The British royal family is involved in yet another race row. And even though this one has nothing to do with Harry and Megan — the Queen will likely find it hard to Keep Calm and Carry on. The Guardian newspaper this week dropped a handful of archived bombshells as part of its research into the Queen’s (or King’s) consent: that little talked about parliamentary procedure whereby Her Majesty is able to secretly influence the shape and direction of British legislation. Such as keeping the House of Windsor exempt from anti-race and sex discrimination laws. So much for a rubber stamped monarchy. Perhaps the most incriminating tidbit to come out of the National Archives affair is the confirmation that the royal household, as a matter of policy, had barred “coloured immigrants or foreigners” from holding clerical positions. This unfair state of play held until the very end of the Swinging Sixties. At least. None of which should come as a surprise to anyone. Not really. For European monarchies were the known driving force behind Empire and the British royal family was no exception. Indeed, the latter thrived and prospered by subjugating the peoples of United India, plundering someone else’s land of wealth, historical artefacts and cultural capital. All of which Britain continues to prosper from as successive governments do their worst to try and outdo each other on the anti-immigration front. Yet the state apparatus insists that any talk of reparations for colonialism is cheap. Especially when the Brits left behind the railways. Hasn’t it done enough to civilise the barbarians? Of course, white privilege has forever been immune to its immense power to do others great injustice. Hence, Prince William’s categorical denial that the royals are racist. As if such bouts of mans-planing and colour decoding were sufficient to make the Duchess of Sussex rethink her own experience at the hands of a racist British press. Not to mention that pesky incident whereby one of the in-laws speculated about whether baby Archie would be a ‘darkie’. This status quo will prolong unless and until colonialism is included on the national curriculum, something that Jeremy Corbyn had committed to during the last general elections. Similarly, the Windrush scandal should be taught in classrooms. School children across the ethnic divide have the right to learn about how immigrants were wooed from the Caribbean only to be used as cut-price labour to rebuild post-war Britain and then left undocumented. Only to be deported decades later, and in some cases, their children, too. Brian need to rethink what it means to be great. And soon. *