The Windsors’ Royal Collection catalogue used the n-word freely in 2008

The Windsors’ “Royal Collection” is a catch-all for all of the artwork, jewels, jewelry, historical documents and antiquities they’ve stolen, looted or been “given” for centuries. The Windsors are very squirrelly about the Royal Collection, and there has never been – to my knowledge – a full audit of just how many priceless pieces of art, antiquities and jewels they actually “own,” nevermind a full accounting of where those pieces come from and whether those pieces should be given back. Well, over time, the Royal Collection Trust – the gatekeepers of the Royal Collection – have tried to document just how many pieces there are, which is how a catalogue was published documenting the names of various pieces back in 2008. As it turns out, the n-word was all over that catalogue and now the Independent claims that the Windsors are being “dragged” into a “race row.”

The royal family has been dragged into the n-word race row after dozens of references to the offensive term were found in official documents, The Independent can reveal. A catalogue published by the Royal Collection Trust (RCT), showcasing a selection of gems and jewels owned by the Royal Collection, contained more than 40 mentions of offensive racial terms.

The document, titled Ancient and Modern Gems and Jewels, was published by Royal Collection Enterprises Limited in 2008. It has remained on its website since then and was only removed on Thursday after it was flagged by The Independent.

The latest discovery comes after we revealed last week that an offensive racial slur was included in government documents. The term was included in a report by the Met Office, as well as in Department for Work and Pensions guidance used by doctors to assess benefit claims. The slur had also been visible in the comment section of a page on the government’s own website since 2015. The revelations prompted Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson to denounce the word as “inappropriate and offensive”.

In the latest instance, the offensive terms are mostly used to describe people of African ancestry who appear on the jewels. The words are also included in a number of names of items in the collection. One brooch is described in the following terms: “Head of a n**** in three-quarter profile to the right, with drop-pearl earring. This type of a n****’s head is found on several sixteenth-century cameos.” Another item depicting a white person is accompanied by this description and slur: “Athough it uses the dark layers of the stone for the profile, the features are not n*****d’.

An RCT spokesperson said the trust’s documents were continually “under review”. The RCT is one of the five departments of the royal household and is responsible for the care of the Royal Collection, the largest private art collection in the world, held in trust by the King on behalf of the nation. It sells tickets for tours of the King’s official residences: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

[From The Independent]

Again… this was 2008, not 1898. Everyone knew in 2008 that it was wrong to use these words so freely in a CATALOGUE for the Royal Collection Trust. It’s also kind of bonkers that these documents were just sitting there, waiting to be “found” in 2023. They were not hidden away until the Independent pointed it out. So no, the Windsors were not “dragged” into a “race row.” The Windsors are perfectly fine with this kind of language and they don’t care who knows it. The Windsors are perfectly fine with racism and using people of color as diversity props. They’re perfectly fine with wearing stolen and looted jewels and they’re perfectly fine with their collection of jewels described in such “colorful” language.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.