‘I am not a bigot in any shape or form’: Art historian accused of racism for referring to the Duchess of Sussex as ‘the dreaded Meghan’ warns that academics must be able to express opinions freely
- Dr Anne Anderson is an honorary associate professor at the University of Exeter
- She was disciplined after discussing the Sussexes’ TV appearance with Oprah
- She referred to tide of media comment from ‘people of a colourful disposition’
An art historian accused of racism for referring to the Duchess of Sussex as ‘the dreaded Meghan’ has warned that academics must be able to express their opinions freely.
Dr Anne Anderson, a 64-year-old honorary associate professor at the University of Exeter, was disciplined over her opening remarks before a Zoom lecture on design to the Arts Society of Truro.
She was discussing the Sussexes’ TV appearance with Oprah Winfrey when she made the comment about Meghan and referred to the tide of media comment in the interview’s aftermath from ‘people of a colourful disposition’.
The academic, who is dyslexic and technically disabled, said the panel went through her entire record for evidence to support the racism claim. ‘In the end, I held my course. The outcome was that I didn’t make a racist remark but it could be interpreted as being a racist remark’
Her lecture on March 12, five days after the…
