Prince Harry has addressed the topic of
racism in an exclusive
British Vogue interview.
The royal interviewed activist and chimpanzee expert Dr Jane Goodall for the latest edition of British Vogue after being commissioned by his wife Meghan Markle, who is guest-editing the
fashion bible.
When the duke asked Goodall how her study of primates had impacted upon how she felt about people, the discussion turned to the issue of violence and racism.
Goodall, a childhood hero of the duke and his wife, said it was “obvious” mankind had “inherited aggressive tendencies” but human brains were able to control anger.
She added: ”[Children] don’t notice, ‘My skin’s white, mine’s black,’ until somebody tells them.”
The duke said the same applied to “unconscious bias”, where someone’s words or actions could be perceived as racist, but if confronted the person would deny it.
He added: “I’m not saying that you’re a racist, I’m just saying that your unconscious bias is proving that, because of the way that you’ve been brought up, the environment you’ve been brought up in, suggests that you have this point of view.” View this post on InstagramEarlier this summer HRH The
Duke of Sussex met with world renowned ethologist Dr. Jane Goodall for an intimate conversation on environment, activism, and the world as they see it. This special sit-down was requested by The Duchess of Sussex, who has long admired Dr. Goodall and wanted to feature her in the September issue of @BritishVogue, which HRH has guest edited. HRH and Dr. Goodall spoke candidly about many topics including the effects of unconscious bias, and the need for people to acknowledge that your upbringing and environment can cause you to be prejudiced without realising it. The Duke described that “[when] you start to peel away all the layers, all the taught behaviour, the learned behaviour, the experienced behaviour, you start to peel all that away - and at the end of the day, we’re all humans.” • Through @RootsandShoots the global youth service program @JaneGoodallInst founded in 1991, she has created and encouraged a global youth community to recognise the power of their individual strength – that each day you live, you can make a difference. Photos: ©️SussexRoyal / Chris Allerton #ForcesForChangeA post shared by The Duke and
Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jul 30, 2019 at 8:22am PDTMeghan, who is mixed race, has been the target of repeated racist abuse from online trolls and some British tabloids since the pair’s relationship came to light.
This prompted the prince to issue a rare statement via
Kensington Palace in November 2016 about the harassment being experienced by the duchess and her relatives.
Called for her privacy, the statement condemned the “wave of abuse and harassment” aimed at Markle, calling out “the racial undertones of comment pieces and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments”.Kensington Palace has issued a statement this morning about the harassment currently being experienced by
Meghan Markle and her family. pic.twitter.com/EuFZ4fmUIj— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 8, 2016US recording artist Pharrell Williams told the royal couple at the Lion King premiere that their interracial relationship is “significant for many of us” in “today’s climate”, Harpers Baazer reported.
The duke and duchess reportedly nodded at Williams’ warm comments.
“Thank you so much. That’s so nice of you to say. [...] They don’t make it easy,” Markle replied.
On Monday, the duchess’ Vogue editorship was announced.
She has brought together 15 women for the cover, including actress Jane Fonda and climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg, for what is considered to be the publication’s most important edition of the year.
Markle does not grace the cover as she felt it would be a “boastful” thing for her to do, according to the magazine’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful.
The duchess, who has been working on the project for the past seven months, said she hopes readers feel as inspired by the magazine as she does, with its cover featuring a mix of campaigning actors, models, a dancer, an author and a prime minister.Related... 'We Are Even Stronger Together' Writes Meghan Markle In Her Editor's Letter For British Vogue
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