Queen Elizabeth II supports the Black Lives Matter movement, a senior aide says.
Ken Olisa, the first Black lord-lieutenant of greater London, made the remarks during an interview with Channel 4, saying that race has been a "hot conversation topic" in the royal family, The Washington Post reports. When he was asked if the palace supports Black Lives Matter, he responded, "the answer is easily yes," according to Politico.
This comes after Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, alleged in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year that there were "concerns" within the royal family about "how dark" her baby's skin would be when he was born. Prince Harry clarified to Winfrey that it wasn't the queen or Prince Philip who made those comments and that they weren't "part of those conversations."
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The queen at the time vowed to "privately" address the allegations, saying that the issues raised in the interview, "particularly that of race, are concerning," though she added that "some recollections may vary." Prince William addressed the interview by saying that "we are very much not a racist family." In June, Buckingham Palace acknowledged it needed to "do more" to increase the diversity of its staff, per CBS News.
"I have discussed with the royal household this whole issue of race particularly in the last 12 months since the George Floyd incident," Olisa said, per Politico.
Olisa also said that "the question is, what more can we do to bind society to remove these barriers" and that the royal family cares "passionately about making this one nation bound by the same values."
