As the war in Ukraine continues, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and a member of the British Royal family has said that it is 'very alien' to see a war in Europe while it was normal to witness the conflict in Asia and Africa.
His remarks, which he made while visiting the Ukrainian Cultural Centre to show his support for the country, have been described as "racist and tone-deaf."
The Duke of Cambridge and his wife Catherine paid a visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre on Wednesday, expressing their support for the volunteers and stating that Britain and the rest of Europe were united behind them.
However, when he said, "It's really odd to see this in Europe," he sparked controversy. The 39-year-old prince told The Independent that Britons were more accustomed to witnessing conflict in Africa and Asia and that he felt "useless" for not being able to help more.
#ICYMI: Prince William said it's rather normal to see war and bloodshed in Africa and Asia but not Europe, during a visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London today. "It's very alien to see this in Europe. We are all behind you," he told the volunteers there. pic.twitter.com/YfWtJuCgNs
— Nadine White (@Nadine_Writes) March 9, 2022
His statements sparked outrage, with many calling them "ignorant" and "racist." While others reminded him of the numerous wars that have occurred in Europe over the years, others uploaded photos of his own mother, Princess Diana, visiting Bosnia following the war.
In the aftermath of Meghan Markle's bombshell revelations on Oprah Winfrey's show, the royal figure declared his family is "very much not a racist family," over a year ago. People took advantage of the opportunity to talk about his "racist perspective of things" in his statements, which were labelled tone-deaf by some online.
Jump in the racist remark after Ukraine crisis
It is pertinent to note that this is not the first time that there have been 'racist' remarks amidst the Ukraine crisis. Remarks made by CBS foreign correspondent Charlie D'Agata were one example that prompted pushback from other reporters and policy figures. In a live segment from Kyiv, D'Agata said Ukraine was "a relatively civilized, relatively European" place, unlike countries such as Iraq or Afghanistan.
“Civilized”
— Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) February 26, 2022
pic.twitter.com/AiU7uVmjMr
"But this isn't a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conflict raging for decades," he went on to add. "You know, this is a relatively civilized, relatively European. I have to choose those words carefully - too city where you wouldn't expect that or hope that it's going to happen."