Buckingham Palace is to consider appointing a diversity chief as “more needs to be done” to address the issue, a royal source has said.
The proposals, which have the “full support” of the royal family, aim to seek independent views to help assess and improve representation across the royal household.
It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed in an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey that a member of the family – not the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh – had made a racist comment about their son Archie.
While the work being undertaken around diversity pre-dates the couple’s interview, their comments will be taken on board as part of the process, it is understood.
A royal source said: “This is an issue which has been taken very seriously across the royal households.
“We have the policies, the procedures and programmes in place but we haven’t seen the progress we would like and accept more needs to be done, we can always improve.
“Therefore we are not afraid to look at new ways of approaching it. The work to do this has been under way for some time now and comes with the full support of the family.”
Reactions
As ever there were many reactions to the announcement on social media.
1.
Royal variety performance. https://t.co/wKTLHQsybN
— Michael Govern Ready (@mikegove12) March 21, 2021
2.
Every step from Buckingham Palace is funnier than the last. https://t.co/Ym6MvqJohU
— daiyami (@daiyami) March 21, 2021
3.
god bless and keep the diversity tsar etc. https://t.co/KVKjIAKaZx
— black, booked (over zoom) and busy (@mordkhetzvi) March 21, 2021
4.
Not a "diversity tsar"!!!!! This would've made a great episode of The Office (UK) https://t.co/nFGwVh4zN9
— @PiaGlenn (@PiaGlenn) March 21, 2021
5.
personally i would have gone for a multiculturalism kaiser https://t.co/vjVZ99TElR
— Dr Charlotte Lydia Riley (@lottelydia) March 21, 2021
6.
Tell you what really make monarchies feel like they’re modern. Tsars. https://t.co/Ig1s8jBqOG
— Chris Addison💙 (@mrchrisaddison) March 21, 2021
7.
Best way to modernise the monarchy is to get rid of it.
— Cosmopolitan Outrider (@rudebwoyben1) March 20, 2021
8.
Gammons trying to figure out whether they should support the queen or be angry at diversity. pic.twitter.com/w54fb2Ulbt
— Keir Kevlar 🌹✊ (@thekdog11) March 20, 2021
9.
She was literally in the family and adding to the family via her children. The easiest thing in the world would have been to just listen to Meghan and love her and her children.
— TravelingMelissa (@melissacain1) March 21, 2021
10.
To modernise an hereditary monarchy? You do realise that that’s an oxymoron?
— Ian Cobain (@IanCobain) March 20, 2021
Related: Tory MP says love the flag and Queen or ‘move to another country’
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