Queen Considering Appointing a Chief of Diversity to Oversee Minority Roles

The Queen is considering appointing a chief diversity officer, it has emerged, as Buckingham Palace advisers have acknowledged that they are not “getting the results they should” on minority representation.

The Palace has drawn up plans to “seek independent views” on how to improve its approach to diversity, including ethnic minorities, disabled people, and gay and trans communities.

The news comes after the Duchess and Duke of Sussex alleged in their recent interview with Oprah Winfrey that a member of the royal family had expressed “concerns” about how dark their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor’s skin would be.

The couple declined to name the member who allegedly made the comments, but Winfrey later revealed that the Duke told her he was neither the Queen nor the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Telegraph understands that the Palace’s plans to enhance diversity, which were first reported in the Mail on Sunday, have been in the works since before the Oprah interview.

A royal source said: “This is an issue that has been taken very seriously in royal houses. We have the policies, procedures and programs in place, but we have not seen the progress that we would like and we accept that more needs to be done. , we can always improve.

“So, we are not afraid to look for new ways to approach it. The work to do this has been going on for some time now and it comes with the full support of the family.”

Commenting on the possible appointment of a head of diversity, the source added: “It is something to consider, but it is too early for firm plans to be announced. We are listening and learning to get it right.”

Following Oprah’s interview, the royal family issued a statement saying it took the Sussex allegations “very seriously” but that “memories may vary” about the alleged conversation about skin tone.

The Duke of Cambridge also vigorously rejected the allegations, saying that the royal family “is not a racist family.”

The royal aide said much of the Palace’s diversity work predates the Oprah Winfrey interview, but the couple’s comments will be considered as part of the process. It is understood that senior palace staff had an HR briefing on the plans last week.

“Many of these actions have been underway for some time, but there is an awareness that we are not doing as well as we would like in diversity, we have not obtained the results that we should,” said a source.

“Obviously this is an area where members of the royal family have a strong track record in terms of their work, including through their charities. And we are seeking independent views to help us evaluate and improve our approach. .

“We have a broad view of diversity, this also includes LGBTQI + representation and disability.”

Meanwhile, this week Gayle King, an American television host and friend of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, revealed that the couple had been left frustrated that their accusations of racism had dominated coverage of Oprah’s interview.

King, whose garden was used as the setting for the interview, told CBS news channel that she had recently spoken with the couple and that the duke had been in contact with her brother and father since then, though the conversations were described as ” non-productive. ” “.

He added: “I think it’s frustrating for them to see that this is a racial conversation about the royal family when all they wanted from the beginning was for the royals to step in and tell the press to stop with the false, unfair and unfair stories. inaccurate that definitely have an effect. ” racial bias. And until you can recognize that, I think it will be difficult to move on. “