institutions in Canada, including Parliament, are founded on colonialism and systemic racism, and that the solution is to listen to Canadians who are discriminated against so that institutions can be fixed.

Trudeau stated, “The answer is not to throw out all the institutions and start over.”

“I wish all members of the royal family well, but my primary concern is surviving the pandemic. If people want to talk about constitutional reform and shifting our government structure later, that’s cool, and they can, but I’m not having those discussions right now.”

The monarchy, according to Jagmeet Singh, leader of the opposition New Democratic Party, “is in no way helpful to Canadians in terms of their daily lives.”

He said, “And with the systemic racism that we’ve seen, it seems to be in that organization as well.”

The interview was not shown on television in India, the Commonwealth’s most populous member country with 1.3 billion people, but it was widely reported in the media and attracted criticism from the public.

Meenakshi Singh, a fashion writer, said, “Behind that whole elegant facade are thoughts that are not so elegant.”

Lawyer Sunaina Phul said the Commonwealth “is relevant to the royal family, of course, because it shows that they ruled so many places. I’m not sure why we’re all involved.”