2 racist royals?

[drowninginjelly]

So who are the 2 royals who commented on Archie's skin now that Piers Morgan has named them on live tv

This is the crux of the matter. What is the point having a RF to represent our country, if they don't know any better?

Just about everyone knows that an embarrassing, potentially offensive artwork needs to be put in a back bedroom somewhere and not on display. And that is just so that friends/family can't see it. Yet William & Kate, who have a public role which is all about diplomacy & PR, and entertaining international dignitaries, see fit to display something like this?

I can't see that it is much of a stretch to believe that these conversations took place. Even if not intentionally racist, they are just cluelessly insensitive and embarrassing us all.

Whatever you think of Harry & Meghan (and the vicious hatred against them especially M is plain to see) they are private individuals now. Our main issue should be with the remaining RF who are handsomely rewarded for representing us on the world stage. And seem to be doing a very bad job at it.

I agree. But that’s a bit easier when that disgruntled partner has contractual and legal obligations and could be sued for breach of contract.

and if that particular partner wanted to preserve their professional reputation due to wanting to stay in a particular sector etc.

it seems to me as if the RF simply wasn’t prepared for PH trying to build a “brand” by airing their dirty laundry and sharing details of (real or imagined) events.

which is (somewhat) understandable. What kind of father would expect his son to do that? especially after Diana and her experiences with the media and “tell-all” interviews.

For starters I thought the Oprah interview was a horrendous error of judgement at best, a calculated, disrespectful, disloyal and vindictive betrayal at worst.

I'm no massive fan of the Royals but the Queen devoted her life to service. How anyone could do that to your elderly and frail grandmother coming towards the end of her days and dealing with a gravely ill husband...

It's all about them. Attention seeking, self indulgent twats.

The pair of them are without shame and disgust me.

I don't know what for definite?

That "some of my best friends are black" has become so well established as the calling card of deluded racists that it's been a joke for many years? That's absolutely true. Works for other minorities too. I've seen posters on here claiming never to have met a nice Jew and suddenly start scrambling about how some of their best friends are Jewish as soon as their racism was pointed out to them. Disgusting misogynists are frequently married (to women) and have daughters.

This - times a million.

Wasn’t aware I’d quoted you before. Valentine Low commented on the ousting of a particular very influential courtier. His opinion was that this debacle would never have happened has this man been in his job, as he was highly skilled at managing the palace. I cannot see the situation in any other terms but the ones I have expressed: both a management and PR disaster. I think it is a testament to the calibre of people employed as courtiers and the general lack of awareness with the RF itself.

His own father had a secretary who took Highgrove to tribunal for experiencing racial abuse from staff. She lost then but I don’t think she’d lose now as awareness has improved over the intervening 20 years.

If you look this up (it was a while ago), you'll recall that the racism element of this tribunal was about a remark allegedly made by Charles's ex-valet, not in Charles's hearing. And yes, she lost the case. So a better description might be - a secretary claimed racism on the part of someone who wasn't Charles and lost.

But it should be easier if the colleague is a family member and you can deal with them personally - and have the kind of conversations you wouldn’t with a colleague.

What kind of father would expect a son to do a tell all interview/book? One who had done exactly the same himself!

Did he deny it or was he trying to calm a storm and be precise. He specified “unconscious bias” which is a form of racism.

I don't think you can claim he was trying to calm a storm when he allowed more than a year of speculation about the identity of the royal racist to pass before his "clarification".

He absolutely distinguished between the two and denied that there was a claim of racism, when what Meghan had described was clearly racism.

And also defended Lady Hussey because she "didn't mean it".

It was more than one remark, it was a culture of racism amongst Highgrove staff. One of the key people was King Charles’s right hand man, Michael Fawcett. In any company or in this case household, the head is responsible for racial attitudes within it and ultimately accountable.

As I said on the available evidence I don’t think her case would fail now.

What kind of father would expect a son to do a tell all interview/book? One who had done exactly the same himself!

hmm. I suppose that it a good point.

But it should be easier if the colleague is a family member and you can deal with them personally - and have the kind of conversations you wouldn’t with a colleague.

that I strongly disagree with.

It’s (ime) much harder with family.

I’ve seen this with too many family businesses and companies… combining guilt, love, shame and all those other emotions associated with dysfunctional family dynamics with financial interest / a globally run firm seems like a recipe for disaster (to me).

Well, there’d be a storm for a whole year.

I think he did what he thought judicious in the circs. Unconscious bias is a form of racism, one that is more palatable to white people.

@Hughs she said far more than that -

"She replied, weeping: "It just brings back all sorts of memories. One time we were in the dining room and we were talking about the office bible, the policy and procedures document that we were working on, and as I left [Fawcett] said: 'What the hell would you know, you're just a fucking nigger typist.' As he said it, the door opened behind me and I heard the Prince of Wales call Michael and he just flushed and I ran into my office."
She claimed she had told Amanda Yaxley, Highgrove's personnel officer, about the incident and had been told to make sure she had a witness. "But she did not think anything would be done about it because we all knew that the prince adored Michael and would not listen to anyone else so there was no point in making a complaint because nothing would be done about it..."

"They wanted a white face at Highgrove and I was not that face," she claimed. "In the Prince of Wales's household there is still very much the old school and they have not really taken to black people.
"I never felt part of the team. There were always black jokes and names going round. Because it is the Royal Family it is still very protected. It has its own rules and regulations.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/dec/07/race.monarchy

So is she now Racist-y-Wait-y-Katie?!

Actually I forgot about that.

Proven a liar on more than one occasion. Race is a convenient smokescreen to hide behind.

My comment has been hidden. I posted quotes from this article with a link. The allegations are blatant racism.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/dec/07/race.monarchy

Just about everyone knows that an embarrassing, potentially offensive artwork needs to be put in a back bedroom somewhere and not on display. And that is just so that friends/family can't see it.

It’s a bit tricky though - the point of the Royals is to represent all of British history in human form - an unbroken line from Alfred the Great. Otherwise anyone could cut ribbons and open Parliament.

If you are going to start hiding things, you’d probably have to hide the Royals themselves. There are very few bits of history that aren’t embarrassing in some way.

The whole concept of Royalty is intrinsically bonkers. None of the people involved are there on merit (Although I do think the P of W is good at smiling, so may have inherited her mother’s cabin crew skills). Of course none of them can ever live up to the standards set by the press, but it also seems difficult for them to leave this toxic relationship.

@PumpkinsAndCoconuts It is worse with the Royal Family as it is literally who is born the oldest no matter how unsuitable they are. It is only an accident of birth that we did not have King Andrew.

@Willyoujustbequiet "For starters I thought the Oprah interview was a horrendous error of judgement at best, a calculated, disrespectful, disloyal and vindictive betrayal at worst."

Or it could be seen as speaking up for yourself against toxic family members -as women on Mumsnet are often encouraged to do. But surely the behaviour that turned the British public against her must have been much earlier than that?

@Merrymouse so you think it is fine to display a racist painting in a public room where dignitaries are welcomed?

I think he did what he thought judicious in the circs. Unconscious bias is a form of racism, one that is more palatable to white people.

I'm sure he did. Personally I find it a little uncomfortable when a privileged white man with a book to sell goes on television, minimises his mixed race wife's experience of racism and defends a family friend's racism because she didn't mean it.

Harry doesn't agree with your definition btw, he thinks that unconscious bias and racism are different and that one can lead to the other.

How does Peirce Morgan know its true?

That just had to be with millions and millions of people watching.....

Pull the other one it has bells on.

I think they did themselves phenomenal damage in that interview. Lots of people who liked and supported them before that changed their minds based on it.

It was stupid, honestly. If you really have to give your say, you issue a single, well considered written statement and then leave it. If you talk freely in conversation for two hours about sensitive stuff, inevitably you are going to say something silly that can be used against you.

I didn't understand why they'd done it at first; I thought they were going to go off and make some smart business investments/associations/deals and make their money that way. Now I realise their plan was to be professional ex royals, it makes more sense but it isn't good for likeability. Then again, if likeability wasn't their goal...

Can we pull the plug on the monarchy and just have done with it? Soft diplomacy? They can't manage that even within their own family. These incidents will go on and on & continue to embarrass our country, this family will remain clueless and can't reform themselves.

And it will only get worse. Eventually we will inevitably have another Andrew who will be King, that is what hereditary monarchy delivers.