A spokesperson revealed to the press that while they have diversity procedures in place for years, they have yet to see progress around Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace “in terms of representation.” The source also added that this initiative has the “full support” of Queen Elizabeth and the royal family.
However, the spokesperson said that it was too early to reveal more details about the plans to hire a diversity chief as there are a variety of measures also in contention. The move, however, is an indication that Buckingham Palace is “listening and learning” to set things right amid claims that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to leave their royal work was partly spurred by racism.
Harry and Meghan said during their interview with Oprah Winfrey that some members of the royal family discussed their son’s skin color. This happened during Meghan’s pregnancy before Archie Harrison was even born.
According to Meghan, without naming names, some royal family members raised concerns of Archie’s potential skin darkness. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, however, said that it was not Queen Elizabeth nor Prince Philip who had this issue.
The couple also implied that the royal staff at the palaces were unfair to Meghan because she’s a biracial woman. Meghan told Winfrey that she felt she was held at a different standard than her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, who is Caucasian and has Irish roots.
This revelation and implications of racism prompted Prince William to say that they are not a racist family. Buckingham Palace also issued a statement saying that the queen’s recollection of events that Harry and Meghan shared to the public is different and that they would rather discuss this matter in private, as a family.
According to Daily Mail, the comments from Harry and Markle are now part of the diversity review at the Royal Households. This will be done in conjunction with different staff with minority backgrounds and those in the LGBTQ and disability community.
Sources said that the palace is taking Markle’s allegations seriously and that they are keen on having new approaches so that relationships among those working for the royal family could improve. Buckingham Palace is also doing a separate investigation into allegations that Meghan Markle bullied some of her staff while she was still a working royal.