Harry backs rugby move to tackle slavery song

As an ardent rugby fan and patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Rugby Football League, Prince Harry has sung Swing Low, Sweet Chariot countless times since he was a child – but may never do so again.

Prince Harry has backed moves to ban the rugby anthem because of its associations with slavery, signalling his support for the RFU’s review into the 19th-century African-American spiritual in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The RFU said it wanted to educate fans unaware of the song’s ‘‘origins or sensitivities’’ so they could make an ‘‘informed decision’’. ‘‘We need to do more to achieve diversity and we are determined to accelerate change and grow awareness,’’ it said.

Written by Wallace Willis, a freed

Oklahoma slave, the lyrics of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot are said to refer to the conditions slaves were forced to endure, and the hope of better times.

It was first sung at Twickenham rugby stadium in southwest London in 1987 for Martin Offiah, an England player of Nigerian descent, who was nicknamed ‘‘Chariots’’ for his speed.

A spokesman for the duke said: ‘‘The duke is supportive of the comments that the RFU made this week regarding the review and he will follow the lead of the RFU on the matter.’’ While a ban on the song is likely to be difficult to enforce, the RFU is expected to strongly discourage supporters from singing it.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are based in Los Angeles, have been in contact with Black Lives Matter leaders and activists, and are expected to become increasingly involved in the movement.

Earlier this month, the duchess recorded an emotional message for graduates of her former school in Los Angeles, following the death of George Floyd. She said: ‘‘I know that you know that black lives matter.’’

A former actress, the duchess, whose mother is black, has previously described encountering racism and the challenges associated with being mixed race: ‘‘I wasn’t black enough for the black roles and I wasn’t white enough for the white roles, leaving me somewhere in the middle as the ethnic chameleon who couldn’t book a job.’’

The news comes as the cellist who played at the Sussexes’ wedding called for greater diversity in the music industry. Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who was 19 at the time, revealed he had been told that playing the cello is ‘‘a white person thing’’ and was not taught pieces by black composers. ‘‘Black composers weren’t people I was aware of,’’ he said. – Sunday Times