I had no idea about racial bias – Harry

THE Duke of Sussex has admitted his privileged upbringing as a member of the royal family meant he had no understanding of unconscious racial bias.

Harry, inset, said it took him many years – and the experience of “living” in wife Meghan’s shoes – to recognise the issue, during a conversation with Black Lives Matter supporter Patrick Hutchinson.

Mr Hutchinson rose to fame after he was photographed carrying an injured white man to safety during a violent far- right rally. The personal trainer’s actions were repeatedly praised by the duke.

The two men spoke to launch British GQ’s Heroes Festival, the men’s magazine’s annual summit of ideas, culture and thought leadership.

Chatting from his home in Santa Barbara, California, via video call, Harry said: “No- one’s pointing the fingers. You can’t really point fingers, especially when it comes to unconscious bias.

“But once you realise or you feel a little bit uncomfortable, then the onus is on you to go out and educate yourself because ignorance is no longer an excuse.

“And unconscious bias, 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 then, 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.”

As the son of the Prince of Wales, Harry had all the privileges associated with his position and was educated at the exclusive Eton College. He went on to train as an Army officer at Sandhurst.

The duke and duchess have spoken extensively about race in recent months. In an interview in the Evening Standard, they said there was a lost generation of “people of colour” whose contribution to UK society will remain “untapped” as long as structural racism exists.