To think that if the only black adult in your family says they have experienced racism...

[Overcastcloudy]

... it's counterproductive to send a white man out to say, We're very much not racist?

That just is never going to end well. Ask Ian Murray how it worked out for him.

I couldn't care much either way about the Royal Family. Just baffled at the headline of William saying this.

Yes, YABU.

But you obviously don't give a shit that the majority think YABU so why bother starting the thread.

@Overcastcloudy

Well, she could ask her husband, who has made a racist comment or two in his time...

Indeed! Did she not know about the Nazi uniform at the party??

She would have known about the Nazi uniform if only she had googled him.

YANBU. It was a tone deaf comment.

Why the surprise and so what the British Royal Family has a few racists? Every family has a few racists in it. It’s a lot more common than having a murderer in your family or a pedophile, for example.

I just find it amusing when families are all oh my goodness no racists here in this family.

@Backstreetsbackalrightdadada

1. If anyone in the royal family is racist it needs to come out, and they be fired from their position.

1. This includes Harry who has never apologised for his use of the P word and other slurs. He presents himself as “reformed” but I don’t see that truthfully.

I am not a royalist, but I don’t like racism whoever it’s from.

Firing and cancelling people is not the way forward. What needs to be done is talking about it and de-mystifying the issues at hand. Harry openly says that he has been on a journey and learned. And he also was openly called out for being racist and had to issue public apologies. He grew up and met and fell in love and gets to experience racism through Meghan's shoes. The person who said it needs to learn as well and discover why it's not ok to say what they did. Ofcourse they can give their context and also get to hear why it caused hurt on the receiving end. We all learn, what is needed is an acceptance that standards have fallen short of what they should be. I also remember a news item a long time ago of when apparently William was asked by someone about his then unknown identity of his girlfriend. And he allegedly responded "it's not as if she's black." This was to appease the questioner that the girl was an ordinary nice English girl. Does that make him racist? No. But it sure shows an underlying superiority complex many white people have. And when it comes to members of the British monarchy, this superiority complex is multiplied x100000000.

The RF are all as bad as each other - constantly putting their foot in it. Nows the time to just have a King and Queen in a ceremonial role and no powers. The rest aren’t needed and should get proper jobs.

“I also remember a news item a long time ago of when apparently William was asked by someone about his then unknown identity of his girlfriend. And he allegedly responded "it's not as if she's black." This was to appease the questioner that the girl was an ordinary nice English girl. Does that make him racist? “

Yes, it does make him a racist if that happened it is appalling and he has no right to represent a multicultural UK

I think my post may have hit a nerve with some one at MNHQ. The truth hurts.

[quote Mintjulia]@twilightskies. 'why would she lie?

That's pretty naive.

For the same reason she appeared on Oprah despite wanting to 'escape the public gaze'. Because it gains her attention. Because the more conflict or discussion she can create, the better. It sells. Because it increases her value for her up-coming contracts.

I'm not saying she did. But there are a few reasons why she might.[/quote]
@Mintjulia I wish people would stop MISREPRESENTING what Meghan and Harry said about the media. They never said they wanted to stay away from the paparazzi per se, it was about CONSENT and the ability to control when and where and to whom their information and news was disseminated to. They wanted some control over their destiny, and that is more than fair enough.

@Thewordgame yes I am wondering why your comment was deleted. @mnhq any reason?

@FuckyouBrennan

Oh ffs. Meghan could claim to be a rabbit and people would believe it. William wasn’t sent out to say that.

precisely

MNHQ I was called a ‘smelly p**i’ whilst at primary school. It was personal to me.

And what about all the other rural families/empires in bygone years.... all people living and breathing today still accountable for the actions of they’re ancestors?

You have multiple generations is a family built on white supremacy, subjugation, dehumanising Black people. Their entire wealth derived from the commonwealth. Sorry but as uncomfortable as that may make you, that history doesn’t disappear overnight.

MNHQ very quick to delete my non offensive post but not very forthcoming with an answer as to why. Please explain. Or else I will view it as a form if silencing.

The Nazi uniforms and disrespecting the Sandhurst Serviceman racially was well known about...But Harry represented money, fame and status

Blaming MM for marrying someone who did this really isn't the powerful argument white people think it is.

You are highlighting the attitudes and beliefs in the family which raised young men to think this way. Harry has talked about how much he had to learn and how his world view has developed seeing at first hand some of the racism MM experiences.

That gives him a different experience from other Royals, including William.

The royals (or at least the important subset) in this country don't get a hard time from a press who want to keep their party invites and invites to special RF PR stunts. Its not an accident that the salacious Brit tabloids were like tumbleweed when the rest of the world was reporting (with pictures) on William's activities with his fragrant aristocratic neighbour.

RF also routinely ignore all these questions at engagements - they nod, smile and "don't hear". William made a decision to answer that question rather than follow protocol.

Despite the most expensive education money can buy and an expensive PR machine he drops an utterly tone deaf knowing that many dozens of RF racism are well documented.

As for hardworking - the Cambridges have never topped the list of RF workers, its only recently that they as a pair completed more engagements than the 94 yr old Queen. I can't see either of them ever matching Anne for a work ethic.

@SofiaMichelle

I am hugely interested in what you all think! It's been a fascinating ride.

I started this because I found it that PW had given that answer; it was such a tone deaf response - and less than 24 hours after the hapless Ian Murray. I wasn't taking a side on the H&M thing or even suggesting that the RF is racist. I was just amazed that no one had coached the man. (Well, maybe they did. Apologies perhaps to PW's PR team.)

But... the reactions have been really eye-opening. Largely not in a good way, but still.

Hi @Thewordgame

We do understand but we don't allow these terms on the boards - there are a small handful of words that are banned because they are so offensive.

If you could just asterisk it out, people will know what you mean.

We're sorry for the racism you've experienced and the last thing we want to do is silence that, so please do repost with edits.

@FuckyouBrennan

As cringe worthy as sitting on television stating “your truth” that can actually be proven to be lies? I think not.

@FuckyouBrennan The problem for you there is nothing they said has been or can be proven to be lies. Nothing. On the contrary. They've been shown to have told the truth.

My own view is that there is institutional, if not overt, racism in the RF, just like in the rest of the UK. I believe a lot of what MM said.

But William has a right to feel that he has been betrayed by his brother and SIL. They have infringed his family's privacy and essentially trashed everything he stands for in front of an audience of millions. All while knowing that the RF can't openly respond to their accusations. William's probably coming to terms with the fact that he can never really trust his brother again and that anything he says to him is likely to be leaked to the press in the future. I wouldn't particularly want to talk to my brother under those circumstances.

I think it's very difficult for a lot of Brits to have to contend with the fact that the UK is racist - so a lot of denial and gaslighting happens as a result. The RF and subsequently the commonwealth is the embodiment of that but the responses to Meghan and Harry talking about the racism and the responses on this thread are all things that every minority has heard. While I think racism in the UK is probably going to last long after I'm gone I do hope that there is a shift in white people feeling more aggrieved at being called racist than the apparent racism itself. I suppose perhaps hoping for a unicorn but hope nonetheless.

What else was he supposed to say?

I'm not surprised he hasn't spoken to Harry, if one of my in laws made an allegation like that about my relatives in such a public way, it would take a while for me cool down and have a reasoned conversation tbh.

If someone directly asks you whether you’re racist and you know you absolutely aren’t, you’re going to tell that person as much. It simply isn’t a human reaction to ignore it and I think had he ignored it, he’d have looked far worse.

I don’t think William and Kate are racist. I definitely think some members of the RF are, Phillip is one and tbh I always thought Harry was too (nazi costume, using the P word and ‘r - Head’ to refer to an Asian colleague).

@Topmum66

Her personality has everything to do with it.

A woman with any sense or decency wouldn’t have handled it as she has and her motive is clear.

She needs to call out the person and handle it properly. Instead she invited a media frenzy attack on the RF casting them all as racist as she fully knows people are gullible and afraid of appearing to defend racism by saying the RF aren’t racist.

@Topmum66 I think she is very decent and has handled it as admirably as anyone could. I doubt you could handle all this abuse, all the racism, and the death threats (and rape threats I understand) as well.

Quite frankly I am amazed at her restraint and dignity. I am many others would have gone under long ago, I admire her for enduring for so long and the dignified matter she called it out. I think she is an excellent role model for young girls.

Yes, her 'motive' is very clear. To tell her truth, to call out the bullying and racism.

What is your motive in trying to silence her?

I am not sure there is any family who does not have a racist member (or two). Certainly I have had elderly relatives who have said quite racist things and a younger BIL who we actually do not have any contact with now due to some really vile racist things he said about Obama. I also think the RF (I am a republican but hold no grudge against them personally) have now all been collectively called racists due to the alleged actions of one person and this is so unfair. We can all have opinions about the RF and Meghan and Harry and the way they have conducted themselves - none of us know the facts. I just cannot understand why anyone would do an interview about their own family like that - well, obviously for money - but this just speaks volumes about the kind of people M and H are.