Meghan Markle’s royal wedding hotel in RACISM scandal as it installs SLAVE statues | Royal | News (Details)

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Clivden House in Berkshire unveiled the cast-iron figurines after they had been in storage for several decades. 

It comes after Meghan Markle, whose father Thomas Markle is white and whose mother Doria Ragland is African American, stayed at the sprawling five-star hotel with her mother on the night before she married Prince Harry for the Royal Wedding. 

Blackamoor statues were popular in the 18th and 19th century and often depicted African slaves and servants. 

The row comes after Princess Michael of Kent was forced to apologise after she was strongly criticised for wearing a ‘blackamoor’ brooch to the Queen’s Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.

The wife of Prince Michael of Kent, the Queen’s first cousin, arrived at the palace wearing the ‘blackamoor’ jewellery, depicting the bust of a black person in opulent regal attire.

A spokesperson for the 73-year-old royal said she’s “very sorry and distressed” for wearing the brooch.

The full statement said: “The brooch was a gift and has been worn many times before.

“Princess Michael is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offence.”

Royal author Phil Dampier blasted the hotel’s decision, saying: “Cliveden were lucky enough to play such a lovely role in the wedding so the timing couldn’t be worse.

“It’s beggars belief.”

A hotel visitor told The Sun: “I think this is highly offensive.

“Cliveden now has an association with Meghan as it’s where she stayed before getting married so it’s just as inappropriate as the Princess Michael episode.”

A spokesman for the National Trust said the pair of statues had been restored and put back on display six months ago where they were moved back to their historic garden location.

He said they were photographed in 1904 in the Duke’s Garden as part of the Cliveden House’s history collection.

The spokesman said they wee French sculptures made around the time of the blackamoor period and were in a similar stye.

He added: ““Representing the diverse cultural history of the nation sheds light on past cultural attitudes and provides us with contemporary challenges, but it should not mean exercising censorship or shutting down debate.”

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