THE Queen and the Royal Family are supporters of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, one of Her Majesty’s representatives has said.
Sir Ken Olisa, the first black Lord-Lieutenant for London, said he discussed the topic of racism with members of the royal household in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in the US last year.
Mr Floyd’s death sparked an eruption of anti-racism protests around the world, with millions showing their support for Black Lives Matter.
When asked by Channel 4’s Black To Front whether the Royal Family support BLM, Sir Ken said: “The answer is easily yes”.
He went on: “I have discussed with the royal household this whole issue of race particularly in the last 12 months since the George Floyd incident.
“It’s a hot conversation topic. The question is what more can we do to bind society to remove these barriers.
“They [the royals] care passionately about making this one nation bound by the same values.”
It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accused the Royal Family of racism in their Oprah Winfrey interview earlier this year.
Meghan said an unnamed royal – not the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh – raised concerns with Harry about how dark their son Archie’s skin tone might be before he was born.
The couple also suggested racism could be a factor behind the decision to deny Archie, the first mixed-race great-grandchild of the Queen, security protection or the title of prince.
The Queen later issued a statement saying that the issues raised would be dealt with privately as a family, but that “some recollections may vary”.
Meanwhile the Duke of Cambridge defended the monarchy, saying “we’re very much not a racist family” soon after the interview aired.
Buckingham Palace has admitted it “must do more” and is “not where it would like to be” in terms of diversity, after publishing figures that revealed its proportion of ethnic minority employees stands at just 8.5 per cent, with a target of 10 per cent for 2022.
The Queen’s household also brought in a change to its Diversity Strategy in early 2020 – which pre-dates the Oprah interview – to one that actively emphasises the importance of inclusion.
Channel 4’s Black To Front, produced by an all-black presenting and reporting team, will air on Friday at 7pm.
