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According to a new royal book, one of the reasons for the lack of diversity at Buckingham Palace is that the Queen was a “creature of the 1950s.”
Valentine Low, a royal writer for the Times of London, penned “Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown,” which was released Thursday in the United Kingdom. In the book, he chronicles the modern history of the royal family through the eyes of courtiers, a phrase referring to the members of each royal household’s staff.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2020 brought allegations of racism against the royals to the forefront, which Low discusses near the conclusion of the book. As previously reported by Insider, this interview – in which Harry revealed that racism in the UK press influenced the couple’s decision to leave the royal family – is just one of many instances in which the royals have been accused of turning a blind eye to racism.
Low noted that a lack of progress in diversifying the royal personnel may have originated from the top when it comes to race within Buckingham Palace. The Queen died on September 8, at the age of 96, and her reign began in 1953, when the social environment of the United Kingdom was substantially different.
Low noted, “There is a reason why those closest to the Queen come from such a small social circle: the Queen is a woman of a specific generation and social class, and these are the people with whom she feels most at ease.” “The Queen herself is a 1950s creation.”
In July of 2018, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty
Low featured a remark from an unidentified “insider” who stated, “The palace’s DNA is rooted in the 1950s and has not evolved.”
A former member of the royal household, identified by Low, stated that classism exists at the palace “whether we like it or not.”
They stated that the people who work with them must be comfortable with them. “You must be able to sit next to the Queen at supper and understand how to lay the table. And having the ability to converse with her. Therefore, I believe that she is surrounded with something that makes it impossible for her to diversify.”
This person stated that it is a “issue” since no one within the royal institution can truly comprehend “the world outside of the universe they occupy.”
Following her 1953 coronation, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip waved to the crowds at Buckingham Palace.
Image credit: Keystone-France/Getty Images
Buckingham Palace did not react promptly to an inquiry from Insider. However, has admitted in the past that it could do more to diversity its workforce. According to Town & Country, the Royal Household stated in March that the percentage of personnel from ethnic minority backgrounds had increased to 9.6%, up from 8.5% the year before.
The results come a year after Buckingham Palace reportedly halted efforts to hire a diversity chief, a position the institution had previously announced it was seeking to fill after Meghan and Harry accused an unnamed member of the royal family of making racist comments about their unborn son Archie.
Sir Michael Stevens, The Keeper of the Privy Purse and treasurer to the Queen, presented the findings at the yearly briefing on royal finances, according to the news source.
On October 3 in Scotland, King Charles III gives a reception honoring British South Asian populations at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Kirsty O’Connor, courtesy of Pool/Getty Images
Stevens told reporters that while it was encouraging to see progress, Buckingham Palace is “quite aware that the results are not exactly where we want them to be, but it remains a real focus for the entire household.”
While King Charles has not acknowledged diversity at Buckingham Palace as an issue since his reign began, he has stated that maintaining diversity in the United Kingdom is one of his responsibilities as monarch.
According to The Guardian, he told more than thirty church leaders on September 16 at a Buckingham Palace reception that he has “always thought of Britain as a ‘community of communities’.”
Charles added, “This has led me to think that the sovereign has an additional duty, which is less formally recognized but must be carried out with equal zeal.” “It is our responsibility to maintain the variety of our nation, which includes protecting the space for faith and its practice through the religions, cultures, traditions, and beliefs to which our hearts and brains take us individually.”