Buckingham Palace considering hiring 'diversity czar,' royal source says
Buckingham Palace is considering hiring a “diversity czar.”
A royal source confirmed to ABC News the position is under consideration and said, “We are listening and learning, to get this right.”
“We have the policies, the procedures and the programmes in place, but we haven’t seen the progress we would like in terms of representation, and more needs to be done,” the source said. "We can always improve."
The consideration for the new role comes weeks after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke out in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey about what they say they experienced within the royal household and what factors led to their decision to step down as senior, working royals.
In the interview, the couple claimed there were conversations with Harry ahead of his son’s birth about “how dark” his skin might be. Their son, Archie, is the first American British biracial royal born in the U.K., and he is also widely considered to be the first mixed race child born into the family.
“There were some real obvious signs before we even got married that this was going to be really hard,” said Harry, who explained that the topic about Archie’s race was brought up early in his romance with Meghan. “That was right at the beginning, ‘What will the kids look like?’”
Buckingham Palace issued a statement on behalf of the queen after the interview and said the family is "saddened" to hear "how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan."
"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning," the statement read. "While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."
While the palace potentially hiring a “diversity czar” comes after Harry and Meghan’s interview, the royal source told ABC News that it is not directly related to the allegations of racism in the royal family made by the couple.
“Diversity is an issue which has been taken very seriously across the Royal Households,” the source said. “The work to do this has been underway for some time now and comes with the full support of the family.”
“Lots of measures are being considered,” the source added. “Certainly the idea of someone to spearhead this work and look at diversity/inclusion across the three households [Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace] is something that has to be considered. It is too early however for any firm plans to be announced.”
ABC News' Zoe Magee and Katie Kindelan contributed to this report.
