For the past week, we have been told, via the media, that Meghan Markle is the first person of colour to be part of the royal family of Britain. This is not the case.
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In 1326, the future king of England, Edward III, became betrothed to Philippa of Hainault.
Philippa was part French and part Moorish North African. They were married on January 13, 1328. As queen, Philippa played an active role running the affairs of the country and was highly popular with both barons and commoners alike.
On hearing about the proposed match, Edward’s father, Edward II, sent an agent to check on Philippa’s background and looks. The agent reported as follows:
“She is brown of skin all over and much like her father in all things … she is pleasant enough as it seems to us.”
It turned out to be a good match. They had thirteen children, one of which was a Plantagenet ancestor of Prince Harry.
It seems the more things appear to change the more they stay the same.
-Alex Hamilton-Brown, Agassiz
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