This comes after documents were discovered at the National Archives
Officials at Buckingham Palace previously banned “coloured immigrants or foreigners” from working in clerical roles at Buckingham Palace until at least the late 1960s, according to new documents seen by the Guardian.
The publication first came across the Royal family documents at the National Archives as part of an ongoing investigation into the Queen’s influence on the content of laws.
The documents obtained by the Guardian reveal how the Queen’s chief financial manager told civil servants in 1968 that it was not “the practice” to employ people from ethnic minority backgrounds for office roles within the royal household, however they were allowed to work as domestic servants.
As reported by the Guardian, Buckingham Palace refused to respond to questions related to the ban and when it was revoked. It remains unclear when the ban came to an end.
The report stated that Queen Elizabeth II has been exempt laws pertaining to race and gender equality since they came into force in the UK in the 1970s.
This exemption means that women or people from ethnic minority backgrounds employed by the Royal household cannot complain to the courts if they believe they have suffered from discrimination in the workplace.
Despite telling the Guardian that it has a separate process for discrimination complaints, Buckingham Palace did not respond to questions relating to what the process consisted of.
The newly unveiled documents are likely to once again draw attention to the Royal family’s treatment of issues pertaining to race.
In March, the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle said during her interview with Oprah Winfrey that an unnamed member of the Royal family expressed concerns about the colour of Archie’s skin tone and “what that may look like.”
Meghan said there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be.”
The Royal family responded to the allegation, saying that the issue raised was “concerning.”
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”
