LONDON (AP) 鈥� Buckingham Palace barred ethnic minorities from office jobs during the 1960s, the Guardian newspaper reported Thursday, citing documents in Britain鈥檚 National Archives.
The revelation, published on the newspaper's front page, was based on papers showing that Queen Elizabeth II鈥檚 chief financial manager told civil servants in 1968 that it was not the palace鈥檚 practice to hire 鈥渃oloured immigrants or foreigners鈥� for clerical posts and other office jobs.
The palace replied forcefully to the historical allegations, stressing that the queen and her household comply 鈥渋n principle and in practice鈥� with anti-discrimination legislation.
鈥淐laims based on a second-hand account of conversations from over 50 years ago should not be used to draw or infer conclusions about modern-day events or operations,鈥� a palace spokesman said, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity.
The Guardian鈥檚 allegations stem from its investigation into the palace鈥檚 use of a mechanism known as 鈥渃rown consent,鈥� under which the monarch grants permission for Parliament to debate laws affecting her.
Parliament approved laws barring discrimination based on race and sex in the 1970s. Documents in the National Archives show how the queen鈥檚 advisers influenced the wording of that legislation, the newspaper said.
Race has become a central issue for the monarchy following statements made by Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in their March interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Meghan alleged that before their son, Archie, was born, a member of the royal family commented on how dark the baby's skin might be.
In the ensuing storm, Prince William, Harry鈥檚 older brother, defended the royal family, stating flatly that 鈥渨e鈥檙e very much not a racist family.鈥�
Danica Kirka, The Associated Press
