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Ken Olisa, London’s first black Lord Lieutenant, has said the issue of race is a “hot topic of conversation” in the royal household, in an interview to air on Friday, PA Media reports.
The Royal Family’s attitude to race has recently been in the spotlight following allegations of racism from Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and the revelation that immigrants and foreigners belonging to ethnic minorities were prohibited from holding office positions until at least the late 1960s.
However, Olisa suggested the family were open to talking about racism.
“I have discussed this whole race issue with the Royal Household, especially in the past 12 months since the George Floyd incident,” he said.
“This is a hot topic of conversation. The question is, what more can we do to bind society to breaking down these barriers. They [the royals] are passionately concerned with ensuring that this one nation is bound by the same values. “
Olisa was also asked if the royal family supports BLM. “The answer is easily yes,” he said.
The aide said the Queen asked her for her opinion on visiting Grenfell Tower in the wake of the June 2017 fire in which 72 people died, and he said she should go.
“I remember thinking that while this was all going on, it was pretty scary, we didn’t know if she would be hooted or if she would get thrown at things etc. And when she got out of the car, all these people applauded, ”Olisa added.
The interview was part of a show called “Black to Front,” which airs Friday night at 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET) on Channel 4. The show was produced by an all-black team of presenters and journalists.
Members of the royal family continue to question their attitude towards the race after Harry and Meghan claimed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that a family member made racist comments about the color of the race. their firstborn. They then made it clear through Winfrey that it was neither the Queen nor Prince Philip.
Buckingham Palace responded with a statement on behalf of the Queen.
“The questions raised, in particular that of race, are worrying,” the statement read. “While some memories may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be treated by the family in private.”
The Guardian’s investigation into hiring practices also revealed that decades ago the palace used a parliamentary procedure known as ‘Queen’s Consent’ to secure an exemption from UK law aimed at prevent discrimination in the workplace – including hiring people on the basis of their ethnic origin. The Queen is still exempt from these laws today, the Guardian reported.
And in June, Buckingham Palace admitted the royal household was not diverse enough.
The Sovereign Grant report first revealed that the proportion of ethnic minority employees in the royal family is 8.5% – with a target of 10% by the end of 2022. According to a census as of 2011, 14% of the population of England and Wales were from an ethnic minority, while in Scotland the figure was 4%.
When releasing the financial statement, a senior palace source highlighted the diversity and inclusion policies, training and programs in place, but also acknowledged “we are not where we would like to be.”
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