A QUEER Eye star says he was not surprised by the Duchess of Sussex’s claim that an unnamed royal raised concerns about how dark their son’s skin might be.

Tan France was born in Doncaster to Muslim Pakistani parents but now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The 38-year-old, who gained US citizenship in 2020, said he is “still very much British” because “that’s where my story started”.

In an interview with the Radio Times, he said the existence of “some very vocal racists” in the UK makes it difficult for him to live in the country.

The stylist and presenter revealed he had not been shocked by Meghan Markle’s claim that a member of the royal family allegedly raised concerns with Prince Harry about how dark their son Archie’s skin tone might be ahead of his birth.

“When I heard the Meghan and Harry stuff about the baby’s skin colour, it didn’t shock me at all,” he said.

“My family thankfully know not to say dumb s**t like that to me, and they’d never have asked how light-skinned Ismail was when he was born.

“But my son is mixed race – half-white, half-Pakistani – so they would have assumed that he’d be fair-skinned.

“So no, thankfully my family didn’t ask, but it is the most common question when a South Asian baby is born. And, apparently, when a royal baby is born.”

Tan, who lives with his husband and son Ismail, said his move to the US was prompted in part by the racism he experienced in the UK.

“I love the Brits and I love coming home to the UK, but there are some very vocal racists who make it difficult for me to live there,” he said.

“The Americans know they are quite a racist country. They know racism is a real problem.

“However, in the UK we bury our heads in the sand and pretend it’s not an issue.”

France, who is fronting a new BBC documentary about colourism, previously wrote in his memoir about bleaching his skin at the age of nine.

Speaking about the cosmetic lightening process, he said: “Elders encourage you to try and find a way to be as white as possible by staying out of the sun and – this is going to sound ridiculous – avoiding dark foods that might encourage the skin to darken.

“But I didn’t tell anyone about bleaching because I felt embarrassed. You learn pretty early on to hide the ways in which you are trying to become as light-skinned as possible.”

Tan France: Beauty And The Bleach airs on Wednesday, April 27, on BBC Two.