This f-cking idiot. Before we even get to his interview with Emily Maitlis on Newsnight this weekend, we have to address another one Prince Andrew’s messes – this time his alleged use of the n-word. The Evening Standard reports that he said it at a meeting back in 2012.
“Rohan Silva, who was David Cameron’s key aide on the tech economy, claims that the “offensive” incident took place in 2012 during a discussion about trade policy.
Mr Silva said he asked the Queen’s second son whether the government department responsible for trade “could be doing a better job”. He said the Duke of York responded: “Well, If you’ll pardon the expression, that really is the n***** in the woodpile.”
Rohan Silva also remembered another conversation he had with Prince Andrew the year before. They were talking about European Union reform, at which point Andrew blurted this out:
“What you have got to remember is that you’ll never get anywhere by playing the white man.”
Rohan Silva had no idea what the f-ck he was talking about so he says he went and googled the expression.
“The definition flashed up on my screen: an old-fashioned saying, used during colonial times, meaning that only white people can be trusted to follow the rules, unlike dark-skinned natives.”
Not surprisingly, Buckingham Palace is categorically denying that Prince Andrew said these things. They’ve had to categorically deny a lot for Prince Andrew these days. I’m sure they’d much rather be NOT categorically denying any of the bullsh-t that’s published about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle than having to categorically deny the accusations and allegations that Prince Andrew is a racist and a rapist. A racist and a rapist (allegedly)! Good look for the Queen’s second son, non?
But is it all that hard to believe? That a member of the British royal family would casually toss out the n-word in a conversation at Downing Street during a meeting with a person of colour? If that’s how cavalier he is under those circumstances, imagine how much worse it is in private? And imagine the environment he spends time in that would condone this kind of language, this kind of worldview? It suggests that the people that Prince Andrew spends time with either don’t challenge him or agree with him, or both. And remember, many of those people are palace courtiers.
So if you’re a woman of colour who’s married into that family, into that environment, what are the chances that you’re going to be treated as an equal?
Next …we’ll finally get into Prince Andrew’s Newsnight interview. Unless, of course, he f-cks up in yet another new way and I have to post about that first. Which, going by his record so far, is very, very possible.
