While everyone thought Meghan Markle’s entry to the royal family of Great Britain and the United Kingdom would happen smoothly, her first ever engagement with Queen Elizabeth II drew massive attention. Not because the head of the royal family publicly discredited her presence during the Christmas luncheon, but because an apparent royal relative staged a seemingly outright racial protest in her presence.
Princess Michael of Kent wore a Blackamoor brooch during the queen’s luncheon ceremony, which angered royal supporters crying it was an outright show of racism toward Markle. Interestingly, this wasn’t her first time getting involved in a racial controversy. Back in 2004, she was reportedly caught shouting at a group of African-American diners in New York telling them to “go back to the colonies.”
She tried to brush off the controversy by appearing in a TV interview with ITV, saying, “I even pretended years ago to be an African, a half-caste African, but because of my light eyes I did not get away with it, but I dyed my hair black.”
Presently, she’s trying to repair her public image by issuing an apology. A representative for Princess Michael of Kent told People that “ Princess Michael is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offense.”
“The brooch was a gift and has been worn many times before,” the statement further explained.
Meanwhile, the extent of the apology remains unknown if she had already reached out to Meghan and Prince Harry.
What happened?
Princess Michael of Kent just responded to the controversy over her racist brooch: https://t.co/ynzDNTT2ze pic.twitter.com/1hdRQQmpJ6
— Harper’s Bazaar (@harpersbazaarus) December 22, 2017
Princess Michael of Kent, a close relative of the royal family and wife to her majesty’s first cousin, Prince Michael, has drawn criticism after wearing an offensive brooch during the queen’s luncheon. Her action was negated on the internet after the symbolism of the brooch was revealed.
It was revealed that she was wearing a Blackamoor brooch. According to The Crown Chronicles , the brooch is a figurine sculpture that depicts an exoticized African male or, in layman’s term, an infamous symbol of black slavery.
Royal watchers believe it was a straight up dig at Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry, who is about to marry the biracial American actress. Markle’s mother is black and her father is white.
Apparently, Meghan and Princess Michael will now be neighbors. The latter lives with her prince husband on the Apartment 10 at Kensington Palace, just a short distance away from the newly engaged royal couple’s cozy cottage.