Buckingham Palace – by way of Windsor Castle – released this photo on Tuesday ahead of the Duke of Edinburgh’s 99th birthday, which is today. The photo has the feel of a piece of “proof of life” evidence in a kidnapping, except no one actually believes that Prince Philip is actually alive, and thus, the ransom would not be paid. Maybe if we could see him holding Tuesday’s copy of the Daily Mail then we would believe it. I’m just saying… if the palace wanted us to say “aw, how cute,” maybe they could have posed Phil and Liz more naturally, and used a little bit less Photoshop? Look at her hands. WTF is this? Did LucasFilm create this? Are they remaking Weekend At Bernie’s?
Anyway, if seeing two ninety-somethings hold down the sinking ship of the SS House Petty doesn’t do it for you, I don’t know what will. Personally, I didn’t really expect Queen Elizabeth or Prince Philip (lol) to say anything about racism or Black Lives Matter or the many conversations about race happening right now. But I did think that *someone* in the Windsor clan would attempt something on-the-record. Charles, perhaps. William and Kate, the future king and queen? But no. Only Meghan has gone on camera to speak about racial justice. So, Omid Scobie asks, why can’t anyone else in the Colonizer Clan say anything?
Per BAZAAR.com’s royal editor, Omid Scobie, though remaining vocally nonpartisan is a vital trait expected of the royal family, now is not the time to stay quiet when it comes to conquering racism across the world, and especially within the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
“While I appreciate the importance of members of the British Royal Family remaining apolitical and not delving into the political issues of other countries, we need to see the issue of anti-Black racism for what it is—a global human rights crisis, which, like in the U.S., has been at the root of so many societal issues in the U.K. and across the Commonwealth,” Scobie tells BAZAAR.
“Members of the Royal Family have said little about the issue of racism over the years, but silence right now is not an option. Up and down the country, including right outside Windsor Castle, we have seen protesters demonstrating against police brutality and racism, and we have heard powerful messages from European royals and the Duchess of Sussex that have been heard by millions. It’s so important that anyone with a platform, particularly those who regularly use their voices to amplify humanitarian and charitable issues, gets on it and speaks up.”
I’m not sure Scobie genuinely believes that any of the senior royals will say anything about racism or BLM, but their continued silence is worth noting and worth discussing. The Queen’s Commonwealth is diverse, multifaith, multiracial and multicultural. And the Queen, her minions and the other senior royals sat silent as the one black duchess was racially abused and smeared, then run out of the country. And those petty colonizers still don’t have sh-t to say. Because honestly? They don’t agree with the protesters. They don’t genuinely believe that black lives matter or that brown lives matter. They believe only petty white royal lives matter.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid and Avalon Red, new photo courtesy of Buckingham Palace.
Well, they are our “natural superiors” so why should they care for anyone else? Especially those nasty colonials.
Exactly. They think they have the right to rule others based only on birth. They definitely don’t think all people should be treated equal.
Eeeewwww… I guess I never thought of it in that way. That’s sad and gross but is probably what monarchs have been thinking for centuries.
Yes, they think they are chosen by God, they definitely see themselves above everyone else and do not care about equality.
Why would they? Their entire colonial Empire was built on conquering other people.
Liz has always had the policy “Never complain, Never explain.” Phil is 99 y/o and most likely suffering from dementia + he has always been a bit of a loose cannon in his public statements + he is retired from public service.
Also, WHO listens to the BRF opinions anymore?
Andrew has clearly exposed their hypocrisy. And the machinery of The Firm to close ranks.
I want them all gone.
Me too. Baffling as it may be for a black Brit, I used to think of the Royal family – in its modern incarnation – as relatively benign. When Wills and Harry were younger and moved around London almost like civilians I bought into the whole ‘they are just normal nice lads with titles’ shtick. But the whole Meghan Markle debacle has made it so undeniable how inherently racist the institution of monarchy, aristocracy and landed gentry is. And the fact that they (meaning the firm as a collective but excluding Harry) dropped all pretence at believing in true equality the moment some blackness crossed into their domain says it all. Add to that the protective barrier they put up around that child abusing sex-trafficker… they are so tone deaf and so immoral.
They must – and I genuinely believe soon will – go.
As long as they ARE there, they need to telegraph to the rest of the reluctant world that things have changed and that Black Lives Matter.
Otherwise, they’re telegraphing the opposite. That black lives DON’T matter. There’s really no debate about it.
I usually tend to think that most things sit somewhere along the grey spectrum, but this is one of the few unequivocally binary choices. 0 or 1. Black or white. Yes or no. They need to express it clearly. At the moment, they’re still at a “no”.
But this is so boring. It’s so boring to talk about.
Nah, they’ll never speak up, because they are as racist and elitist as ever. They just keep it hidden better nowadays.
Never complain, never explain – unless it affects your darling royal favorite. Then they’ll throw lawsuits and tantrums everywhere.
When supporting basic human life in your own damn country is deemed ‘political’ then you know you got a racist trying to excuse themselves for being one.
Conquering brown and black people, specifically. As white saviors. Someone on their PR team must recognize the hypocrisy of any potential statement they’d make.
My mother was from Britain and of the Queen’s generation. And I would never expect the queen to comment on BLM or the protests. People of her generation didn’t DO that kind of thing. Charles? Charles means well but he is completely out of touch with the lives of most people in Britain and beyond. Will and Kate? I’m not expecting anything from them either. You can’t see much racism from Eton College or Amner Hall. The Toffs (Will’s crowd) still can’t accept that Will’s in-laws weren’t born rich. That’s their idea of a social travesty. So I don’t expect to hear anything from the BRF. And I could care less about it – the failure of an out-of-date institution to respond to current events does not surprise me at all.
I think Philipp might have dementia and that’s why nobody sees him anymore.
I don’t think there is going to be a statement.
I am not familiar with the history of the Monarchy but they profited and gained A LOT from slavery and they should apoligize for it: but it requires a vision different from “I was chosen by God and my duty is to preserve tradition”.
To busy photoshopping at a 3rd grade level to make any statements at the moment.
LoL! When I first saw this photo I thought it was a joke. Not only is the photoshopping crude, it looks like they used a ten-year old photo of Phil. Idiot move, this just raises more questions about Phil’s health (and whether or not he is even alive!).
The Q is much slimmer in this picture than she was two months ago. They had to photoshop the current state of her hands.
It looks like a real photo of Phil. You can see the fine bits of his hair floating around intermingled in the background, and they’ve not bothered to obscure his hearing aid wires. But then they’ve pulled an image of the queen from elsewhere and pasted it in next to him. Their body language doesn’t look at all as you would expect two people to look if they were really standing next to each other.
It’s a real photo. It’s actually two real photos!
I bet by lunchtime (California lunchtime) someone will have ID’d the pic of Betty and Phil of the House of Petty. (The *original* pic.)
It’s a terrible shoop.
It’s not just the hands; the last time we saw Philip he looked much older. The lighting is impossibly wrong between the two photos and you can see the trim lines on the cutout, even without enlarging it.
At least hire a courtier who has shoop skills! Shouldn’t be that hard to find someone!
and they are not even standing outdoors. they photoshopped pictures of them that were taken indoors and separately, in the garden in front of the castle. they couldn’t even bother to get them together for a new photo op. makes me wonder perhaps the butlers and hairdressers really are sheltering in place with their families. or they are puttering around all day in bedroom slippers and night gowns.
.
The cardboard background….or is it cardboard cutouts of Petty Betty and Philanderin’ Phil??
Truly the worst photoshop. They were obviously photographed separately (or an old picture was used of one or both of them).
My question is, is there truly NOBODY working for these fools that has any common sense? Because anyone who accidentally walked into photoshop 101 for 5 minutes would take one look at this photo and say …is this the best we got?? This photo was not necessary, they could have done a retrospective of the Duke over the years, released a wedding photo or a historic birthday pic. But no, some GENIUS on their team decided to crack open photoshop for the first time ever and see what they could do, and as a result people are now speculating that one (or both) of them are dead and this pic is an attempted coverup. Great job, team.
So, if nobody that works for them was able to see that this photo was laughably subpar for an instagram influencer with 100 followers let alone the QUEEN OF ENGLAND, of course there’s nobody on team royal advising them that as figureheads of a Commonwealth where the majority of citizens are Black or POC, they might have a vested interest in this movement. They don’t care, and that’s fine because anything they did say would fall flat in the face of the centuries of oppression and subjugation they’ve gleefully inflicted on the commonwealth.
I did some snooping to see if I can find the original pictures. That’s 100% the exact same outfit he wore when he left the hospital for abdominal surgery in 2013. He posed for pics in it outside of the hospital. But considering he only wears the one blazer, it’s hard to tell if it’s the same day.
But the pants, shirt and tie are all the same, and that’s less usual.
I couldn’t find any of the queen in that dress though.
Thanks for the detective work, AMM!
It hadn’t occurred to me that it was actually three photos. It is, though, because the lighting on the two of them isn’t the same. Lighting is such a dead giveaway. I should have seen that the first time.
I know they think we are all idiots but this is ridiculous. Old (“historic”) photos would have been a much better choice, and likely gone uncommented.
I don’t think they’re dead. I think Chuck is probably behind the scenes, lobbying to take over.
It’s the same outfit as 2013 but his eye circles look a lot more obvious here, so I don’t think this picture is from 2013. It doesn’t mean its from this week though.
@Chaine The funniest aspect of this image to me about the photoshopping is that when I first saw this image on Twitter last night it was one of the English tabloids sharing it, and the headline was something like “their body language is just like when they were newlyweds!”
lol. maybe newlyweds in the days of Queen Victoria!
Yes, this was a terrible photoshop. They were definitely not outside and l doubt that they were even standing next to each other. Why the palace felt they needed to try and and fool us l wonder. They are both old, the Queen is fit, and they haven’t properly lived with each other for years.
@princess, they not only haven’t lived together for years and i’d guess they haven’t shared a bedroom for decades, they probably can’t stand each other.
how sad and miserable that they are forced to put up this charade of a long and happy marriage. of Betty, her sibling and her kids, it’s only Edward who had the long and happy first marriage.
They simply don’t care. Probably too busy reminiscing about the British Empire.
Our president doesn’t care, not a single Republican, save Romney, cares. Nearly 40% of Americans admit to not caring. Why should the BRF say anything when no one else will?
As difficult as this is for me, I must say that I now have respect for Mitt Romney. I do not and never will care for his politics but he has shown he is a man of honor like his father. The USA needs more politicians with this type of honor.
I do not, nor will I ever have respect for Romney, dog abuser and vile republican.
You think Brad Pitt was stunting? Romney was stunting for optics. And votes. Now that the white people are standing up, all of a sudden he’s seen the light! Yes, this is the point of protesting. But this rings hollow to me for all kinds of reasons.
Let’s see what he does next!
They definitely don’t give a fcuk about black people, except at CW celebrations or when Kate needs a photo op with black kids. We’ve seen this clearly over the past few years with their treatment and abuse of Meghan (and the outside abuse they allowed to be perpetrated on her). But I hope they stay silent and that their silence helps to hasten their demise. Bye!!!
Well it would also come off as really hypocritical, so they are kind of stuck.
I mean, if they give a statement, everyone would then be like “yeah, but you threw your WOC sister in law under the bus”. So what can they say that would not be totally tone deaf?
It’s bad both ways.
I really hope those photo ops stop.
Setting aside my firm thoughts on what they could/should be doing with regards to BLM, this photo op (such as it was) was done for Prince Phillip’s 99th birthday. Birthday photo shoots are the norm for them.
Truly, if I had to pick one member of the BRF to speak out on this, it would be Charles & Camilla. They’re the only ones that I would even remotely believe. Okay, maybe Princess Anne would be a better choice.
The Irish Times took a swipe at the British royals’ stance on BLM, as well theirs and BM’s racist treatment towards Meghan Markle. Finally some parts of the media are calling them out for what they are
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/opinion/anne-harris-british-monarchy-needs-meghan-markle-now-more-than-ever-1.4274763%3Fmode%3Damp
The RF and British Media are stupid because they’ve both effectively lost. Now they’re stuck with each other and neither is benefiting. The media aren’t making money and the interest that the royals had especially globally left with the Sussexes. They both know what they lost and that’s why they’re trying so hard to push Sophie and Kate as replacements but it’s not working. You can’t force interest and charisma.
Great article! It’s spot on.
Wonderful article and wonderful BTL comments too!
BTB, I’ve been reading your acronym BTL for about five days now, and the best I can come up with is ‘between the lines’ Am I right or am I way off base here? Urban Dictionary says it stand for ’bout that life’ or ‘below the line’ Thanks, Bay.
She means “Below the line” – the comments on a story online.
Thanks, Becks1:)
“Royal family’s epic stupidity has lost smart, bi-racial woman who owned her blackness”.
Epic stupidity. Someone finally said it.
And that’s about all there is to say. What could they possibly add to the discussion after standing silently by while their biracial granddaughter-in-law was abused while pregnant, and her newborn son was vilified in a disgusting racist photo. And then effectively allowed them to be exiled, because the pain was too great for the Sussexes to remain in the country and the family. I don’t want to hear one word from them about the subject, because anything they say would be pandering for approval and not authentic. They proved how they feel, not only with their tacit approval of the treatment of Meghan, but by their history over centuries. They need to take several seats and be quiet. The whole family does.
Damn . Article was spot on
Thanks for the article link. It was a deliciously concise read; like eating a good piece of chocolate. It was direct and called the main players out by name. The part about Harry and Willie and the “hello” was especially nice.
I liked the line about Kate’s lack of loyalty to her friend Harry.
Fantastic article. The winds are beginning to shift. I hope the blow the castle of the English royals down.
There are different winds, though. Which one will prove the strongest, that’s the question.
There are different winds, though. Which one will prove the strongest, that’s the question.
“Irish view the monarchy as a non-stop Monty Python show.” BRF cannot speak out. If they did, they would have to explain their treatment of, “Meghan, Harry and Archie.” Or lack of defense, which I consider one and the same.
“ Did LucasFilm create this?” Haha! Pretty much this.
– Hey Bill what FX work are you doing these days?
– Season 2 of the Mandalorian and Prince Philip’s birthday portrait.
The Royals lose relevance with each passing day. Although I would pay a rather large sum of money to have Philip come out and comment on Black Lives Matter…that would probably put an end to the monarchy right there.
Interesting that even the Daily Fail is publishing quotes about how these two haven’t spent this much time under the same roof in years. I guess only William is paying up?
“I would pay a rather large sum of money to have Philip come out and comment on Black Lives Matter…that would probably put an end to the monarchy right there.”
🤣🤭
You said it best… “ They don’t agree with the protesters.”
Watching people of colour being shepherded out onto morning TV has been painful this last week. Explaining ourselves to people determined to misunderstand us. I don’t believe they want to learn. They’re just capitalising on the moment.
Afua Hirsch wrote a really powerful article for the guardian last week, where she says she’s protesting by keeping quiet. And she’s right. No one is saying anything new. So why are they listening now, I wonder. Especially you Piers?
So I don’t expect the royals to speak out. They have shown us they don’t care about black people in the past. I do expect their photo ops to increasingly have people of colour going forward. W&K had already started using people of colour as props after Sussexit
The BRF doesn’t care about non-white people and at least two members are openly racist and I wouldn’t be surprised if several other members are low-key racist.
When it comes to Piers and the BM, they are seen as racist worldwide because of the treatment of not only Meghan but countless others. They’re trying to wash the stain of that but also because, in my opinion, they want Harry and Meghan back because the interest, money and excitement is gone. They also know the other show is about to drop with it comes to the leaks/ Dan Wooton saga. Piers and the media are only thinking in self interest and clout chasing. I doubt it has anything to do with genuine support.
What a difference a few months make; where there was a constant stream of TV panel discussions in the wake of Harry and Meghan leaving about whether or not the UK is racist, where the only token black/ brown commentator being shouted down by the rest of the panel. Now there are all these all black panels and the presenters are trying their best to look like they genuinely care.
The way Afua was shouted down by Piers was unforgiveable and she was told to ‘leave the country’ by Nick Ferrari. The fact that she has to work with Nick is gross.
I personally think POCs should not even grace their presence on these platforms which are so toxic. I actively consume my news from sites run by and for POCs. I consider them safe spaces.
I don’t know if George Floyd’s death was a real shock and an eye opener, or more likely, the brands and advertising are really spooked about losing money. A lot of prominent Brits of colour seem to be very vocal about their feelings and experiences, whereas before they would never comment. It feels like something has really tipped over; I wouldn’t even describe it as anger, more like fed-up. People are fed-up and have stopped caring about how they come across and are starting to say their goddamn minds.
👏🏾👏🏾
Sadly, we *DO* have to come to the conclusion that the BRF does not actually believe that Black Lives Matter. Kaiser has it 100% right. Because it’s such an easy, obvious, non-debatable fact that if you’re finding it “political” or difficult to proclaim it, there’s only one conclusion to come to.
I’m calling for the dissolution of the Common Wealth, given that the head of the organisation does not believe that 70% of the lives of the people who actually constitute that organisation don’t matter.
yeah, this is what I said yesterday (I think it was yesterday, who knows anymore). They’re keeping quiet because they don’t think that Black Lives Matter.
And if that’s not the case, if they can understand what people are saying and the point that is being made, and the reason people are protesting – then they need to say as much.
That family is full to the brim of absolute dullards. For Christ’s sake. All they need to do is write a short statement for the Queen to read out, showing solidarity with all black people, especially across the CW. And consult Meghan on it. She’s shown an astuteness on discussing this “difficult” topic, plus she’ll know how to find the right balance.
Give the statement and leak that it was put together with heavy consultation from Meghan.
It’s not that difficult, but these dullards will find a way to turn it into a disaster for themselves first, before reluctantly moving.
They didn’t want Meghan’s consultation on anything else, they don’t need Meghan’s consultation on crafting a Black Lives Matter statement.
Especially when the royal family didn’t think her or her child’s black lives mattered.
Since Kate is the way and the light and never puts a foot wrong and is a Top CEO, let Kate consult on the statement. Or Sophie, since she was a former PR person.
They don’t give a fcuk. Why should they? Nobody’s gonna get rid of them. It’s gonna take more than BLM for the UK to wake up.
They don’t give a fck. There entire existence was built on the backs of slaves in the colonies. There behavior toward Megan is too fresh etc.
Agree.
That’s not how Diana raised William, but I don’t know how he feels now. Just because she raised him that way doesn’t mean it took I guess.
Diana may have reached out and done outreach in other countries (much like Kate and Will do now) but that doesn’t mean that she didn’t have the same outdated, colonizing views as the rest of them.
Jen
Diana did actual hands on work in Angola for mines and underprivileged
And again did tonnes of work in Africa for aids victims
As well as lots of work in India
She held POC in her hands for all the world to see
She was as hands on as a royal could be
Please do not lump Kate and Diana in the same sentence
From what everyone have says about Diana, especially Nelson Mandela, it is that she was a person devoid of any racial, religious or sexual prejudice. For the time and for a girl issu from aritoscracy it is very inusual , which is why people call her the princess of the people and that many Britons from different social class, religion and race love it while the other members of the royal family are loved only by a conservative white audience (except Meghan).
@Jen, Im saying this as a WOC from somewhere in Africa: NOT every white person is racist. What Diana did for the benefit of marginalized people, be it POC, gay folks, people living in poverty etc etc is well documented. I have not seen any indication that Diana was prejudiced. Let’s not turn this into accusing every white person of being racist.
Jen
Clearly you haven’t bothered to do your homework.
Diana probably DID have racist thoughts, as did Harry. That’s the environment they grew up in.
What Diana did was go out to the people, reach out to the people, learn from the people. She didn’t have to do that and neither did Harry. They could’ve stayed in their white aristocratic bubble and laugh at the poors and the darks but they didn’t. Harry is still a work in progress but he’s trying and he’s doing the work. I would bet if coronavirus wasn’t going on and it wasn’t a huge security risk, he’d be out there marching for Black Lives Matter too.
Frankly, the only born member of the BRF that could speak about BLM without it ringing false is Harry. If the BRF hadn’t been so horrible to his wife and run her away, he & his wife would be making the royal BLM statement and it wouldn’t come across as fake.
The BRF needs to be quiet and not issue any statements because any statement they make will be met with “But what about Meghan?”
@Jen. What I hate, is people who dont do their research, but make sweeping judgement, of the very person, they failed to research. It is widely documented, about Diana, a true blue Aristocrat, gave herself selflessly to all races, religion, sexual orientation, Aids patients people with leprosy, beyond the borders of UK. Her work in Angola, India, even when she was being accused of being Political, when all she was doing, was to be a humanitarian. Not all Whites are racists. Please, don’t sully the image of Princess Diana. In her, we have Harry, Thank God.
@Kaiser; A hostage photo, that won’t encourage the rellatives to pay the ransom, that gave me a chuckle! lol.
@Jen – clearly you weren’t around or were too young to know and appreciate what Diana did at a time when royal women “just didn’t do that sort of thing”. What she did best, where she was happiest, was when she could break out of the bubble of white superiority in order to break down her own inherent prejudices and LEARN what it’s like on the other side of the racial/sexual orientation divide. That way she could understand and highlight their struggles from THEIR point of view.
They don’t care.
And I think they know on some level that they would be called out for empty words when they chased a biracial duchess out of the country.
So they’re hoping that if they keep their heads down it’ll go away and that their silence will cause less PR damage than some bland statement.
I absolutely expected Charles or William to say something. People are defending their silence, saying they “cant be political” but we see them being “political” when it suits them.
I do think it would ring hollow, whatever they said, because they have benefited from colonialization maybe more than anyone and they honestly don’t seem to think that’s wrong.
And I said this yesterday, but I do think part of the reason for the silence is because they just don’t understand what BLM is about (or they don’t care to understand maybe is better.) Even putting aside the older royals, Kate and William seem like the type to just think that if you ARENT calling someone a racial slur, then you’re not being racist. If a law doesn’t say “black people cant sit here” then its not a racist law.
I feel like Omid is trying really hard to reach them now and they are just too…..racist….to hear him.
Yes let’s review what Kate and William think is appropriate artwork for their personal spaces. When you have a racist painting and only realize it may be a problem when the black president shows up, you may be a little racist.
When you tell people in Africa they should not have more kids while your wife is pregnant with number three, you may be a little racist.
I could go on, but the younger royals are pretty racist compared to other people the same age as them.
Well, Will did have an “Out of Africa” birthday bash and his set has held costume parties with the theme “Natives and Colonials”. Along with the painting, I’d say that this shows that there’s quite a bit of low-key, subconscious racism in the set that he runs with and that he most likely shares.
Then there’s the comment where he described the Annual Diplomat Dinner as a “fancy dress party” – her fancy dress is to be understood as costume. Because several of the attending diplomats and spouses wear national dress. The people who often do that are from non-Western countries. So that remark is also quite racist and disrespectful.
Honestly, I think the painting was not an accident. Maybe Harry said something and tbe name plate was taken down.
I have a very low opinion of William. Extremely low and lower than most people here and I think that painting was meant as a dig because William always looks inept next to the Obamas who also clearly prefer Harry. We know from the budget plane stunt that he and Kate are both capable of passive aggressive digs.
Molly, I think William is trash and he gets a lot of goodwill and the benefit of the doubt from everyone because he is covered by the legacy of Diana. No one wants to admit that he’s a Windsor through and through. And I think he has even fully bought into the Windsor stance on regard to his own mother. He talks about her differently than Harry does. It’s subtle but it’s something I noticed from interviews for years now. He seems to see her as a frivolous flighty person who lacked self control. Harry sees her as strong, a fighter and a protector.
I agree with you all about W&K.
@Nyro, I think William also gets goodwill because a LOT of his behavior, misdeeds, scandals, etc. have been hidden from the public as the heir to the heir so people don’t really yet know the kind of person he is.
I read something here or on twitter basically saying that Harry isn’t afraid to burn the family to the ground because all of his secrets and mistakes throughout the years have already been exposed by the press and his own family using him as a shield for William. So he has nothing to be blackmailed over or to lose…but William does. And I can’t wait to watch him get exposed for the horrible person he is.
William already has spoken his thoughts on racism, he’s “bored of it” can people please just stop being racist and talking about it? ‘Cause William is bored, he’s as done with it as he is with his brother’s “fragility.”
As for the rest of the Royals, it has been clear for centuries they do not believe black lives matter. Is this really a surprise to anyone?
And let’s not forget Princess Michael’s blackamoor brooch that she wore to lunch with Meghan. That was absolutely unforgivable. I’m sure she wore it intentionally to make an offensive statement, and that it was a deliberate decision to “put that black woman in her place”. Horrible old b*tch.
Princess Michael of Kent has a long history of being openly racist – not that really surprising since her father was a member of the Nazi party and served in the SS.
She most definitely wore that brooch on purpose.
I have earlier said that two members of the BRF are openly racist, one is Princess Michael and the other is Prince Phillip. He has said a lot of racist things and I’ve always gotten then feeling that he doesn’t even recognize that what he is saying is racist and that his racism is deeply subconscious. However, Princess Michael seems very aware of her racism and her actions like the blackamoor brooch or the black sheep called Venus and Serena come across as quite calculated attempts to put down women of colour who have risen to the top.
Yeah so can we cancel this annoying a** ugly family yet?!! Ugly on the inside and the outside. Meghan and Harry have been the only good thing coming out of this family, everyone else is so boring and vanilla and bring absolutely nothing to the table.
Let’s not forget Princess Michael and her blackamoor brooch! That was 2.5 years ago, so basically yesterday. These people are uninteresting AF. I’m so over this. I had so much hope with Harry and Megs and then this despicable “family” let the whole world be racist to them and basically sat there laughing and soaking it all up. Disgusting and petty. I don’t know why The Queen gets praised all the time, b*tch sucks, plus y’all the only thing keeping her alive right now is copious amounts of prednisone (exhibit A: her puffy a** cheeks) and you can only do that ish for so long until it basically kills you. I say when she dips out we need to take that whole institution down. They just live on the dole and act like they are better than everybody for it. And f*ck Andrew the pedo, don’t even get me started on that mofo! Colonizing C*nts. Ugh, sorry, rant over.
These disgusting people. Raised a son who saw women as disposable, and never held accountable. Then, it wasn’t enough for them to be one of the richest families in the world, the queen had to try and hide her wealth from the government. Why does no one talk about that looting by rich people?
I see nothing noble, nothing royal, just people who would be nothing without oppression. So basically when it’s all said and done, their lives would be built on hate.
Why are people expecting racist to speak up? Lol we saw how they treated meghan a biracial white passing woman.
Why tf do some people continuously refer to Meghan as “white passing”? I (and lots other people) never thought she looked white, leave alone passing herself off as a white woman; and that’s even before she started dating Harry. She looks more Latina than white to me, geez!!
I always thought Megan looked Southern Italian-Mediterranean.
Until I saw her mom at the wedding I thought Meghan was just tan like me. We have similar complexions and I’m white.
On what planet does meghan look black? Clearly she looks tan so i can see the latina thing but latina isn’t a race they come in all colours and races. But she doesn’t look black i mean she herself has said people never belived her mom was her mom.
The only people who think Meghan looks white or is white passing are white people and black people not from the United States.
Most American black people can take one look at her and know she ain’t white (or Latino).
The white passing person in the Sussex family is Archie.
This. No Black American would look at Meghan and think she’s a full white person. Archie, absolutely. Meghan, no.
Thank you Emmitt! I never thought that Meghan was white-passing. As an African-American woman, I – along with other folks within my race are perceptively aware that our skin shades covers a huge color spectrum – from fair-skinned to the deepest, richest ebony hues. When Meghan was first introduced as Harry’s girlfriend, I took one look at her hairline, hair texture, nose, light caramel coloring, full lips, and nose to conclude that she was one of “us”. I often find it humorous when folks claim that she looks tan without considering the other areas that I mentioned. I’m like, “Really?!”
Incognito, well you know folks like to act like Black Americans aren’t our own distinct ethnic group and so is recognizing Meghan as one of our group is crazy apparently. More disrespect toward us as a people.
They’re the pinnacle of white supremacy so I’m surprised anyone is expecting them to say anything.
This. Their whole existence is about a pure bloodline.
Exactly! They can’t admit Black people are equal because then what would be the point of Royals?—an institution that’s sustained by the idea that they matter more than other people? Specially more than black people and immigrants.
Why would people be okay with their taxes going towards Royals’ protection and palaces if the people realized there’s nothing that actually makes them greater than anyone else? Royals have to keep the appearance that they are superior, especially that they are superior to non-whites, because they are not there to represent them nor their interests.
They hide behind the excuse of “Its too political” when they are too uncomfortable to speak on something. They know that if they did say anything they would be called out and they don’t want that. They still should say something but they will bury their heads in the sand. It’s what they do best.
I have doubts that the Royal family will exist much longer after the Queen’s death. There is little to no reason for them and they are, at best, an anachronism supporting an unfair class system. You cannot embrace the future with one foot stuck in the past.
I expect this from William ‘I’m so bored of it’ . Even if he is not saying out loud but it is what he is saying in his snobbish head.
The term “subject of her majesty” only to designate the citizens who make up the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth is insulting and shows that the monarchical institution is created according to the classification of human beings in order to determine who are the most superior for justified theirs positions. And the colonial heritage of the royal family but also the racist and violent treatment towards the Irish, Welsh and Scottish better it is better that they say nothing. They are never apologized nor acknowledged for theirs responsibility into processus colonial , esclavagist and imperialist.
I believe the photo is stiff because they try to “show”: See, we were and are social distancing.
There’s a difference between being political and being non-partisan. The royals are supposed to be the latter. And everything is political. Kate’s early years work can be seen as political because early years programs are suffering due to cuts made by the Tories. William’s mental health work can be seen as political because being so open with mental health problems was nowhere near as “mainstream” as it is (although there’s still a lot of stigmas around it)
Not to mention, these people are poorly disguised Tories.
Watching on Netflix Diana : In Her Words… And damn
You royals age badly 🤣🤣🤣
Family is full of racists so I doubt we’ll ever hear any of them speak on BLM & if they do it’ll be the biggest joke.
History.
They don’t want to speak out about racism because their only fan base at the moment are white supremacists who hate harry and Meghan. The divide is clear now more than ever. Harry and Meghan have the young, liberal fanbase, and the rest of them have the brexit, right wing, trump loving racist fanbase. They won’t p*ss off the only people who support them.
This 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Exactly THIS! 👏👏👏
They know their audience and have aligned themselves with the right wing racists as they too are racist and do not believe black lives matter, I believe every last one of them (excluding Harry) are extremely racist. They are not going anywhere even if they don’t speak up, not while the queen is alive anyway. I’m not at all surprised tbh.
Before we give Harry a complete pass let’s not forget he was raised in this environment and once thought it would be great fun to dress as a nazi. Yes he’s not the same person he was then, but it wouldn’t surprise me if be still held some antiquated views purely because he’s been surrounded by people who hold those same views his whole life. The entire aristocracy is racist (ever see any other mixed race members of notable families?) And classist to the extreme. Their entire wealth and privilege is based on keeping others down and profiting from them.
The sad thing is they had the opportunity to open up their fanbase to new people and they rejected it. Meghan boosted the royal families appeal with the liberals, millennials, minorities, Americans, and lgbt, basically anyone that is cool. Harry and Meghan have the fanbase any public figure wants. Young people decide what’s cool and popular, not racist thugs or old ladies. They absolutely didn’t want that fanbase, because if they remained neutral and treated Meghan kindly, they could of had the best of both worlds.
Interesting this is coming out today as Samira Nasr, a WOC, is announced as the first non-white EiC of Harper’s Bazaar. As the old guard media diversifies (Samira at Harper’s, Edward at Vogue, Radhika at Vanity Fair), it is beginning to hold existing power structures to account more than it currently does (a very low bar I know). Question is are they still relevant…
British or US Harper’s Bazaar?
US
So Petty Liz and Euthanized Phillip aren’t even together to take a birthday photo. This is what this picture is confirming.
I hope someone has hidden Princess Michael of Kent’s jewelry, because I fear that’s the most response on BLM the British aristocracy would give.
I hope Philip is alive just to avoid H&M being blamed for his death, which will probably happen even if he lives to be 120. But if he is dead/on his deathbed, what would be the point of hiding it? He’s not the monarch. His death doesn’t affect succession. The pandemic can be used as an excuse to keep his funeral private. It could be used to garner sympathy for Elizabeth, Charles, Andrew, et al. Are they worried that Philip is dying or has died of Covid, and that’s another reason to criticize the UK’s response to it?
I think his death and his health are only really concerning to most as a canary-in-the-coalmine of sorts for Queenie. Also, how many 90-something or younger ladies just keel over with no warning due to the stress of dealing with the loss of a loved one?
People will show you who they are, believe them the first time. BM has shown Meghan and the world who they are, believe them.
The statement they need to make is an apology to Meghan.
“They don’t genuinely believe that black lives matter or that brown lives matter. They believe only petty white royal lives matter.”
This. They truly believe they are the chosen ones.
Besides, caring would mean having to face their own and the Monarchy’s complicity.
There is no way in h3ll that picture is real. The Cat movie looked more realistic.
Their racist bulling pushed out the only woc so there is no way they are going to pretend that they are against racism. They are the worst. Especially Kensington Karen and Kevin. They fed the tabloids the racist stuff.
Weekend at Bernie’s is a brilliant metaphor for the whole royal family.
Who is propping them up and can they stop now?
Maybe she thinks it makes her more queenly and superior not to stoop down for any causes. Useless expensive bunch, anyone that supports them thinks money grows on trees. Privatize them and their cult followers can pay for them themselves.
This is the family that wouldn’t stick up for Meghan to the racist press and where no one saw a problem with that racist brooch the old hag princess wore to the Queen’s Christmas Luncheon. They don’t think Black Lives Matter and you’ll never hear them say it.
Divorced … From Reality. There are no leaders in the BRF, only grifters and hangers on. Watching statues being dumped, finally Columbus, and we do need to end the US holiday.
Defund the royals!
Abolish them
Seeing as how they ran off the only black member of their family I’m going to go with they don’t give a shit.
Because black lives don’t matter to them. They made that very clear by how they treated Meghan.
@livvers. Omg am dead. Newlyweds! Hahaha.😂😂😂😂
Lmao the Queen is a racist and I hope she had a sh*t birthday. She gave Tony Abbott a Queens Birthday award and it was partially for services to the Aboriginal community. He was a Australian Prime Minister who defunded community services for Indigenous communities (among other budget cuts that negatively impacted BiPoc communities). He actively ignored negotiation attempts by Elders regarding the Makkarata commission. Tony has publicly made numerous racist comments about Aboriginals. He wanted to replace Acknowledgement of Country with the Lords Prayer. He’s so insufferable that he was blocked/ chased out of most communities when he was the ‘Indigenous Envoy’.
I realise Australian politics are kinda a niche topic. I’m just saying the Queen is a racist who stands idly by when Meghan is the target of misogynoir. Meanwhile she publicly protects her rapist pedophile son. And she’s publicly rewarding a racist white man. I long for the day that the British monarchy falls.
Was he the one who was a dick to Gillard?
Yup from memory Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech was largely promoted by him & a bigoted shock jock, Allan Jones.
The Queen awarding him (and protecting a pedophile) tell me everything I need to know about her.
They’ll only say something once their grasp on the monarchy is threatened. They’ve had the same tactic for centuries and it won’t change now.
They’re not political figures and aren’t allowed to be partisan in any way. That’s not their role.
Being against racism isn’t political. Says a lot about you that you think it is.
Protest is a political act. The royal family comments very, very rarely on any issue affecting the country; their input is largely not welcome. You don’t need to make personal criticisms of anyone who voices an opinion or speaks of a viewpoint different to your own – it’s unlikely to lead to any healthy or productive exchange.
Condemning racism is not a political act and trying to defend the cowardly actions of the monarchy shows that you are okay with their poor behaviour. I truly don’t care what someone who defends their racist actions actually says because your head is so far up their ass there is no way you will ever change your mind. I don’t waste my time on trying to convince people who support the indefensible.
It’s probably because the royals are supposed to stay out of “political” issues. Same how Kate didn’t wear black for #timesup at the Baftas that one year.
Exactly
But when there’s something in it for them, they do. The Queen made it publically very clear she was against Scotland’s independence, after Cameron asked her to. Can’t get much more political than that.
I remember that and that was absolutely political in a way that quite shocked me. It was so openly partisan and self-serving.
Being against sexism and racism isn’t political. Defending their silence is not a good look.
Im not saying that it is a good look. I think it would be good to use their power and influence to say something. Just explaining why they likely don’t.
The royals ARE political though, quite frequently. People conveniently forget that. For example, I thought Kate was making a MUCH stronger statement in refusing to wear all black for the BAFTAs in 2018. That was a political move on her part – it wasn’t one I appreciated, but she was sending a message.
The conservation work, the focus on climate change etc – all that is political. Kate’s Early Years “work” is political, unless you’re going to tell me its just about cute photo ops with little kids (which seems likely.)
Didn’t Charles refuse to attend an event in the 90s as a political statement against China? (I cant remember the specifics.)
The “royals cant be political” only gets trotted out when people want to defend their silence.
Id rather they not. We know they don’t care about black lives or racism so any statement would be purely performative and would actually be more infurating. And we see how they treated the only black family member they’ve ever had.
How is saying black people deserve as much respect, equality and justice as others, partisan? And where was the outcry when William talked about diversity at the BAFTA’s? I remember Daily Beast& the Times praised his royal wokeness. Prince Charles also spoke about freedom, equality and justice for Palestinians earlier this year. Isn’t the Queen known for allegedly opposing Apartheid?
I personally think the royal family have no credibility on this issue given history and recent events concerning own family so unless they acknowledged& apologised for that- best to stay silent. The dragging would be too much AND they would upset their right wing supporters so not worth it to them.
There’s something about showing any kind of empathy towards black people that really posses people off. I’ve never seen white people in America so enraged as when President Obama said “If I had a sin, he’s look like Trayvon”. Showing any kind of empathy for a black family whose kid was murdered because he was black was just too much for a lot of white peoole. It’s ok to stand in solidarity with Palestinians or Jews or LGBT or any other historically oppressed group. But when it’s time to stand up and say that black lives matter, suddenly it’s controversial. Suddenly it’s “all lives matter” and stop playing the race card. If Meghan were Jewish and subject to anti-Semitic dog whistles everyday in the British media, they never would have let her be abused by the media like that. Same thing if she were from any other minority group. It’s because of her blackness that they refused to stand with her and knew that they could get away with it.
While I understand the argument that it would seem performative for them to actually say something and condemn racism, they could still make an effort to say something. People who are defending their silence because it’s “political” or partisan and the monarchy doesn’t “do that” are just showing their own racism and defending cowards.
It’s only “political” when it’s black folks.
Speaking up for others basic human rights is an altruistic act for everyone BUT the Royal Family, to them it’s a political one lest they lose their precious white supremist following.
I finallywatched the Crown and it confirmed my understanding that monarchs view themselves as being outside political world. According to them the crown is mute, which means that most they do is smile at peasants and shake hands. Which is why the monarchy is in so much trouble and has so many critics. Instead of being a force that strengthen the republic, it is a burden because the monarchy will keep the stoic silence even when the republic crumbles. So I would not get my hopes up that anyone will say anything about racism or BLM in this moment. They are being consistent which is: do not get involved in anything that matters to the citizens.
They’re not being consistent. They just don’t want to stand in solidarity with black people in the same way they have for Palestinians and light folks.
You guys are fans, watchers and followers of the British Royal Family. Some of you stayed up all night to watch their weddings and threw parties. Many of you are very invested in their lives, seemingly recalling from memory what which royal wore in 2010 or what tiara means what. And you guys are shocked, *shocked* that the royals might consider themselves to be superior to the common folk? What exactly do you all think royalty is?
No one is shocked
BRF never make comments on anything important or controversial. I’m not defending them, it just the way they operate. Time for them to go. Don’t see the point of Canada having them as our symbolic leaders.
Looks like an old picture of Edgar Wright’s ‘Shaun of the dead’….. Philip has been bitten!
They’ve missed their opportunity to come out on the right side of this – any statement at this point would come across as disingenuous. Am I making an excuse for them? No. A decent leader would go ahead and issue a statement, prefaced with a sincere apology and acknowledgement of the danger of not speaking up in support of basic human rights. If Phil is having health issues, a written statement could be prepared, delivered verbally by Liz. What’s stopping willnot and cannot? The worst Liz would do is put them on the pedo plan (no work, just pay), which is their dream! I didn’t pay much attention to cannot after she refused to come out in support of women’s rights and they are truly dim if they try to use that as an excuse to not say anything now. Human rights – not a political issue, a moral issue.
They can’t really say anything credibly.
As individuals, they stood by and looked the other way as the media went after Meghan.
As an institution, the British Royal Family were colonizers. And, correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t think they’ve ever apologized or made reparations for that. Yes, no one alive in the family is personally at responsible but they did benefit from it and have influence. Now might be a good time to show leadership on this issue but a black square on IG or a nice “we stand with black communities” wouldn’t cut it because of the history. It would be tone deaf, like that time Karlie Kloss told us to talk to our families about politics.
They were racist against Meghan??
Hearing how they’re kicking out the black commonwealth secretary baroness Scotland despite opposition & requests to delay appointing new person from alot of African countries I think we’ll see this erupting and refocusing the protest towards the monarchy soon. I’ve read reports that this is instigated by the Tories and that boris wrote to commonwealth states to lobby for a WHITE replacement so we’ll see.
I doubt theyll speak about equality as their whole thing is about how they are above the peasants and how lizzy is chosen by god!!!Also if they were silent when Archie son of 6th in line to a throne being labelled chimpanze then it’s pretty obvious they dont care about this issue.
I agree with others that the picture seems fake. Its either they did it indoors and decided an outdoor theme or something is wrong and either lizzy or Phil couldn’t do it!!
Nyro excellent points. It’s true it’s only ‘political’ as relates to black bodies. The Queen was able to express regret about the troubles& pain of the years of conflict with Ireland in 2011.
To be fair Charles did say Britain’s role in slave trade was an injustice& atrocity back in 2018. So the partisan/political argument about BLM rings false.
But as I said the dragging if BRF spoke on BLM would be epic (and well deserved).
I couldnt find it, does anyone know what the Spanish royal family said on this subject? I think its more relevant, imho, in this case
Anne Harris of the Irish Times has a very good article about the royal family and Megan, apologies cant seen to send through link !
Wasn’t all colonisation done in the name of the British monarch of the day? All those monarchs are ancestors of the Queen. Yes the Commonwealth is a wide mix of people today, but it’s only existed since WW2. When have the BRF ever acknowledged that their ancestors invaded so many other countries, to the point where “the sun never sets on the British Empire” (something they took great pride in), and caused untold suffering, dispossession and intergenerational trauma to indigenous populations? Will Kate teach her kids about their ‘mixed’ heritage? One of my ancestors was transported to Australia for raping a 13 year old girl – I hate that he’s my ancestor but I can’t deny his existence no matter how much I want to. I wouldn’t be here without him