The Royal Family has become embroiled in another race row after it was alleged that people from minority ethnic backgrounds were historically banned from taking up clerical roles at Buckingham Palace.
The report in The Guardian comes after the Duchess of Sussex accused an unnamed member of the Royal Family of raising concerns about how dark the colour of her son’s skin would be.
It has now emerged that the Queen’s chief financial manager, Lord Charles Tryon, told civil servants in 1968 that “it was not, in fact, the practice to appoint coloured immigrants or foreigners” to clerical roles.
However, “coloured applicants were freely considered” for domestic roles in the royal household, according to papers uncovered by the newspaper in the National Archives.
Buckingham Palace sought to distance itself from the report, telling i: “Claims based on a second-hand account of conversations from over 50 years ago should not be used to draw or infer conclusions about modern day events or operations.”
The Palace told The Guardian that people from minority ethnic backgrounds were employed during the 1990s, but that such records before that decade do not exist, making it unclear when the hiring policy changed.
The 1968 Race Relations Act made it illegal to refuse a job to someone because of their ethnic background, with the legislation strengthened in 1976. In 2010, the laws became part of the Equality Act.
A system called “Queen’s consent” means Parliament must seek approval before debating legislation that may affect her interests.
Buckingham Palace added: “The principles of Crown Application and Crown Consent are long established and widely known.
“The Royal Household and the Sovereign comply with the provisions of the Equality Act, in principle and in practise. This is reflected in the diversity, inclusion and dignity at work policies, procedures and practises within the Royal Household.
“Any complaints that might be raised under the Act follow a formal process that provides a means of hearing and remedying any complaint.”
The Duchess of Sussex, who along with the Duke of Sussex stepped back as senior members of the Royal Family last year, made the allegation of racism during an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March.
The couple refused to reveal the identity of the person behind the remark. Prince Harry said: “That conversion, I am never going to share. At the time it was awkward, I was a bit shocked.”
Buckingham Palace said the couple’s comments about race “are concerning”.
“While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately,” it added.