Advertisement

Prince Harry: 'Upbringing and education' meant he had 'no idea unconscious bias existed' until he met Meghan

During the 30 minute interview, published by GQ Magazine as part of its GQ Heroes Conference, the pair discussed the Black Lives Matter movement, racism in the UK and their families. - GQ
During the 30 minute interview, published by GQ Magazine as part of its GQ Heroes Conference, the pair discussed the Black Lives Matter movement, racism in the UK and their families. - GQ

The Duke of Sussex  has said his "upbringing and education" meant he had "no idea unconscious bias existed" until he met his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

He made the comments during a conversation with Patrick Hutchinson, the Black Lives Matter activist who was photographed carrying an injured white protester away from danger at a protest in June.

During the 30 minute interview, published by GQ Magazine as part of its GQ Heroes Conference, the pair discussed the Black Lives Matter movement, racism in the UK and their families.

On unconscious bias, and its role within UK society, the Duke said: “From my understanding, having the upbringing and the education that I had, I had no idea what it was, I had no idea it existed and, sad as it is to say, it took me many, many years to realise it, especially then living a day or a week in my wife’s shoes”.

He added that, even if you feel “a little bit uncomfortable”, the “onus is on you to go out and educate yourself because ignorance is no longer an excuse” when it comes to racism.

The Duke went on to say “one of the most dangerous things” in society is people in power who are “not aware of your own bias”.

“If you're not aware of the culture within your system then how are we ever going to progress, how are we ever going to get to that point where there is more fairness because it's not a zero sum game, everyone benefits if the black community are treated the way it should be treated,” he said.

He added: “It’s going to take every single one of us to really change things and anyone that's pushing against it really needs to take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror because this isn’t black versus white.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had spoken with Ashley Banjo, the leader of dance group Diversity, regarding the complaints they had received following their Britain's Got Talent performance, he confirmed.

And he questioned whether the “20,000 complaints” received days after the performance were from people who had actually watched the show.

“You start to think well how many people actually watched the performance that had been playing, or had they just had their opinion inflamed by what they read,” the Duke said.

Asking Mr Hutchinson about the moment in which he carried a white counter-protester to safety, the Duke called the 50-year-old personal trainer a “guardian angel”.

“You were there to protect everybody from that red mist that comes in when you're acting as a group against another group,” he said.

Mr Hutchinson said he and his friends had gone to the protest to act as “senior citizens” to “oversee things” and “make sure those young protesters wouldn't do anything they'd regret later on”.

“We were pleased we’d been able to avert some potential serious situation, I would do it for anybody, I would do it time and time again, it's not something you think about,” he added.

Talking about their families, Mr Hutchinson said following the protest and the discussions he had with his children, his 11-year-old daughter said she had experienced unconscious bias herself.

Prince Harry looked visibly upset by this, raising his hands to his head as Mr Hutchinson spoke.

Prince Harry spoke with Hutchinson about both their journeys and what we need to do next to further anti-racism. - GQ 
Prince Harry spoke with Hutchinson about both their journeys and what we need to do next to further anti-racism. - GQ

“I call her ‘pretty girl’,” Mr Hutchinson said.

“Because I know that her dark skin to some people may not be as beautiful as it is to me, I call her pretty girl to help empower her and let her think, and let her know that she’s beautiful and she can do whatever she wants in life.

"Because I know that when she gets out there, there is a chance that that might hold her back, through no fault of her own.”

Mr Hutchinson sent his regards to Meghan and “blessings” to Archie at the end of the call, to which the Duke responded that the couple were “working their arses off” in the US.

“Archie is keeping us very busy, but he’s making us laugh everyday which is great,” he said.