UK Queen's senior staff was barred from hiring 'coloured' office staff in 1960s: Report

UK’s Queen Elizabeth II’s senior staff are barred from recruiting “coloured immigrants or foreigners” in office roles at Buckingham Palace until at least the late 1960s, reported The Guardian. According to the newly-discovered documents that can retrigger the debate over the UK Royal Family and race especially after Prince Harry and Meghan floated the bombshell allegation for the first time in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. The documents, as per the report, also reveal how Buckingham Palace negotiated controversial clauses and are in place to date, including exemption of the British monarch and her household from laws that prevent race and sex discrimination. 

Reportedly, the explosive documents were discovered at the National Archives as part of the media publication’s ongoing investigation into the Royal Family’s use of a secretive parliamentary procedure dubbed as ‘Queen’s consent’ that allows the UK monarch to influence the British laws from behind-the-scenes. Further elaborating on the documents, the media outlet reported that in 1968, the Queen’s chief financial manager informed civil servants that “it was not, in fact, the practice to appoint coloured immigrants or foreigners” to clerical roles in the royal household. However, they were allowed to work as domestic servants. 

Reportedly, it still remains unclear when the practice of not hiring “coloured” foreigners or immigrants for desk roles ended. The Buckingham Palace reportedly refused to answer questions about the ban or when it was finally revoked. Reportedly, it said that its records showed people from ethnic minority backgrounds were employed in the 1990s and added prior to that, it did not keep records on the racial backgrounds of the employees. 

UK Royal Family exempted from the law

The latest revelation by The Guardian also shines light upon the alleged exemption of the UK Royal Family from British law. In the 1960s, UK government ministers have sought to introduce laws that would make it illegal to refuse employment to any individual based on their race or ethnicity. However, for over four decades, Queen Elizabeth II has remained exempted from those equality laws. Reportedly, it was this exemption that made it impossible for women or people from ethnic minorities working for Queen’s household to seek court’s intervention if they believe they have faced discrimination. 

The report further stated that Buckingham Palace in a statement did not dispute that the British monarch was exempted from UK laws but added that it had a separate process for hearing the complaints based on discrimination. However, the palace reportedly did not detail the process. Exemption of Queen and her household came into force in the 1970s when British lawmakers implemented a range of racial and sexual equality laws to fight racism.

IMAGE: AP