In the wake of Meghan Markle’s explosive Oprah Winfrey interview, Britain is tearing itself apart over how racist a country it is, with Piers Morgan, the controversial TV presenter who said he did not believe a word uttered by the Duchess of Sussex, proving to be the first casualty.

ITV was deluged with 41,000 complaints on Monday after Morgan, presenter of Good Morning Britain, reacted to her interview by asserting Meghan was not telling the truth: “Who did you go to (to seek help)? What did they say to you? I’m sorry, I don’t believe a word she said, Meghan Markle. I wouldn’t believe it if she read me a weather report.”

“Is it too late for Oscar nominations?” the 55-year-old, who makes himself the story by being as controversial as possible, went on.

“This interview is an absolutely disgraceful betrayal of the Queen and the Royal Family,” Morgan tweeted, describing the interview as “vile destructive self-serving nonsense”.

It is fair to say that even viewers, who would not normally be sympathetic to a mixed-race American actress, were shaken by her disclosures that she had contemplated suicide, had been told she could not seek psychiatric help and that an unidentified member of the royal family had made disparaging comments about the colour of her unborn child.

Buckingham Palace’s sober statement on Tuesday reflected the Queen’s personal intervention: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”

Earlier on Tuesday ITV, which has a tie up with a mental health charity, announced in a brief statement that Morgan was stepping down as its presenter after five years with immediate effect: “Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add.”

To many, Morgan’s departure looked more like a sacking.

The irony was that Morgan and Meghan had once been friends but he turned into her fiercest critic after she dropped him.

On Wednesday, Morgan was replaced as a co-presenter on the ITV programme by an Indian woman, Ranvir Singh, who has become something of a celebrity herself by appearing as a contestant on the BBC’s hugely popular Strictly Come Dancing.

Another Indian who has triggered nothing short of a revolution in race relations is Krishnendu Majumdar, who last year became the first non-white chairman of Bafta (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), whose award ceremony is seen as a pointer to the Oscars.

Majumdar began the process of binging diversity to Bafta last year but the nominations for 2021 were announced on Tuesday – as Britain was still in shock over the claims of racism made by Meghan and Prince Harry.

Last year there were no non-white nominees in the acting categories, which provoked Prince William, Bafta’s president, to protest: “In 2020, and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process – that simply cannot be right in this day and age.”

He was then much praised for his progressive statement. Now, in the “who done it?” game being played by the media, William’s name has come up among those who might have made remarks about the colour of Meghan’s baby. The two brothers, once very close, have fallen out.

This year’s Bafta nominations could not be more diverse, with 16 of the 24 acting nominees coming from ethnic minority groups. Four women are nominated in the best director category.

Majumdar said: “After last year’s nominations, we started the Bafta Review process with the intention of levelling the playing field. We hope today you can see some of those changes reflected in the breadth and depth of those nominated and we congratulate all our nominees.”

Majumdar, 46, who was born and brought up in Wales, told The Telegraph that his values were much influenced by his late father, Dr Rupendra Kumar Majumdar, a GP who worked for the NHS for 40 years. After graduating from Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital, his father sailed by ship from Bombay in 1962 and arrived in Liverpool.

While Majumdar is changing Bafta, questions are being asked of the British media, especially tabloid newspapers which were accused by Meghan and Harry of being racist.

Society of Editors executive director Ian Murray said in a statement on Monday that it was “untrue” that sections of the UK press were bigoted. “It is not acceptable for the Duke and Duchess to make such claims without providing any supporting evidence,” he said, pointing to “universal supporting coverage” in the media of their marriage.

But there has been an angry backlash to Murray’s statement. More than 160 non-white journalists have signed an open letter to “deplore and reject” Murray’s defence, pointing out that Meghan’s claims “reflect the depressingly familiar reality of how people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are portrayed by the UK press on a daily basis”.

Several influential editors, among them Roula Khalaf of the Guardian and Katharine Viner of the Guardian, have also backed the non-white journalist. Even the board of the Society of Editors is split on Murray’s statement.