A Royal Racist?

Prince Harry will soon begin his second "equality and diversity" course in response to his allegedly racist remarks. BBC and the Daily Mirror, two British media outlets, reported that the 24-year-old prince must attend a course designed to correct his offensive racist language.

It has recently come out that during Prince Charles' 60th birthday concert last November, the prince reportedly told Stephen K. Amos, a black British comedian that he didn't "sound like a black chap." Stephen added: "I wanted to say, 'How is I supposed to sound?'"

Amos has since told the media that the comment was "taken out of context," adding: "I do not believe Prince Harry was racist to me."

But this is not the first time the prince has been embroiled in a racially charged debate. Just last month a video shot in 2006 shows Harry calling an army colleague "our little Paki friend." He also reportedly called the colleague "raghead," an offensive term used for individuals of Middle Eastern descent. He apologized for his offensive language and told the public that he had not intended it to be derogatory.

It seems the prince now has a long history of racist conduct. He had to make a public apology in 2005 after wearing a Nazi uniform with a swastika armband to a party. While in both recent cases the comments were seen by some to be harmless in context, they are still causing the prince serious criticism.

Discussing British reaction to their prince’s remarks, Naomi Byron, national secretary of Youth Against Racism in Europe, told The Mirror: "Many young people will be disgusted by his remark – how is a black man meant to sound?”

Byron goes on to add that Prince Harry is not the only one responsible for his own remarks, "But it is not just Prince Harry that is at fault. The aristocratic, rich circles he moves in obviously don't have a problem with this kind of racist stereotyping."

Lord Herman Ouseley, the UK’s former Commission for Racial equality chairman says the comment “just goes to show how ill-educated members of the upper classes can be.”

What do YOU think – was Prince Harry being racist towards Amos? And is it OK to blame his upper-class upbringing for his mindset or should he be held responsible for his comments? Is attending a course enough? Let us know – comment below!

And learn more if Prince Harry's actions make you want to stand up to racial discrimination.

Reporting by Caroline Kotter