Britain’s former equality tsar Trevor Phillips has criticised Meghan Markle for her ignorance of Britain’s Black History Month and Prince Harry for using “empty jargon” like “structural racism”.
The woke royals gave a video interview to London’s Evening Standard on Thursday, where they called for the end of “structural racism” in the UK. During the interview, Prince Harry commented that London does not feel “diverse”, despite being one of the most multicultural cities in the world.
Mr Phillips criticised Prince Harry for the remark, implying that if Harry had spent less time in the more exclusive parts of the capital, he would see more “diversity”.
“Seriously? Two out of every five Londoners are non-white. Diversity isn’t so easy to miss in the capital. Thirty years ago I filmed Harry on a clandestine visit with his mother and brother to meet the homeless near Waterloo. What happened to that boy? Perhaps a stroll down the less fashionable streets of London would, in the words of Ralph McTell’s song, show the couple something to make them change their minds,” Mr Phillips wrote in The Times on Friday.
The former head of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) went on to say that Harry was using “empty jargon” like phrases such as “structural racism” that “he doesn’t appear to understand and which make him sound like a 1980s polytechnic lecturer”.
Phillips also criticised American former television actress Meghan Markle for her lack of knowledge of life in Britain, in assuming that the country did not mark Black History Month, pointing out that every year for the past two decades, the government and the Royal Family celebrated it.
“Meghan simply reminded us how little she learnt about Britain and, in particular, that she was unaware of the one moment in the year when Black Britain is acknowledged by Establishment Britain,” he said.
He also criticised the lack of diversity in the pair’s list “next-generation trailblazers” from the black community, remarking that they had reverted to the stereotype of black Britons being activists, athletes, or entertainers, rather than representing all walks of professional life.
Phillip said: “This list has no doctors, scientists, lawyers, business leaders, or teachers. The Harry and Meghan Show has fallen straight into the oldest trap in the book: showing black folk as interesting but not important, prominent but not powerful.
“Sadly this may say less about black Britain and more about a couple who could have changed the world but have settled for pleading, ‘Let me entertain you.’”
Harry and Meghan have been persistent figures in the media since leaving the United Kingdom and the Royal Family in pursuit of a more private life. They were reported to have struck a deal with Netflix to star in a reality television show, a rumour the spokesman for the couple denied.
The couple has also faced criticism for offering advice on the U.S. election, which reportedly was deemed a violation of their Megxit agreement with the Queen. Members of the Royal Family must appear apolitical, with the couple still loosely tied to the British monarchy, particularly through Prince Harry’s links to the military.