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Buckingham Palace Admits Failure to Reach Diversity Targets in Annual Report

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Shaken by a racism row after Meghan Markle’s claims, the royal household admits in its annual financial report that’s it not yet met staff diversity targets.

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Buckingham Palace, already shaken by allegations of racism from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, has admitted that it’s not yet met its targets on staff diversity. The admission came in the palace’s annual financial report, which revealed that just 8.5 percent of employees inside the royal household are from ethnic minorities—against a target of 10 percent by the end of 2022. Reporting on the figures, CNN noted that according to the 2011 census, 14 percent of the population of England and Wales were non-white. It quoted a senior palace source as saying, “The results are not what we would like but we are committed to improving this... and we recognize that we must do more.” In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan complained of a lack of support after becoming Duchess of Sussex and said that a family member had questioned the likely color of their son Archie’s skin before his birth.

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