Was Meghan right about the royals being racist?

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Was Meghan right about the royals being racist?

This is a woman who had the ear of QE2 since 1960, who did service for the royals at thousands of posh events, who knew the power of words via her husband’s career. Yet, she was unable to come up with an ice-breaker more sophisticated and nuanced than asking a domestic violence campaigner where she “really” came from. Is this the sort of thing that has been said behind palace doors for decades? And were any condescending, colonialist conversations ignored or, worse, waved off by the last monarch as part of the furniture?

Certainly, the lady’s attitude – and the very line of questioning Meghan described – was defended by Queen Mother biographer William Shawcross: “Many of us have asked strangers of all colours and accents where they come from. It’s no more racist than it is for family members to speculate on the physical characteristics of an unborn child.”

Worst own goal of all time.

The racism row overshadowed Camilla’s now-infamous palace event which saw three queens, a princess and Ukraine’s first lady join forces to call for the end of violence against women. It was a powerhouse event and the first time any UK queen has been so overtly political – that would have been the headline the royals wanted.

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It could also raise the temperature of the glamorous Wales’ current three-day US tour for William’s Earthshot Prize. Tricky questions, anyone?

Most of all, it’s a money-can’t-buy PR win for the Sussexes as they debut their Netflix TV reality series next week – and perhaps a prompt for the Windsors to pension off anyone else whose views are as fusty as the drapes, quick smart.

Kate Halfpenny is the founder of Bad Mother Media.

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