The royal family was noticeably quiet during the Black Lives Matter Movement — even as the civil rights protests reached their home turf — and there’s supposedly a controversial reason for it!
In journalist Omid Scobie‘s new book Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival, which hits shelves on Tuesday, the biographer claims the royals stayed quiet during the important historical political moment… because they didn’t want to face more criticism?! In an advanced copy obtained by Page Six on Monday, the 42-year-old writer mused:
“During my years covering the royals I have regularly been surprised by the Palace’s blasé attitude when it comes to anything to do with race, racism, or the issues that impact those from minority backgrounds.”
As we all know, The Firm has faced racism allegations from their very own, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, so speaking up about BLM would’ve been a great opportunity for them to put the rumors to rest.
Related: Queen Camilla Thanked Piers Morgan For Dissing Meghan Markle!?
Instead, they chose to turn their back on it all. In the book, Omid notes that after George Floyd was murdered in May 2020, the “resurgence of the American-born Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement spawned international protests against systemic racially motivated police brutality” and “unrest hit the streets of London.” Yet the royals — including the late Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Catherine — said nothing, the GMA contributor acknowledged:
“A global civil rights issue was forcing change around the world, but the royal family chose to completely ignore it. […] As often as I emailed or phoned the Buckingham Palace communications team (more than weekly during the height of the BLM marches), my requests for on- or off-the-record guidance on whether we may see family members acknowledge this hugely important moment went noticeably unanswered — they responded to other queries I had, just not that one.”
The Harper’s Bazaar editor-at-large went on:
“The Palace famously stays away from anything it considers political, but unlike the political intricacies involved with the movement in the United States, BLM support in Britain simply meant standing up to and against racism.”
Pretty simple, right? Especially if they wanted to take a big stand against the Sussexes’ allegations, such as claims a family member had questioned one Prince Archie‘s skin tone was going to be before his birth. Nevertheless, they chose to turn a blind eye to the problem, which Omid said “was hard to ignore.” It all took another shocking turn when the author found out exactly why his requests for comment had gone unanswered. In August 2021, he was at a hotel bar with a Palace senior aide who told him:
“‘We didn’t [reply] because it felt like you were trying to get a headline, quite honestly. You would have turned [the family not saying something] into a story.’”
Are they really blaming him for trying to do his job?? Jeez.
Interestingly, there’s some backstory here. The aide mentioned a Harper’s Bazaar op-ed the Finding Freedom co-author wrote that March which was titled “Stifling, Toxic, and Racist—Duchess Meghan Never Had a Chance.” According to the aide, the royal family found this too “pointed” for their liking, the insider added:
“‘You called us white supremacists.’”
Oof! Of course the royals didn’t like that! But Scobie thinks the interpretation of his article “wasn’t entirely accurate.” Either way, it created some bad blood between the journalist and the family, and he didn’t get the scoop! Instead, Kenneth Olisa, the first Black Lord-Lieutenant of London, revealed on Britain’s Channel 4 News when asked about the family’s support of the movement at the time:
“The answer is easily yes. […] 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.”
Still, it would’ve been WAY more powerful for the family to actually say something themselves! Especially since they’ve faced more racism allegations since the BLM movement’s peak, including in November 2022 when Lady Susan Hussey (who served as a Woman of the Bedchamber to the late monarch) had to resign after questioning the nationality of former charity executive Ngozi Fulani at an event. So, yeah, their silence has done nothing to quell racism speculation!
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