Buckingham Palace is considering hiring an officer who would be the diversity czar following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘s disturbing interview with Oprah Winfrey, according to several media reports.
A source said the palace has been working for some time to improve diversity in the royal homes, but little progress has been made.
Diversity is “an issue that has been widely embraced throughout the royal family,” the source told CNN and British institutions.
“Our policies, procedures and programs are in place, but we have not seen the progress we would like and we accept that more needs to be done,” the source said. “The work to do this has been going on for some time now and it comes with the full support of the family.”
The naming of czar diversity to progressive efforts is on the table, but it is still too early to name any “firm plans”, ”the source explained. “We’re listening and learning, to get this right,” the source said.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex complained about racist coverage in British newspapers to Winfrey in an interview earlier this month. But in the most worrying revelation, they said a member of the royal family had spoken to them about “worries” about how dark their son’s skin would be. They did not name the family member, but Winfrey later clarified that she was not Queen Elizabeth or Prince Phillip.
Buckingham Palace already has a slate to review diversity policies in all royal homes, including Clarence House and Kensington Palace, the BBC reported.
The Guardian said royal supporters would be taking part in a “listen and learn” process on inclusion in the coming weeks. It reportedly involves individuals and business leaders sharing ideas on how the monarchy can represent the representation of people of color, members of the LGBTQ + community and people with disabilities.
In a statement on behalf of the queen after Winfrey’s interview, Buckingham Palace said racist allegations made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were “worrying”, saying they would be “taken seriously” and “that the family dealing with them privately. ”
Following the interview, Prince William told a reporter “we are not really a racist family. ”
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