So the Royal Family isn’t racist?

[Harrysfrostbittentodger]

That’s what I took from Harry’s recent interview. That they didn’t accuse the royal family of being racist in the Oprah interview?!

How are other people viewing this?

How exactly? Genuinely curious how you've come to this conclusion

Totally agree with all of this.

This is why interpretation is wonderful, isn't it, how do you interpret 'concern' in this scenario?

As a mixed race dark skinned person I'd fully expect the Royal family to have concerns. it's not something that they've ever had to deal with is it? Why would you gloss over it so by the child is born people aren't fully aware of how to handle potential external harmful forces?

You can't claim there's racism in this Country but then expect people not to have this conversation. It's not particularly fair on the child is it?

Yes, I'd have the skin colour conversation, and I'd have concerns. Mixed race families are not a walk in the park and I speak from experience.

But really if that's all there 'is' then there really isn't anything.

If it happened, I suppose it just depends what the concerns were. And we probably won’t ever know the truth.

I think the family are likely to be racist, have unconscious bias or whatever anyone wants to call it based on comments from Philip and Harry himself in the past. It’s not unbelievable to me that something negative was said that was more than ‘how to handle potential external harmful forces’.

It's also not unbelievable to me as someone who's mixed dark skinned that as white people H&M also had a level of unconscious bias and wouldn't have known how to deal with it appropriately. Also not unbelievable to me that Harry still had bias at that time. Yes people in mixed families can still have bias.

Also not unbelievable to me that a highly privileged white person gets a $40m book deal for writing about their trials and traumas while us commoners have to get on with it.

Honestly, they’re all so dysfunctional that literally anything is possible.

As for the book....supply and demand, innit. 😬 Theres an interest in this shit. And we’re all adding to it.

Incredibly lazy and hurtful.

Sorry Princess Anne. I didn't realise you were here and didn't mean to personally hurt you and your family. I bow down to your wisdom. Don't go chopping off my head, oh Princess.

I think the family are likely to be racist, have unconscious bias or whatever anyone wants to call it based on comments from Philip and Harry himself in the past

I think people are individuals and we shouldn’t assume every member of a family has the same attitudes and behaviours.

I think lots of people are making all sorts of assumptions about this whole thing. If we didn’t, there wouldn’t be so much to say. I mean, look at the threads, people assume and make stuff up constantly. It seems that most people on here only seem to have an issue with assumptions being made when they’re negative for the RF but don’t have an issue with them when they’re negative for H&M. I’ll continue to believe that there is racism in the Royal family based on things like Prince Philip and Harry’s past actions and other things I’ve heard.

Posted too soon.

Anx because I think if you don’t speak out against these things, then it very much seems you’re complicit.

Ok, same here. I think they're being digingenous and making a lot of money out of this and gaslighting a lot of people. You can check pdina's youtube videos on this that are pretty insightful as a US black woman observing how this is all being presented if you want an alternate view.

It seems that most people on here only seem to have an issue with assumptions being made when they’re negative for the RF but don’t have an issue with them when they’re negative for H&M. I’ll continue to believe that there is racism in the Royal family based on things like Prince Philip and Harry’s past actions and other things I’ve heard.

I agree but you'll even find posters who take it rather personally as to declare it "hurtful" (and lazy, mind) to utter such nonsense!

Oops sorry I forgot that was Princess Anne! Of course she should feel personally affronted - it's her family after all. Carry on.

She’s just another random wanting a following.

Random people’s opinions are just opinions and guess work, regardless of them being black or American. There’s a lot of people cashing in on this shit show. Her observations are no more valid than anyone else’s.

I think she's very insightful. There was a whole deal made about people listening to people of colour recently, so I would have thought you'd maybe want to hear why some of us feel gaslighted by H&M before speaking out but that's your decision.

For 2 years we have been told that Meghan experienced it as racism so it was racism. No matter what the intent of the speaker. We were told it would be too damaging to reveal who said it. This was a shadow over the Queen's last years. Now we are being told, no it wasn't racism, just a media beatup. FFS.

Did you just assume I’m white? 🤔

I have some interest in Harry and Meghans take, I’d have the same level of interest on anything the Royals said on the matter. I think people should listen more to PoC about racism in general. But a persons take on the dog bowl incident and other similar stuff...a PoC view on those things is no more interesting than anyone elses. And Meghan is biracial.

I'm confused. Do people now not think 'that' comment was racist because Harry said it wasn't? Or is the outrage just at Harry for changing his mind/backtracking/trying to water it down?

Because the comment as it was implied was racist whether Harry thinks it was or not. It's like the Hussy comment too. People can try and justify these types of comments all they want, but they are racist. Just because it's overt it doesn't make it less racist.
Surely women can pick up on these subtleties where sexism is concerned, why can't they when it's racism? Or is it that people just prefer to ignore it because it's ugly? I find the whole thing utterly baffling

I didn't assume anything actually. If you'd have checked the channel you'll find there's a lot more than discussions about dog bowls.

For instance a simple observation that Harry discussing that he is proud of having birracial children as if it's some kind of achievement is certainly very odd to me when I have parents who don't both look white. I don't think they ever went on about it and they experienced a lot more than 'what colour is the baby going to be'

And also CC, yes Meghan is birracial, but lets not pretend Harry married someone with dark skin. Getting really bored of that gaslight.

I agree.

A lot of people seem to cling on to any PoC that has negative things to say about Meghan/Harry as if it somehow must be true just because they’re not white. Do they place as much value on each PoC that supports them? Not in my experience.

I personally always feel like there’s gaslighting going on when people claim Meghan’s skin colour is not dark enough to be a PoC or that they make the point of telling everyone they thought she was white when they first saw her. 🙄

After more than a year of everyone and her dog accusing the royals as being racist! Oh yes, they enjoyed that kerfuffle, let the slur spread so that it becomes the accepted truth (except in those of us who were always sceptic) and now, in order to make good, finally gets down to correcting the blatantly manipulated narrative.

If you were watching and listening, they indeed never said the RF was racist. They said that comments were made about Archie's skin colour. Oprah's WHAAAAAAAT!!!!!?????!!!! etc etc, big outrage. And then, M slipped in the hurt that her kids would not have titles. The assumption would then be that the skin-colour remark and the no-title issue would be connected, which Oprah did, and then M said the assumption would be correct.
She's a very sly madam.

You only have to look at the Lady Sarah Hussey debacle.
About 10-20 years ago, the narrative spread that it was wrong and racist to ask people of colour where they were from. This was happening mostly in America and GB. I always thought it was ridiculous, because it's a perfectly normal question and a good ice-breaker when two people don't know each other and want to chat.

I never had a problem with it. I would just say, I'm from (Caribbean coubtry) and I'd be delighted if more questions come, as that means the other (white) person is interested and I'm always happy yo talk about my home coutry. So what if it implies I'm an immigrant? I am! Or else, in the UK, my parents or grandparentes were, and that's fine, it's reality!

Over time, it became OK for a white person to a to ask a person of colour where they or their family are "from", ie, what is their country of origin. After all, lots of white people also come from somewhere else. No problem.

But after the Ngozi kerfuffle, that whole line of discussion has become a hot topic once again. I see white people thoroughly disgusted at the way it was blown out of proportion and thinking that people of colour are sensitive snowflakes so easily hurt and offended it's better to not say anything, avoid any discussion on place of origin, and so on. Support for Lady S was overwhelming, and anger at Ngozi, and disgust at those who play the race card.

The connection to the Sussexes? of course. Ngozi is an ardent Sussex supporter and the timing of the incident was no coincidence. It added fuel to the narrative that the RF are all secret racists.

My take:
If people of colour, or mixed race, make a fuss of every little tiny incident, as happened here, and as happened in the Oprah interview (they asked what colour my child would be!!! Waaah! Racism!) It detracts from the very serious topic of true racism.

In my life, I'm in my 70s and mixed race, I've encountered several incidents of serious racism. Not many, but enough, such as being denied a flat we wanted to rent after the landlord met me, having already accepted my white husband as a tenant. THAT is racism and needs to be exposed. It is rare, but happens. We have to be mature enough not to fly off the handle because of some harmless, probably well-meaning, statement such as "what colour will the child's skin be?" and "where are you from?"

When people of colour get all huffy and protective and walk around with chips on their shoulders, seeing racism everywhere, it's terrible for race relations. Blaming the victim? Not at all. Once you lose that chip you see that most people are actually not at all out to get you.

@StalkedByASpider
It's not a popular thing to say these days but the Queen and the seniors in the Royal Family were at the forefront of leading the charge against racism back in the day. They've always been very vocal about embracing everyone from all religions and races, and there's never been any sign that it's not genuine. There's still some historic clumsiness which perhaps has been very ill-advised, but I find it hard to believe that in general, they are a racist family with hate-filled views. I don't know about the wider family, but certainly the Queen and Charles have always been particularly against prejudice, possibly due to their strong faith which teaches kindness, acceptance and love. But that narrative about the Royal Family being anti-racism is extremely unpopular right now, with lots of certain eminent professors keen to paint them as an awful, colonial family with blood on their hands and hate in their heart. And that has been encouraged enormously by Harry and Meghan's unproven claims of racism - which have now been rescinded.

This is brilliant and need repeating, again and again. Thank you.

I'm a third generation born, yet brown and I'm very offended to be asked where I realllllly come from, multiple times (depending on context of course). The fact you think the lady Hussy things was a 'debacle' and people have a chip on their shoulder and just see racism everywhere, if anything they try to ignore mostly. I don't have a chip on my shoulder at all, I definitely know when someonw is being racist towards me (which is very rare in my case as its obvious by how I sound, dress and look that I'm not a recent immigrant).
The fact you think this way is really sad 😔

@Whenharrymetsmelly
I don't want to rehash that whole kerfuffle, but this was one person's version of what was said; a person who bore an African sounding name and was dressed in what seemed to be complete tribal attire. Obviously a proud African, no?

If she really thought she was completely British, dress so conspicuously?

It is my belief that she went there with the deliberate intention of invoking thevery question: where are you really from?

Me, I don't mind that question. In most cases it's harmless and indicates interest; at worst, a little awkward. We have the choice whether to het offended or not. I don't get offended. I assume good intentions, and answer truthfully. That's the way we can all get along better.