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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Veiled insult, faux pas or not a big deal?

387 replies

MissionItsPossible · 22/12/2017 11:21

Came across this article in the Mirror just now (Sorry, it's another Meghan one) where she says Prince Michael of Kent wore a 'racist' brooch when meeting her.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/meghan-markle-greeted-racist-jewellery-11736477

General consensus from the comments suggest she knew exactly what she was doing. I don't know anything about her to know if it's suspect but it seems an odd thing to own let alone wear in public. What's the jury?

Also, is Michael an actual name for a woman, I've never heard of it before

OP posts:
chickenowner · 22/12/2017 11:38

Absolutely done on purpose.

MissionItsPossible · 22/12/2017 11:40

I did think it was too much of a coincidence not to be an oversight but I didn't know enough and didn't want to create a thread accusing her if it was a genuine mistake.

In the OP I meant 'they'n - as in the newspaper - said it was racist, not she as in Meghan Blush

OP posts:
Christmastree43 · 22/12/2017 11:40

That was definitely on purpose Shock shocking

StealthNinjaMum · 22/12/2017 11:41

What a bitch. And I agree, why aren't her family stopping this kind of behaviour, I would be mortified if she were a relative of mine.

Xmasgrinch · 22/12/2017 11:41

She's just a ridiculous and unpleasant woman who will do literally ANYTHING to see her face in the paper. She's well known to be a racist.

BurnTheBlackSuit · 22/12/2017 11:42

Her father was a Nazi.

This is irrelevant. Her mother divorced him when she was 1. He lived in a different country to her. Children are not guilty of the sins of their parents.

However, she is a deeply unpleasant and potentially racist person in her own right. I would suspect the jewellery was very deliberately chosen. Nasty woman.

Hissy · 22/12/2017 11:42

So in essence, she wore a vair vair expensive Golly badge?

Vile slug of a woman.

SantaClauseMightWork · 22/12/2017 11:43

I think she should be reprimanded at the highest level and apologise too. Nasty woman.

Hoppinggreen · 22/12/2017 11:45

It’s a horrible thing to wear anyway but where you know there will be someone there who has a non white parent it’s bloody awful

CheapSausagesAndSpam · 22/12/2017 11:46

Surely she'll get some sort of offical "Warning" for that!!?

FizzyGreenWater · 22/12/2017 11:47

My God is she still alive?!

'Princess' Michael is a complete knob and continues to be so. Incidentally, jewellery choices not only racist and ugly but a complete visual mess - WHO would pair those earrings with anything that brooch?!

IrisAtwood · 22/12/2017 11:48

According to the DM (sorry but they had the info I wanted.) It was a blackamoor broach:

Blackamoor are a genre of figurines, small sculptures or jewellery which depict largely men, but sometimes women, with black skin usually from the 18th century.

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5204907/Princess-Michael-Kent-wears-racist-Blackamoor-brooch.html#ixzz51zPnE99R

That woman is disgusting.

Bluntness100 · 22/12/2017 11:48

That brooch isn't acceptable to wear at any time. But even the most ignorant of ignoranamuses would pause for thought before donning it to meet mm for the first time. It's not like it's her only brooch or one she wears regularly. It was clearly dug out very specifically for this event. It's a clear put down.

So now we all know. Princess pushy doesn't approve of the marriage, she's deeply racist and thinks nothing of the feelings of her wider family.

I actually feel sorry for mm having to deal with his racist fucking relatives.

MargeryFenworthy · 22/12/2017 11:49

I despair. As a black woman, in a top City role, married to a white man, it galls me that this type of thing still goes on. And yet it does. From the MNer who said 'I had no idea you were black' at a meet up to the occasional looks I get from staff in high end stores. It's utterly depressing.

TrojanWhore · 22/12/2017 11:49

She would have to be very, very thick to fail to grasp how inappropriate that brooch is to wear in public places.

I wonder what message she thought she was sending?

Some items really should have been retired 60 years (or more) ago. Perhaps some kept as collectors pieces if particularly fine work, but in general remodelled (as much Royal jewellery is)

CardinalCat · 22/12/2017 11:49

Not even thinly veiled! I would hope that the palace will be having a word with the ignorant cow.

Chimera246 · 22/12/2017 11:50

The Duchess of Cambridge won't be able to be styled as Princess Catherine unless Prince William is officially promoted to Prince of Wales

She won't be Princess Catherine then. She'll be HRH The Princess of Wales

Chimera246 · 22/12/2017 11:51

But yes, OP... wholly inappropriate and completely deliberate

frieda909 · 22/12/2017 11:51

Oh my god.

I was getting ready to eye roll and say ‘how can a brooch be racist?!’ but then I scrolled down and saw what it was Shock

That is really shocking.

FullOfXmasCheerOfCourse · 22/12/2017 11:51

She's a nasty piece of work and clearly doesn't care who she offends.
The only 'good thing' that I can say is that at least she makes it obvious rather than appearing to be nice and then stabbing you in the back.

LemonShark · 22/12/2017 11:52

That is horrifying. I opened the article before reading the thread and was fully expecting something subtle that had many interpretations and that the press were trying to stir shit where there wasn't any.

And then I saw it. There is no other way of interpreting this than it was a blatant slap in the face, possibly with a side of plausible deniability ('oh this? I didn't intend any harm it's a beautiful piece intended to honour black people/Meghan's heritage!'). Truly disgusting. I don't think anyone can be so out of touch that they don't recognise how wildly inappropriate this is, so I'm sure it was a deliberately chosen item worn to send a strong message. I'm always gobsmacked that people in this day and age defend gollywogs and black face, this is similar imo.

I wonder how Meghan reacted.

Nikephorus · 22/12/2017 11:52

I was going to come on here (having not seen it) and say that perhaps she didn't realise & just liked it, but it's hideous. Even if it's really expensive no-one in their right mind would want to wear it (without racist connotations). It's not even hideous in a 'the sort of thing someone of a certain age and naivety who might not (given their lack of moving in normal circles) realise how it would come across' sort of way - it is just hideous. So I'm going with the definitely trying to be offensive viewpoint.

Bejazzled · 22/12/2017 11:53

I actually feel sorry for mm having to deal with his racist fucking relatives

That's a huge generalisation. So far we know there is one racist in his family and she's so far removed as to not really count. (Which is what really annoys the unpleasant woman the most - she is an irrelevance)

MonumentalAlabaster · 22/12/2017 11:55

As I understand it, even when the Duchess of Cambridge becomes Princess of Wales she will be Catherine, Princess of Wales, rather than Princess Catherine. I believe that even though we all used to talk about "Princess Diana" in fact her official title was Diana, Princess of Wales. I think the rule is that you can only put "Princess" before your name if you are born a Princess, rather than becoming one by marriage - any devoted royal watchers, please correct me if this is wrong!

321namechange · 22/12/2017 11:56

Insult without any attempt at veiling. Kindest interpretation would be dementia.