A British TV host was blasted for “race baiting” after he questioned whether it was a “problem” that all 30 guests at Prince Philip’s funeral are going to be white.
Channel 5 TV host Jeremy Vine made the controversial comment Thursday as he interviewed BBC Radio London presenter Shay Grewal on his show, the Sun reported.
“We are going to see a group of 30 people who are going to be at this very restrictive funeral,” Vine said. “And I’m imagining it will be 30 people who are white. I’m just trying to think whether there’s anybody of color in there, and I don’t think so. Do you think that’s a problem?”
“No, I don’t think it’s a problem at all,” Grewal responded. “Look, at the end of the day, the royal family are a family. So if someone passes away, you are going to have your most beloved members of your family there. And that is the case when it comes to this funeral.”
“I know what you may be alluding to, and some people have already been talking about it on social media, and that’s the fact that Meghan is not going to be there, and of course Prince Harry is,” she added. “But that’s because she’s pregnant. I think at the moment what we all need to focus on is the fact that a family is mourning. They have lost the patriarch of their family and for this country, of course, we have lost the Duke of Edinburgh.”
People reacted strongly to Vine’s statements on social media, with one “genuinely staggered” viewer calling him out for “pure race baiting,” according to the Sun.
“Jeremy Vine is cancelled,” wrote one person.
“What a ghastly thing to say,” another reacted.
“It’s not a problem, but let’s ask the question anyway so that we can try to turn it into one,” another reacted. “How is this not simply race baiting?”
Vine’s statements came after Buckingham Palace released the list of who will be attending Prince Philip’s funeral at a Windsor Castle chapel on Saturday.
The BBC also recently received a whopping 100,000 complaints for the volume of coverage of Prince Philip’s death — with another 433 complaints after presenter Andrew Marr compared him to an “Indian bride,” according to the Sun.
In response to one complaint, the BBC reportedly said, “Thank you for contacting us about a comment Andrew Marr made during our recent news coverage.”
“When reflecting on the life of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Andrew Marr gave his analysis of Prince Philip’s role within the monarchy and relationship with the Queen,” the response continued. “While doing this, Andrew made a remark which he accepts was poorly phrased, for which he apologizes. We have shared your feedback with senior editors at BBC News.”