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Princess explains why she wore "racist" jewellery to meet Meghan Markle.

Princess Michael of Kent has apologised for wearing a racist brooch to royal Christmas.

According to The Telegraph, a spokesperson for the wife of Queen Elizabeth’s cousin said she was not aware the brooch in question was racist.

As per the statement:

“The brooch was a gift and has been worn many times before. Princess Michael is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offence.”

A source added there was “no malice” intended in wearing the piece.

The brooch itself – a piece of ‘Blackamoor’ art – was first spotted by Lainey Gossip in a photo taken of Princess Michael as she entered royal Christmas.

For years, debate has surfaced about the racist nature of ‘Blackamoor’ art. Appearing in paintings, jewellery and textiles, the ‘art’, according to a piece penned by Anneke Rautenbach for NYU, typically shows men “commonly fixed in positions of servitude—as footmen or waiters, for example—the figures personify fantasies of racial conquest.”

As Lainey Gossip puts it, “this is a piece of jewellery made out of slave imagery”.

Save for Princess Michael, the royal family has not commented on the saga.

For more on Princess Michael of Kent, the racist brooch and a history of racism within the royal family, click here.

Listen: The Mamamia Out Loud team on Meghan Markle at royal Christmas.