New Report Exposes Buckingham Palace’s Racist Hiring Practices

Buckingham Palace is facing new allegations of racism and discrimination after documents showing its former hiring practices were resurfaced in a report by The Guardian. 

According to the outlet’s report, documents show that in 1968 the Palace noted “it was not, in fact, the practice to appoint coloured immigrants or foreigners” to serve in clerical roles within the Palace, though people of color could work as domestic servants. 

The practice of banning immigrants and people of color from those roles continued at least through the late 1960s. The Guardian reported that the Palace “refused to answer questions about the ban and when it was revoked,” though the Palace added that “its records showed people from ethnic minority backgrounds being employed in the 1990s.” Before then, Buckingham said it didn’t record the race of its employees. 

Workplace equality laws haven’t been enforced for Queen Elizabeth, the report said, because of exemptions, which have “made it impossible for women or people from ethnic minorities working for her household to complain to the courts if they believe they have been discriminated against.” 

The Palace said there was a “separate process for hearing complaints related to discrimination” though more information wasn’t provided to The Guardian. 

The resurfacing of the documents comes months after the bombshell interview Meghan Markle and Prince Harry did with Oprah in which they accused the Royal family and Palace of racism. The couple said one of the Royal family members questioned what the color of their son Archie’s skin would be before his birth. They wouldn’t name the Royal, but said it was not Queen Elizabeth or Prince Philip. 

The interview and allegations sent waves for the Palace, though some weren’t surprised to hear about the hiring practices or even the the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s accusations.

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