Buckingham Palace fails to meet diversity target for staff

BUCKINGHAM PALACE has failed to meet its staff diversity goal, as the proportion of employees from ethnic minority backgrounds remains stagnant at 9.7 per cent, according to reports.

The original target was 10 per cent by the end of 2022. The King's household has now introduced a revised objective of achieving 14 per cent of all employees by 2025, reported The Mirror.

The final diversity figure for last year (2021-22) was 9.7 per cent – with an unaudited figure of 9.6 per cent printed in last year’s Sovereign Grant accounts, and 8.5 per cent reported the previous year, reports said.

On the other hand, the household of the Prince and Princess of Wales has achieved a higher rate of staff diversity, with 16.3 per cent of employees coming from an ethnic minority background. This figure at Kensington Palace has increased from 13.6 per cent compared to the previous year.

The 2021 Census data revealed that approximately 18 per cent of the population belongs to a black, Asian, mixed, or other ethnic group.

“I recognise we are not where we would like to be and we are committed to making progress in this area. And hence why we’ve raised the target to 14% having got close to our 10% figure," a Buckingham Palace official is reported to have said.

“We now need to set out the scale of our ambition to really make headway in this space.”

According to the Palace, just over 12 per cent of senior household roles or non-executive directors on the Lord Chamberlain’s Committee were from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The spokesman stated that there is a strong determination to boost the progress in this area and added that the change will begin with leadership.

The percentage of ethnic minority employees in royal households was publicly disclosed for the first time in 2021 after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's allegations of racism within the royal family during their interview with Oprah Winfrey.

A statement released by the late Queen stated that the raised concerns would be addressed privately within the family, acknowledging that there may be differences in individual recollections.

The Palace had already changed its diversity strategy in early 2020, specifically highlighting the significance of inclusion.

In November, the royal household encountered a significant public backlash when Lady Susan Hussey, the late Queen's lady in waiting, continuously inquired about the true origin of a black British charity leader at a Palace reception.

Following her resignation from the household, Lady Susan subsequently met with Ngozi Fulani, the founder of the charity Sistah Space, to offer her apologies.