How Africa
Back to the Colonies
The Los Angeles Times reported in 2004 that when Princess Michael of Kent was dining in New York, she turned to a table of Black New Yorkers she considered too loud and told them: “You need to go back to the colonies.” The German-born princess is the wife of Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, and her father was a former high-ranking Nazi officer, according to the LA Times article. Her spokesman said, “She did not make a racist comment.”
Mocking Traditional African Dress
When Prince Philip met with the former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, he caused a media whirlwind after he commented on his traditional African garments. “You look like you’re ready for bed,” he said with a laugh, according to a report by the Telegraph.
They All Look the Same
When President Barack Obama made small talk with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip upon meeting the royal family for the first time in 2009, the prince made a comment that was widely regarded as racist. The queen and the prince asked the president and his wife about their grueling schedule since arriving late Tuesday evening. “The time lag,” said the queen. “You’re just trying to stay awake!” said Philip.
“I had breakfast with the prime minister; I had meetings with the Chinese, the Russians, David Cameron … And I’m proud to say I did not nod off in one of the meetings,” Obama said.
A laughing Prince Philip then blurted out: “Can you tell the difference between them?”
Racist Comment by Prince Harry
In 2009, Black British comedian Stephen K. Amos said Prince Harry told him the previous year that he didn’t “sound like a Black chap.”
Prince Harry Dresses as a Nazi
In 2005, Prince Harry’s antics got him in trouble when he picked an insensitive costume for a party. While this didn’t lead to any racist quotes, it was one of those moments where actions spoke much louder than words. In a public comment to the press, the prince issued an apology for dressing up as a Nazi and flaunting a swastika armband at a costume party. Various publications have shown the historical links between the British royal family and the Nazi party.
Beginnings of Racist Differentiation
In 1596, Queen Elizabeth I issued an “open letter” to the Lord Mayor of London, proclaiming there were too many Blacks in England, “of late divers blackmoores brought into this realm, of which kind of people there are already here to manie…” She ordered that they be deported from the country, according to Nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Prince Philip Strikes Again
Prince Philip to Black politician Lord Taylor of Warwick (which is in England), 1999: “And what exotic part of the world do you come from?”
… And Again
Before Prince Philip was asking Black people what “exotic part of the world” they were from, he was insisting that hanging out with Asian people will eventually leave someone with their own “slitty eyes.” When addressing a group of British students in China he warned that “if you stay here much longer, you will go home with slitty eyes.” In fact, Prince Philip has uttered so many racist comments that they now fill an entire book titled Duke of Hazard: The Wit and Wisdom of Prince Philip.
Credit: Atlantablackstars.com
