[ad_1]
London: A UK charity at the center of a royal racism controversy says it has suspended support for black survivors of domestic abuse, after an outpouring of venomous hate.
Sistah Space founder Ngozi Fulani, who is British, was repeatedly asked at a Buckingham Palace reception on November 29 where she was “really” from.
After revealing the exchange with Lady Susan Hussey, 83, Prince William’s godmother, Fulani received what she called an “appalling” racist slur online.
In a statement, she said that as a result, Sistah Space was “forced to temporarily close” many of its operations to protect customers and staff.
“We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and encouragement and look forward to safely restoring our services as soon as possible,” Fulani added.
Hussey resigned from her role as a palace courtier after the row and Prince William denounced his godmother’s inquiry into Fulani as “unacceptable”.
But it revived attacks on the royal family in the days before a Netflix documentary this week aired new allegations of racial bias against William’s estranged younger brother Harry and wife Meghan. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have rejected criticism of a documentary about their lives. A statement from their spokesperson said the couple had never cited privacy as a reason for stepping back from the royal family.
In the first three episodes of the much-anticipated documentary, the couple – the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – made a series of announcements, with Meghan recalling her first death threat, Harry talking about dressing up on their dates and previously unseen footage of their son Archie.
According to figures cited by the BBC, the first episode attracted 2.4 million TV viewers in Britain on the day it was released, prompting some to criticize the couple as they had previously complained vigorously about press intrusion. However, a statement issued by the couple’s press secretary rejected this line of criticism.
“The Duke and Duchess have never given up on privacy. The purpose of this distorted narrative was to lull the couple into silence,” the statement said, as reported by the BBC.
“They are choosing to share their story, on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created a completely untrue story that permeates press coverage and public opinion.”
The statement highlighted that neither Harry nor Meghan had mentioned privacy when stepping back from royal duties in January 2020 and expressed their desire to continue their public roles and duties.
Their 2020 statement did not give a reason for their decision to return as members of the royal family. Days after the decision they issued a warning about harassment by paparazzi photographers.
It echoed criticism from 2019 when Harry said he felt his wife faced “bullying” from some tabloids, similar to her mother Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 car crash while trying to avoid paparazzi photographers.
The couple have severed ties with four of Britain’s biggest tabloids and have successfully sued a number of publications pending further legal action.
Published in Dawn on December 11th, 2022
[ad_2]
Source link
