Queen and royal family support Black Lives Matter movement

The Queen and the royal family are supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement, one of the monarch's representatives says.

Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to HMS Queen Elizabeth at HM Naval Base, Portsmouth on 22 May 2021.

Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to HMS Queen Elizabeth at HM Naval Base, Portsmouth on 22 May 2021. Source: AAP

The Queen and other members of the British royal family support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, a senior representative of Buckingham Palace says.

Sir Ken Olisa, the first black Lord-Lieutenant of London, told Channel 4 News he had discussed the topic of racism with the royals in the aftermath of protests triggered in the US following the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, a black man, was killed in May 2020 when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. His death galvanised a protest movement against the unjust deaths of black people at the hands of law enforcement.

According to the news channel's media release, when Olisa was asked during the interview if the palace supported BLM, he said: "The answer is easily yes."

"(Race is) a hot conversation topic. The question is what more can we do to bind society to remove these barriers."

In March, the royal family had come under fire after Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, accused the family of racism.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said her son Archie had been denied the title of prince because there were concerns within the royal family "about how dark his skin might be when he's born".

Later, in a statement from the Queen, the palace said issues of race were concerning and would be treated very seriously, but pointedly stated "some recollections may vary".

The palace had said it was a family matter that should be dealt with privately. Prince William then denied that Britain's royals were racist.

The full interview with Olisa will be aired on Friday.


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Published 10 September 2021 3:27pm
Updated 10 September 2021 4:31pm
Source: AAP, SBS


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