Queen Elizabeth II is reportedly looking to hire a diversity advisor for the Palace following the accusations of racism made by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their March 7 sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey.
According to Daily Mail, the new position is a way to acknowledge that “more needs to be done” by the Palace on race relations and diversity, per sources familiar with the matter.
The advisor is only one part of the push for diversity, though, according to the outlet. Staff members within Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, and Clarence House are expected to go through activities designed to hear from businesses and individuals on how to build representation.
“What have the policies, procedures and [programs] in place but we haven’t seen the progress we would like and accept more needs to be done,” one source told the outlet. “We can always improve.”
The source said the diversity push from the Palace “has been under way for some time now and comes with the full support of the family,” but regained energy following the interview Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave earlier this month.
The couple revealed troubling experiences they endured while active members of the Royal Family, including reportedly multiple conversations about their son’s skin complexion before he was born.
Following the interview, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying it took the couple’s accusations “very seriously,” but added that “recollections may vary,” in reference to alleged conversations and comments.
In a follow-up interview with Gayle King, multiple reports state that conversations between Prince Harry and his brother and father haven’t been “productive.”
“No one in the royal family has talked to Meghan yet or at this particular time,” King said.
“I think it’s frustrating for them to see that it’s a racial conversation about the royal family when all [Harry and Meghan] wanted all along was for the royals to intervene and tell the press to stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slant.”
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