Meghan Markle's friend reveals he experienced 'prejudice' from senior royal aides
Omid Scobie, Meghan Markle's friend, has confirmed he was subject to 'prejudice' from royal aides
Meghan Markle's close friend has revealed he has encountered prejudice from certain royal aides, just a few months after the Royal Family was forced to address allegations of racism within the institution.
- Meghan Markle's close friend has revealed he has suffered prejudice from royal aides in the past.
- Omid Scobie, who is half British and half Persian, said he believes there's a 'level of unawareness' on the issue of race within the Royal Family.
- In other royal news, this is the devastating way Princess Diana's brother Earl Charles Spencer found out about her death.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's close friend Omid Scobie has revealed he has been subject to prejudice from "one or two royal aides" throughout his career as a royal correspondent, adding that there's a "level of unawareness" within certain pockets of the thousand-year-old institution. Speaking on This Morning on Wednesday, the Finding Freedom co-author shared his experiences of discrimination at the hands of Buckingham Palace officials.
"I myself have experienced some prejudice from one or two royal aides in the past, so you can kind of know what Meghan was entering," Omid told hosts Rochelle Humes and Alison Hammond.
"And so it didn’t surprise me, but I think for it to mention a family member, that was kind of the moment that even myself, my jaw was on the floor—just like Oprah, it was the same reaction," he went on.
His candid remarks come just a few months after Meghan and Harry revealed the shocking comments made about Archie before his birth during their sit-down interview with Oprah. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed that concerns had been raised by an unnamed Royal Family member about their unborn son's potential skin color, much to the shock of both the host and the viewers.
The situation escalated to the point that Buckingham Palace was forced to respond to the racism allegations, with Her Majesty acknowledging the issues raised but also claiming that "recollections may vary". This statement is said to have riled up Meghan and Harry, who reportedly believe that the Queen failed to take accountability for the situation.
When he was asked by Rochelle to clarify the nature of the comments he personally heard, Omid replied, "I wouldn’t say [they were] racist, but I just experienced prejudice. I’m mixed race, there aren’t many mixed-race royal correspondents out there."
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He refused to identify the individual who made the remarks, referring to them as, "Someone very senior within the palace who found it really peculiar that I spoke as well as I do, and that was pretty much how they said it to me."
"And I’m used to 'where are you from, where are you really from' and all that kind of stuff, but that was a very loaded comment—and I’m sure it came not from a nasty place, but it just shows perhaps a level of unawareness within certain quarters of the institution.’"
Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.
Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.
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