The Duke and Duchess of Sussex today demanded an end to ‘structural racism’ in Britain.
In a wide-ranging interview from their £11million California mansion, Prince Harry revealed his ‘awakening’ to issues faced by black people after meeting his wife.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle praised Black Lives Matter protests in America after the death of George Floyd as ‘beautiful’ – but said this only applied to ‘peaceful protest’ and admitted many people found them ‘inflammatory’.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Harry also weighed on Diversity’s controversial BLM dance routine and said he was ‘surprised’ by the negative comments it had received.
In an article written to coincide with the interview, the couple said: ‘For as long as structural racism exists, there will be generations of young people of colour who do not start their lives with the same equality of opportunity as their white peers. And for as long as that continues, untapped potential will never get to be realised.’
The interview is the latest in a long series of political interventions by the couple, including last week when Harry weighed in on the US election by urging voters to ‘reject hate speech’.
The comments – which broke royal protocol – were widely interpreted as a call to vote out Donald Trump, and prompted Buckingham Palace to immediately distance themselves from Harry by noting he was ‘not working member of the Royal Family’.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex called for an end to structural racism in Britain in an interview today with the Evening Standard
Harry, 36, said he had become more aware of the issue of racism after marrying his wife, 39.
He said: ‘Because I wasn’t aware of so many of the issues and so many of the problems within the UK and also globally as well. I thought I did but I didn’t.’
‘You know, when you go in to a shop with your children and you only see white dolls, do you even think: ‘That’s weird, there is not a black doll there?’ And I use that as just one example of where we as white people don’t always have the awareness of what it must be like for someone else of a different coloured skin, of a black skin, to be in the same situation as we are where the world that we know has been created by white people for white people.’
‘It is not about pointing the finger, it is not about blame. I will be the first person to say, again, this is about learning. And about how we can make it better. I think it is a really exciting time in British culture and British history, and in world culture. This is a real moment that we should be grasping and actually celebrating. Because no one else has managed to do this before us.’
The Prince said he had spoken to Diversity leader Ashley Banjo to offer his support after the troupe’s Black Lives Matter themed dance on Britain’s Got Talent sparked 24,500 to Ofcom.
‘We spoke to Ashley Banjo a few weeks ago, straight after the Britain’s Got Talent situation,’ he said. ‘And that in itself, I am sure even me talking about it will be controversial, but the reality of it is he and his team of guys put on the most amazing display.
‘We had such a good chat with Ashley. He was really strong, he felt great about it, but at the same time he was concerned because of the reaction. It was a real surprise that there was what? 1,100 complaints after the show and then three days of hype it became 20 or 25,000. I am very glad Ofcom made the decision that they did but that in itself kind of proves how much this conversation needs to continue.’
The couple’s interview comes at a key moment for race issues around the world after the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd by a US policeman sparked a wave of protest.
The demonstrations turned violent in many countries and led to riots, looting and street skirmishes with police.
Asked for her views on the BLM protests, Meghan admitted they had been ‘inflammatory for a lot of people’.
She continued: ‘But when there is just peaceful protest and when there is the intention of just wanting community and just wanting the recognition of equality, then that is a beautiful thing.
‘While it has been challenging for a lot of people certainly having to make this reckoning of historical significance that has got people to the place that they are, that is uncomfortable for people. We recognise that. It is uncomfortable for us.’
Harry spoke of how he had become more aware of issues of racial discrimination in society and questioned how far Britain had progressed.
The prince said they although London was celebrated as one of world’s most diverse cities, ‘If you actually get out on to the streets and talk to people, it doesn’t feel as diverse as it actually is.
‘Therefore, now is the best time for us to be able to use our platform and you use your platform as well so we can actually start a conversation and introduce people to the black community that are making a massive difference within their own communities and across the UK as a whole as well.’
The couple recently moved into a £11million mansion in Santa Barbara after breaking with the Royal Family and leaving the UK.
Meghan said the couple were ‘doing well’ and enjoying life with their baby, Archie.
She said: ‘We are very lucky with our little one. He is just so busy, he is all over the place. He keeps us on our toes. We are just so lucky.
‘Everyone has been accustomed to what it means to be distanced. The impact of that, whether it is across the Pond or across town, you are still for the most part through a computer screen. We have all had to adapt to how we can have the most impact as possible within the constraints of what has happening with Covid-19. Like all of you, we are doing the best that we can and hoping that our passion and our commitment is still felt as it certainly hasn’t wavered.’
Harry said he was coping with being away from Britain by using Zoom to stay in touch with people at home.
‘Everything has been through video, everything has been in a room, somewhere,’ he said. ‘Actually it doesn’t matter where in the world we have been, we have stayed in touch with and supported the organisations as much as humanly possible.’
Speaking in a Zoom interview with the Evening Standard from their new £11million home in Santa Barbara, California, the couple said they were ‘doing well’ after leaving the UK
The couple have been repeatedly criticised for breaking royal protocol by intervening in politics
Ashley Banjo in Diversity’s Black Lives Matter themed dance routine that sparked thousands of complaints to Ofcom
Last week, the Duke and Duchess were accused of ‘over-stepping the line’ after a thinly-veiled swipe at Donald Trump as they urged Americans to get out and vote in the upcoming election.
In the couple’s most high-profile intervention in the US presidential election, Harry urged voters to ‘reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity’ – all qualities critics associate with Mr Trump.
In a TV appearance to mark Time magazine’s 100 most influential people roll call, Meghan – who has made no secret of her antipathy towards the president – described November’s vote as the most important election of her lifetime.
Meanwhile, Harry complained that he had never been able to exercise his democratic right to vote because of the convention that, as a member of the British Royal Family, he should remain politically neutral.
Royal insiders voiced concern in Britain where the Queen and her family are expected to remain politically neutral at all times, with one saying that Harry and Meghan had ‘crossed a line’.
Buckingham Palace also distanced itself from Harry’s remarks by saying that ‘the Duke is not a working member of the royal family’ and describing his comments as ‘made in a personal capacity’.
Harry and Meghan made their comments in a Time 100 video to go with the publication of this year’s list of the most influential people, which does not include the royal couple.
‘As we approach this November, it’s vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity,’ said Harry – in a line some observers in Britain and the U.S. immediately took to be a plug for Joe Biden and a slap at President Trump.
Said the California-born Markle, 39: ‘We’re six weeks out from the election, and today is Voter Registration Day.
‘Every four years, we’re told the same thing, ‘This is the most important election of our lifetime. But this one is. When we vote, our values are put into action, and our voices are heard.’
While many viewers saw Harry and Meghan’s comments as a thinly-veiled endorsement of Biden, a source close to Harry insisted the Duke was not referring to Trump or any other individual.
‘The duke was talking about the tone of debate in the run-up to an election which is already quite febrile,’ they said.
‘He is not talking about any candidate or specific campaign. He is building on a lot of stuff that he’s said before about online communities, how we engage with each other online, rather than specifically making any political points.’
Meghan and Prince Harry’s new home sits on 5.4 acres of land and immaculately clipped hedges border the estate’s stone-pillared entry gates (pictured)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have spoken out about the upcoming U.S. election, in a stark break with British tradition that prohibits royal involvement in politics
Markle told Marie Claire in August that she intended to vote. ‘I know what it’s like to have a voice, and also what it’s like to feel voiceless,’ she said.
‘I also know that so many men and women have put their lives on the line for us to be heard. And that opportunity, that fundamental right, is in our ability to exercise our right to vote and to make all of our voices heard.’
Before marrying Harry but after Trump’s election, Markle called Trump ‘misogynistic’ and ‘divisive’ in a TV appearance.
Speaking in the video message, apparently filmed from their California home, Harry admitted he was not eligible to vote – adding that he had never voted in the UK either where convention dictates that royals keep well clear of politics.
Royal experts told DailyMail.com that the couple should give up their titles and sever their links to the monarchy for good if they wanted to comment on US politics, while insiders told The Times that palace aides would be concerned about their intervention.
While Meghan has encouraged people to vote before, the video released on Tuesday was the first time that Harry has commented publicly on the election.
‘The political arena is very sensitive for all members of the royal family. You cannot have an apolitical institution, which is what a hereditary monarchy is, and have members of the royal family making even slightly political comments,’ a source said.
‘Courtiers would be extremely concerned that if they are going to continue to comment on what could be the most contentious US presidential election in living memory, how difficult could that get?’.
Another source in palace circles said the couple had ‘crossed a line’ with their intervention on Tuesday.
Royal aides pointed to the couple’s commitment in January to ‘continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty’ after abandoning frontline royal duties.
Although British law does not explicitly forbid members of the royal family from voting, the expectation that royals remain apolitical is considered sacrosanct, and in practice they never participate in elections, by voting or otherwise.
But since announcing plans to step down as senior royals in January and moving to North America, Meghan and Harry have quietly expanded their involvement in politics as they forge their own path.
Harry also appeared to open the door to taking up US citizenship in the future by saying that he was not eligible to vote at ‘this’ election.
His remark leaves open the possibility that he could seek to vote in a future election in the US, which would likely require him to obtain a ‘green card’ and stay in America for at least three years.
A source close to Harry declined to comment on whether his words suggested he would be applying for dual citizenship.
‘They are not working royals. They are private citizens and it’s understandable they want to keep those matters private,’ the source said.