Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be disgusted about Prince Charles racist comments...

167 replies

Saywhatnoway · 20/04/2018 07:27

... and the fact that what would be headline news for any other public figure has being played down?

Yesterday, Prince Charles told a woman of Guyanese extract that she “didn’t look like she was from Manchester”. The article linked was on the Guardian front page in middle of the night - and now almost impossible to find. I can’t find mention of it anywhere else.

So AIBU to be disgusted that he (or anyone of normal intelligence) would think, much less say such a thing - and disappointed (not sure if that’s actually the right word) that the media doesn’t seem to be reporting in the way they would if anyone else had said similar?

www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2018/apr/19/prince-charles-brown-skin-british-people-head-of-commonwealth?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

OP posts:
NomadicMother · 20/04/2018 09:39

Exactly, it's subtle and it's constant and if you retaliate you're the bad person so you just let it go and deal with it but it's not acceptable. I realised it only when I married my husband too and now I have to teach my child that this is the world we live in and I hate that.

NomadicMother · 20/04/2018 09:40

Umm a very recognizable American accent

Alpineflowers · 20/04/2018 09:43

Ebony69-As a woman of Guyanese parentage, I can assure that there is no ‘traditional dress’ of Guyana that is distinct from Western attire. That part of our identity was robbed of us years ago when we were displaced from Africa to South America as slaves.

I thought there was a traditional dress, a mixture of European and bright coloured Indian sari's and elaborate headress?
Sorry must be wrong then

Yes I know, slaves sold in Africa to European traders

umpireStrikesBack · 20/04/2018 09:49

Umm, or, to those of us who don't care, American or Canadian ... it's also a common accent for those with English as a second language.

My youngest son unfortunately has an American twang from attending international schools. He's only been to the US once.

NomadicMother · 20/04/2018 10:04

Yes I know that well having worked in international schools for years. There is a distinguishable difference between a native American accent and an acquired one, and between those who's first language isn't English, in my experience.

Turkkadin · 20/04/2018 10:07

My 2 youngest children are half Turkish. Occasionally they have had unkind comments such as my daughter being asked if she was a terrorist and my son being called a Turkish bastard.

They both have Turkush names and are proud of their heritage.
It isn't exceptable but you can't police everything that people say or think. My kids are big enough to turn the other cheek and not go jumping up and down or being furious about it.

NomadicMother · 20/04/2018 10:09

Either way it's still ignorant to tell someone they must be from Ghana or Africa because they're black even when they have an American accent (native or not). Note I said 'tell' not 'ask'.

Louisianna16 · 20/04/2018 10:10

Think it's extremely unlikely that someone so steeped in diplomacy + theright thing to say, for his entire life etc would have made a straightforward racist remark such as that. He would be well aware of the consequences.

Luckily for the Guardian, the Royal Family cannot respond or clear their names, no matter what is claimed about them, and. probably why writer felt it was a safe claim to make as they can't challenge it, even if it's codswallop.

PlatypusPie · 20/04/2018 10:13

And yet no one else heard this remark, it’s only reported in a tedious puff piece by an author of the book she was conveniently holding in her hand. I have no particular affection for Charles but he is experienced in meeting many people in this kind of setting all the time and I would bet that’s it didn’t actually happen like that. I would take this with a very large pinch of salt .

MrPan · 20/04/2018 10:22

Though it can be said that she isn't the author of a book. She has contributed one chapter.

Still, it's a reminder of just how far some posters will go to pass off any incident as anything but an incident of racism. And why people of colour will not expect support or other good intervention from people not of colour, as the lesson from this thread is that you will not be believed.

Viviennemary · 20/04/2018 10:24

Why should it matter what he thinks. That's why the whole concept of royalty is wrong. His opinions are important because he's a prince. Through no merit of his own. Totally unacceptable in a modern democracy.

MyAuntyBadger · 20/04/2018 10:28

Seems a bit odd that for the first time in nearly 70 years, (and after a jokingly documented attraction to a Three Degrees member in the 80's) that Prince Charles would suddenly demonstrate that he is a racist. And at a time when nobody but the recipient of his comment could hear. Maybe he said it but it just seems odd to me.

Mummyoflittledragon · 20/04/2018 10:29

Alpine
I just looked it up because I thought the same. Apparently lots of people do wear western clothes, but not all. My first thought was perhaps the woman wasn’t wearing western clothes. But we cannot say either way.

highlandcoo · 20/04/2018 10:29

Genuine question - I often get taxis to the airport and if the taxi driver seems to be of Asian heritage and we get chatting I will sometimes ask where his family originally comes from. For three reasons:

  1. Some of my extended family come from Bangladesh so I'm interested in that country.
  1. I'm planning a trip to India and interested to hear opinions about where to go.
  1. I'm generally interested in hearing people's life stories.

Although I'm not English myself I live in England and because of my accent am often asked where I come from. I love my country of origin and am happy to talk about it. I usually experience this interest from others as positive. For example, they've visited my country and enjoyed it and want to talk about it. It's a way of making a connection.

Am I wrong in engaging a taxi-driver in this type of conversation? We usually end up having a pretty friendly exchange.

VladmirsPoutine · 20/04/2018 10:32

It's racist but the sad thing isn't so much how many MNetters are rushing to defend that it isn't. It's that this sort of dog-whistle racism has become so normalised that the ire is often directed at the victim rather than the racist individual.

Xenia · 20/04/2018 10:35

I would be surprised if he said that as he is pretty good at being careful what he says and he has always seemed to me more than even other royals not particularly racist at all but if he siad it (and we will never know unless it was recorded as the royal family does not respond to this kind of thing) then he should not have done. Bloody Germans... joke....

SoftCentreHardShell · 20/04/2018 10:35

It is an obviously racist thing to say and credit to the writer for having the balls to write about it.

There is too much toadying to someone who is inadequate for the job (compared to the Queen's great public service) from people who want to keep open the option of a pubic honour, knighthood or invite to a future Royal Garden party.

SukiTheDog · 20/04/2018 10:39

She maybe should have asked him why he doesn’t have a German accent? Why his family chose to re-brand themselves as “House of Windsor”?

Royal family....overprivilaged and out of touch with the UK and the world generally, today. The reason the media about it “shut down” is because yesterday the Queen was banging on about her hopes for Charles to take her place, as head of the Commonwealth. It’s not an hereditary “done deal”. It wouldn’t do for a scandal relating to “where are you from, you darkie?” now, would it?

Shocking in this day and age.

PerfPower · 20/04/2018 10:39

highlandcoo, I don't think it's wrong, but judging by the people who think that asking someone where they're from is 'disgusting', I'm not so sure now. I'm second generation British, happy to talk about my heritage and certainly wouldn't take offence. I have never generally asked others though, I wait to see if they volunteer it and in my experience most people do, and quite quickly.

Deshasafraisy · 20/04/2018 10:39

We are all so quick to believe the mainstream media without question and get angry and offended and vitriolic. The machine really is working.

StealthPolarBear · 20/04/2018 10:41

I wouldn't struggle to believe he is racist (not saying I think he is). I simply can't imagine the Queen is... Is she?

PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks · 20/04/2018 10:41

WTF? He's taking after his dad.

PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks · 20/04/2018 10:44

In the café I'm in right now, there's a member of staff who's French, but I would guess of Chinese extraction. I wouldn't dream of telling her she didn't look French. WTF does that even mean? Confused

SpringNowPlease2018 · 20/04/2018 10:45

This really depressed me
The problem of not being thought of as English, because I'm not white, has got worse over my lifetime. I thought it would get better.

MercedesDeMonteChristo · 20/04/2018 10:45

People ask me every day where I am from and 'London' is not the reasont that they ask, it is always followed by 'originally'. People are just interested though, I get that and am happy to share. There was a great play touring called 'Labels' where the actor is half Indian half English and throughout he coins the phrase ' where are you from from?'

Charles's phrasing was offensive but it is essentially the same question.