Prince Harry and Meghan Markle encouraged Britain in a new video to acknowledge the Commonwealth’s “uncomfortable” past as they continue to speak out against racial injustice, according to a report.
The Duke of Sussex, 35, who shocked his family and the world earlier this year when the couple announced that they were abandoning their roles as members of “senior” royalty, said “There is no way we can move forward. unless we recognize the past. ” informed the telegraph.
The 38-year-old duchess said, “We are going to have to be a little uncomfortable right now, because it is only to overcome that discomfort that we get to the other side of this.”
The couple addressed young leaders during last week’s session of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, of which they are president and vice-president, from their Los Angeles home after their recent response to the Black Lives Matter movement following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“Many people have done an incredible job of acknowledging the past and trying to correct those mistakes, but I think we all recognize that much remains to be done,” the duke said, addressing the historical injustice involving the slave trade.
“It will not be easy and in some cases it will not be comfortable, but it must be done, because guess what, everyone benefits,” he added, according to the media outlet.
Harry, who recently spoke about “endemic” institutional racism, said: “The optimism and hope we have is to listen and speak to people like you, because there is no going back now, everything is reaching a critical point.”
He added: “There are solutions and the change is happening much faster than ever.”
Markle said: “We are going to have to be a little uncomfortable right now, because it is only to overcome that discomfort that we get to the other side of this and find the place where a high tide raises all the boats.”
“Equality does not put anyone in the rear, it puts us all in the same position, which is a fundamental human right,” he added.
The duke, who was seen on video in 2009 using a racial slur at a military colleague three years earlier, continued: “When it comes to institutional and systemic racism, it’s there and it stays there because someone, somewhere, is benefiting from he.
“We cannot deny or ignore the fact that we have all been brought up and raised to see the world differently,” he said.
“However, once you start to realize that there is that bias there, you have to acknowledge it. And then you must do the work to be more aware … so that you can help defend something that is so wrong and that should not be acceptable in our society today, “added Harry, the Telegraph reported.
A couple spokesperson said: “In response to the growing Black Lives Matter movement, the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust has been holding a weekly discussion with youth seeking various forms of injustice in the experiences of today’s youth.
“As President and Vice President, the Duke and Duchess felt it was important to be a part of that.”
The Commonwealth, headed by Queen Elizabeth II, comprises 54 “independent and equal countries” that work together to “promote prosperity, democracy and peace, amplify the voice of small states and protect the environment.”
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