Princess Michael of Kent wore a Blackamoor brooch, an art style widely regarded as racist by historians, in 2018.
Blackamoor art depicts people with dark skin in subservient positions.
Netflix's "Harry & Meghan" docuseries addresses several controversial incidents related to racism and the monarchy, including the time Princess Michael of Kent wore a Blackamoor brooch to an event with Meghan Markle in 2018.
In 2018, she made headlines when she wore a Blackamoor brooch — a style of art widely regarded as racist by art curators and historians — to the Queen's Christmas lunch where Meghan was also in attendance.
Blackamoor is a style of art that often depicts people with dark skin in subservient positions
"The brooch was a gift and had been worn many times before. Princess Michael is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offense," her representative said in a statement in 2018.
Princess Michael of Kent was heavily criticized for wearing a Blackamoor brooch in 2018.Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
It was not the first time Princess Michael had been at the center of a controversy regarding racism
In 2004, a group of Black patrons at a New York restaurant said the princess told them to "go back to the colonies" during an argument about their noise level, the New York Post reported at the time.
Lord John Taylor of Warwick, who served as Britain's first Black government special advisor and was the only Black member of the House of Lords when appointed in 1996, condemned the remarks that witnesses attributed to the princess.
"This is bigotry — it is racism," he told the New York Post in 2004. "It is saying, 'Go back to where you came from when we ruled the world.'"
Her spokesperson denied the report, telling the Post that Princess Michael "flatly denies making any racist slur" and "any suggestion the princess made such a comment is untrue."
For example, Queen Elizabeth I was connected to Britain's slave trade in the 1500s, a historical fact that Queen Elizabeth II never publicly acknowledged or apologized for. More recently, Prince Philip was known for his controversial sense of humor and often made remarks during royal engagements that landed him in hot water, such as comparing Ethiopian art to "the kind of thing my daughter would bring back from school art lessons" in 1965.
"In this family, you're part of the problem rather than part of the solution. And there is a huge level of unconscious bias," he said in the Netflix docuseries, streaming now. "The thing with unconscious bias is it's actually no one's fault. But once it's been pointed out or identified within yourself, you then need to make it right. It's education, it's awareness. And it's a constant work in progress for everybody, including me."
Afua Hirsch, a journalist and author of "Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging," appeared in the docuseries to provide more historical context for the Blackamoor brooch incident.
"When I heard about Meghan at an event where a member of her soon-to-be family was wearing a Blackamoor brooch, I wasn't hugely surprised because one of the realities of life in Britain is that if you go into a palace or a stately home or anywhere that represents tradition, you are likely to be faced with racist imagery," she said. "There are murals on the wall, carvings on the ceiling, that depict enslaved people in a way that glorifies the institution of slavery."
Princess Michael's representatives and Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
COMMENT: For his ‘one last push’ of the election campaign, the prime minister made an excruciating TV sofa appearance alongside Britain’s most-tattooed mum – but that wasn’t even the worst of it, says Ryan Coogan. Then, he was asked to name his favourite meal…
"We are all left utterly bereft and heartbroken. We are grateful for the outpouring of grief, love and support we have received from his innumerable friends"
Britain's 'most tattoed mum' made an appearance on This Morning in nothing but a white bikini to show off all of her tattoos, but fans all say 'it's her choice'
Kevin Kennedy is most recognised for his role as Norman "Curly" Watts on Coronation Street, but now, the actor is preparing to make his return to the stage in an entirely new role
The single biggest thing that happened over the last Parliament was the Covid crisis. It had an immeasurable impact on our economy and society. And Labour’s record in that period, especially during 2021, was appalling. Indeed it was sufficiently bad that at the time many people said Starmer’s errors ruled him out of any possible future as Prime Minister.
Zara Tindall has been left “shaken to the core” by her mother Princess Anne’s mystery encounter with a horse which left her with a brain injury that has resulted in amnesia, according to a report.OK! Magazine says that Zara, 43, has been left freaked out by the incident which saw Anne, 73, also known as The Princess Royal, struck by a horse while she was out walking, alone, on Sunday, June 23, at her home, Gatcombe Park, in the Cotswolds.She was treated at the scene and then hospitalized for fiv
Researchers say they have used cutting-edge gravitational wave research to shed new light on a nearly 2,000-year-old mystery. In 1901, researchers discovered the Antikythera mechanism in a sunken shipwreck, an ancient artifact that dates back to the second century BC. Well over a century later, researchers at the University of Glasgow say they have used […]
A royal commentator has claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are "two of the most unpopular figures in the US" after Prince Harry's latest award received backlash