Meghan Markle is not the first biracial member of the British royal family, which traces its lineage to at least two queens of African origin, according to a royal expert.
“All of the British royals have African blood,” said Lady Colin Campbell, a Jamaica-born socialite who has written numerous books on the Windsors, including “People of Color and the Royals,” published in 2019.
One Black royal was Queen Charlotte, who is the focus of the Netflix series “Bridgerton,” Campbell told The Post. Born in 1774, Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a direct descendant of Margarita de Castro Souza, a Portuguese noblewoman who traced her line to Madragana Ben Aloandro, the North African mistress of Portugal’s King Afonso III in the 13th century. Historian Mario de Valdes y Cocom has said the depiction of Charlotte in royal paintings emphasizes her African features.
In addition to Charlotte, who was married to King George III, Campbell and other historians point to Philippa of Hainault, the wife and adviser to King Edward III. Philippa was of North African Moorish ancestry, born in northern France in 1314.
“When you take this history into consideration, accusing the royal family of racism is preposterous,” said Campbell, alluding to Markle’s recent interview with Oprah Winfrey in which she claimed that she was subjected to poor treatment because of her race…
