Norwich MP Clive Lewis says "serious questions" need to be asked about how the media has treated the Duchess of Sussex and that her interview with Oprah Winfrey will have "long-term implications".
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Norwich South Labour MP Mr Lewis appeared on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, amid reaction to the interview in which Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spoke about their relationship with the Royal Family.
The pair, now living in the US, made a number of revelations, among them an allegation that a member of the family - not the Queen or Duke of Edinburgh - had made a racist comment about their unborn son, Archie.
During the interview, first aired in the US and later broadcast on ITV on Monday night, Meghan spoke about her mental health, saying she had experienced suicidal thoughts and had asked to go somewhere to get help, but was told it would not look good by one of the most senior people in the institution.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying the issues raised were "concerning" and would be addressed by the Queen and her family privately.
Labour MP Mr Lewis appeared on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, the day after the departure of presenter Piers Morgan following his comments about the interview.
Mr Lewis said: "It's a soap opera, of a family. And, like many families, they're dysfunctional.
"All families have an element of dysfunctionality to them and this is one of them and this one also has something else tied into it, which is racism.
"How many other people have come back with a person from another background, a black person, a black partner, and had an experience with their family, where someone has said something? This is very common.
"But what this does, because it is at the very heart of one of the key structures of our society, I think it tells us that this is not about individuals, it's about an institution.
"And it's also about our media? Is it fit for purpose - the way it's operated and treated Meghan Markle? I think there are serious questions around that."
He said the British public had never been asked how it wanted to be governed and said: "I think, ultimately, this will have long-term implications. We won't see them immediately, but that might not be a bad thing."
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