King Charles’s household established a new diversification goal

• Aparna Sreevalsan
• 29 June, 2023

BUCKINGHAM PALACE has set a new diversity target of 14 per cent of ethnic minority employees by the year of 2025.

The new Sovereign Grant Report, which was issued in June of this year, shows that the Palace just missed the target of 10 per cent of its workforce to come from an ethnic minority in 2022.

Currently, 9.7 per cent of the personnel at Buckingham Palace come from an ethnic minority.

But in the household of the Prince and Princess of Wales, 16.3 per cent of the staff members are from an ethnic minority, an increase from 13.6 per cent in the previous year at Kensington Palace.

According to figures from the 2021 Census, around 18 per cent of individuals in the UK are members of a black, Asian, mixed, or other ethnic group.

After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accused the royal family of racism in their Oprah Winfrey interview, the proportion of ethnic minority personnel working in royal houses was first made public in 2021.

A Buckingham Palace official said of the diversity figures: “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 per cent having got close to our 10 per cent figure.

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

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

“We’re determined to accelerate progress in this area and as with all organisations, that change starts with leadership,” the spokesman said.

The report on royal finances this year also revealed the implementation of a new inclusion and diversity strategy and action plan, supported by a newly created working group that provides educational resources and learning opportunities.

The Sovereign Grant is the funding provided to support the official duties of The Sovereign and maintain the Occupied Royal Palaces.

This year’s statement covers a period of significant transition for the Royal Household, reflecting the Platinum Jubilee and State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, the Accession of The King, the lead up to Their Majesties’ Coronation, and the coming together of staff from two Households.