In its annual report on the Sovereign Grant, which details Queen Elizabeth II's taxpayer-funded spending, the Royal Family said on Wednesday that only 8.5 percent of Buckingham Palace’s staff were from ethnic minorities.
After getting so much flak for its traditionalism and rigidity that was exposed by royal couple, Prince Harry and spouse Meghan, Buckingham Palace is again under extreme pressure to increase diversity among staff, to prove the royals’ commitment in promoting and embracing diversity of the nation and the Commonwealth.
In its annual report on the Sovereign Grant, which details Queen Elizabeth II’s taxpayer-funded spending, the palace said on Wednesday that only 8.5 percent of its staff were from ethnic minorities, the first time it has given such a breakdown.
"We recognize we are not where we would like to be," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"We are not where we would like to be. It is not that we have not been progressing diversity and inclusion initiatives, it is that the results have not been what we would like," the source said.
"We recognize we must do more. One of the key points about publishing statistics is that there's no place to hide."
The royal household reformed its diversity strategy in early 2020 to promote the importance of inclusion.
The Guardian newspaper earlier this month reported that the royal household negotiated exemptions from 1970s-era laws against racial and gender discrimination to bar "colored immigrants or foreigners" and only consider them for subaltern roles.
Buckingham Palace has denied the claims and says it complies with modern equality legislation.
Queen Elizabeth II heads the multi-racial Commonwealth, an association of 54 countries with historical ties to Britain predominantly forged through imperialism.
Reuters reported that the palace says it aims to have 10 percent of staff from ethnic minorities by the end of 2022.
Explosive revelations
In an explosive US interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, accused an unnamed member of the royal family of a racist comment.
Harry's elder brother William publicly denied that the family were racist, but the queen said the issue was concerning, and would be addressed.
In the run-up to the interview, the palace also said it would review staff allegations of bullying by Meghan, and she said she was saddened by the "attack on her character."
Michael Stevens, the queen's treasurer, told reporters at a briefing on the grant that the review was still in progress.
Queen’s finances suffering, too
He also revealed that the queen's finances had taken a hit from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The core grant of 51.5 million pounds ($72 million) is boosted by additional income, mainly from tickets to visit royal palaces. But this extra revenue fell by 53 percent, to 9.4 million pounds, because of the pandemic.
However, the drop was offset by savings, and by 2.4 million pounds from Harry and Meghan to cover the renovation of their British home, Frogmore Cottage, which had been paid for by the Sovereign Grant before they gave up their royal duties to move to the United States, and to meet rental costs.
"The payment covers all their current obligations," Stevens said.
The pandemic did give the royals a chance to speed up a 10-year overhaul of Buckingham Palace, which is currently on schedule and within its 369-million-pound budget, Stevens said.
Financially independent
Meghan, a US former television actress who is also known as the Duchess of Sussex, was hailed as a breath of fresh air to stuffy tradition when she married Harry in 2018.
Their wedding, at the historic St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, featured a black evangelical preacher and a gospel choir, raising hopes of a more modern institution.
But the couple in early 2020 announced plans to move to north America, going on to make claims of racism in a high-profile television interview with Oprah Winfrey.
They also said they felt "trapped" in an inflexible institution and claimed the royal family offered no assistance with mental health challenges that drove Markle to the verge of suicide.
Harry complained in the interview that his father, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, cut him off financially after his move to California in March last year.
A senior spokesperson at Charles' Clarence House said the prince "allocated a substantial sum to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex" to help them with their move to north America.
Funding continued for several months after "Megxit" in March 2020 into the summer months.
Charles' latest accounts showed Harry, William and their families received £4.5 million ($6.3 million, 5.3 million euros) from their father.
The bill then dropped by around £1.2 million.
Harry and Meghan have since signed lucrative deals with streaming giants Netflix and Spotify, among other tie-ups with publishers and motivational speaking.
"I betray no confidence when I say they've been very successful in becoming financially independent," the spokesperson said.
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