An investigation into Buckingham Palace recorded the veto that different ethnic minorities had in administrative tasks and decision-making positions within the British Royal House at least until the late sixties. From documents obtained in the National Archives, referring to a letter dated 1968 and signed by former Elizabeth II financial manager Anthony Tryon, it is made explicit that the appointment of “immigrants of color and foreigners” to administrative positions should not be a regular practice. The Guardian’s finding comes in a particularly sensitive context from research into the use of “royal consent”, a formality that allowed the Queen, as well as Prince Charles, to examine more than 1000 laws to determine whether they could “affect the interests of the royal family”.
Along these lines, James Callaghan, first home secretary and then British prime minister, assumed that the parliamentary process of the new legislative measures should not be initiated until the advisers of the royal family were convinced that they would not be counterproductive to the figure of Elizabeth II. As revealed by the Guardian, the Queen’s then chief financial officer, Charles Tryon, informed the officials negotiating the text that “it was not, in fact, usual practice to appoint immigrants of colour or foreigners” to administrative posts within the royal household. Buckingham Palace did not yet confirm an official position for the time at hand.
The truth is that the news takes place after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Henry and Meghan Markle, reported in an interview that a member of the royal family had expressed concern about the color of the baby’s skin that the American actress was expecting at the time. In this regard, the couple pointed out at the time that racism was a key factor in the decision to give up their official duties and move to the United States.
