Queen Elizabeth II broke royal protocol by inviting Meghan Markle to her annual pre-Christmas luncheon 2017. It sparked a relatively unknown row involving Princess Michael of Kent and her Blackamoor brooch. Princess Michael is married to the Queen’s first cousin, Prince Michael.
Historians Widely Regard the Blackamoor Brooch As Racist
Princess Michael wore the pin to the family occasion, which prompted some royal correspondents to comment on its “racist undertones.” Princess Michael issued a public apology.
Saying she was
“very sorry and distressed that it had caused offense.”
The Blackamoor brooch is considered offensive because Blackamoor figures and sculptures are exotic figures which typically depict African men and were popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. It’s widely regarded as racist by historians.
Leading the charge of those who disapproved of the piece of jewelry was none other than Meghan herself. At the time, Meghan Markle was Prince Harry’s fiancée for a little over a month after Prince Charles announced their engagement in November.
A passage in Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s book “Finding Freedom” focused on the brooch and its potential meaning.
Meghan’s press secretary wrote,
“In the back of Meghan’s mind, she wondered if there wasn’t a message being sent in the pin of the torso of an African man wearing a gold turban and ornate clothing.”
The authors made it a point to assert in their book that because of the brooch,
“the damage had been done to Meghan’s relationship with the royal family.”
The brooch could have been the catalyst that set her off during Harry and Meghan’s infamous March 2021 interview with Oprah, in which Meghan accused the royals of racism when they were curious about how dark her unborn son, Archie’s skin would be.
Meghan Markle Played The Race Card Several Times
The Queen’s Christmas banquet is the largest royal family gathering of the holiday season. Extended family members and relatives who cannot attend the annual Sandringham Christmas come for the celebration.
There are no cameras allowed in the venue, and photographers have to snap pictures of the royals arriving in their cars, which is when the photo of Princess Michael wearing the brooch was taken.
When the picture of Princess Michael wearing the brooch hit social media, plenty of people reacted. The public immediately criticized her with comments like,
“Has no one noticed the blackamoor pin that Princess Michael of Kent is wearing? Really? Meghan Markle officially meets the family and is greeted by THIS?”
Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, is white, and her mother, Doria Ragland, is black. The Duchess has often spoken of the racism she experienced throughout her life as a bi-racial woman.
Harry and Meghan addressed the row in their Netflix docuseries and Omid Scobie’s book, “Endgame.” he said that Princess Michael of Kent made a comment that inferred that Meghan was playing the race card.
During the Oprah interview, Meghan said that racism from within the royal household and the press made her feel like she “didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
Scobie claimed that racism played a role in Harry and Meghan’s parting from the royal family. In January 2020 they left the UK for greener pastures.
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