A Royal Residence and a Thorny Reputation
At Kensington Palace, home to no fewer than ten British royals, life isn't always a fairy tale. While the palace buzzes with tradition and elegance, it's not immune to the occasional drama. One member of the royal family, Princess Michael of Kent, has been at the center of controversy for years. In fact, her reputation took a particularly hard hit last December when she made a fashion choice that many found deeply inappropriate.
Princess Michael, a cousin-in-law of Queen Elizabeth, set off a firestorm by wearing a blackamoor brooch to the Queen’s Christmas luncheon, an event attended by Meghan Markle, who is biracial. Blackamoor jewelry, which depicts black figurines often in servile positions, is steeped in racial undertones. Understandably, this choice did not sit well with many, and the backlash was swift. Princess Michael later issued an apology, saying she was "very sorry and distressed" by the controversy, and promised to retire the brooch. But this incident added yet another layer to a reputation already marred by accusations of insensitivity.
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A History of Controversy
Unfortunately for Princess Michael, this incident wasn't her first brush with controversy. For years, her reputation has been shadowed by accusations of racism. Back in 2004, at a New York City restaurant, she reportedly told a group of black diners to "go back to the colonies," according to The New York Times. This incident sparked widespread outrage and further tarnished her public image.
When she addressed this controversy on ITV, her attempts to defend herself only deepened the problem. In that interview, she claimed, "I even pretended years ago to be an African, a half-caste African, but because of my light eyes I did not get away with it, but I dyed my hair black." She went on to say, "I traveled on African buses. I wanted to be a writer. I wanted experiences from Cape Town to right up in northern Mozambique. I had this adventure with these absolutely adorable, special people, and to call me racist, it’s a knife through the heart because I really love these people.”
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Life as a Royal
Born Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz, Princess Michael joined the royal family in 1978 when she married Prince Michael of Kent, the nephew of King George VI and a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth. Interestingly, her marriage to Prince Michael took him out of the line of succession because, at the time, marrying a
