Princess Michael of Kent has apologised after wearing a blackamoor brooch to the Queen’s Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, attended by Prince Harry’s fiancee Meghan Markle, who is of mixed race by virtue of her white father and African American mother. 
 
 The royal, who is married to the Queen’s cousin, was photographed wearing the brooch depicting a black figure on her coat as she arrived for the annual gathering on Wednesday. She was later criticised online for wearing “racist jewellery”. 
 
 Markle is understood to have met Princess Michael of Kent at the lunch, but it is not known if she was wearing the brooch at the time. 
 
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 A spokesman for the princess said: “The brooch was a gift and has been worn many times before. Princess Michael is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offence.” 
 
 
 
 It is not the first time the princess has been accused of racism. In 2004, she reportedly instructed African American customers in a New York restaurant to “go back to the colonies” in an argument about noise. 
 
 The princess, whose father was an SS officer, denied the incident a few months later in an interview with ITV, saying: “I even pretended years ago to be an African, a half-caste African, but because of my light eyes I did not get away with it, but I dyed my hair black. 
 
 “I had this adventure with these absolutely adorable, special people and to call me racist: it’s a knife through the heart because I really love these people.” ||||| Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email 
 
 Clarence House has declined to comment after a racism row involving Prince Charles and a writer from Manchester . 
 
 Anita Sethi met the heir to the throne briefly during the Commonwealth People’s Forum in London. 
 
 The journalist, critic and writer says he asked where she was from and when she replied: ‘Manchester, UK’ she claims he quipped: “Well, you don’t look like it!” and laughed, before walking away. 
 
 The Prince was yesterday chosen to eventually become the next leader of the Commonwealth. 
 
 Ms Sethi, whose mother was born in Guyana, wrote in an opinion piece in the Guardian newspaper saying: “Although I have experienced such off-the-cuff, supposedly humorous, comments before, I was stunned by the gaffe. 
 
 “This is exactly why some people, including the prince, urgently need a history lesson about immigration, the British empire, the Commonwealth and colonialism. 
 
 “Because I do look like I’m from Manchester, actually – a city in which many people of colour have been born and bred. Growing up in Manchester, and going to school in Rusholme , a multicultural area in that city, I remember being taught nothing in history lessons about the Commonwealth (I have four different Commonwealth countries in my heritage). 
 
 “If such vital knowledge was more ingrained there would not be so much racism and ignorance.” 
 
 “That the mooted next leader of an organisation that represents one-third of the people on the planet commented that I, a brown woman, did not look as if I was from a city in the UK is shocking.” 
 
 She said since the encounter “she had have been through all the feelings – from shock to humiliation to rage.” 
 
 She went on to say: “Of course, allegations of racism are not new for the Royal Family. 
 
 “The Duke Of Edinburgh (Charles’ father Prince Philip) has made numerous contentious comments; and only last year Princess Michael of Kent wore a blackamoor brooch while meeting Prince Harry’s fiancée, Meghan Markle.” 
 
 Got a story or an issue you want us to investigate? Want to tell us about something going on where you live? Let us know - in complete confidence - by emailing newsdesk@men-news.co.uk, calling us on 0161 211 2323, tweeting us @MENnewsdesk or messaging us on our Facebook page . You can also send us a story tip using the form here . Join the Manchester Evening News breaking news Facebook group for a place to read and talk about breaking news in Greater Manchester. ||||| Photographs published in a Sunday newspaper allegedly show the television chef being grabbed around the throat by Charles Saatchi, the art dealer. 
 
 The couple were sitting outside Scott’s in Mayfair, central London, when he appeared to lean over and grasp her neck. 
 
 Lawson, 53, looked terrified before leaving the restaurant alone in floods of tears. 
 
 A Scotland Yard spokesman said officers from the Community Safety Unit at Westminster were aware of the article, adding: “Enquires are in hand to establish the facts of the incident.” 
 
 He said Lawson had not lodged a complaint but declined to confirm whether any other member of the public had done so. 
 
 A witness told the People: “It was utterly shocking to watch. 
 
 "I have no doubt she was scared. It was horrific, really. She was very tearful and was constantly dabbing her eyes. Nigella was very, very upset. She had a real look of fear on her face.” 
 
 A Scotland Yard spokesman said no complaint was believed to have been made about the incident and that no investigation had been launched. 
 
 The row occurred shortly after the couple had finished eating at the seafood restaurant, a popular haunt for celebrities. 
 
 They were at their favourite table, which is outside because Saatchi smokes. 
 
 It is partly sheltered by olive trees but the alleged attack could be clearly seen and heard by other customers and those passing on the busy street, it was reported. 
 
 Onlookers claimed Lawson dabbed her eyes on a napkin as her husband tapped his cigarettes on the table. 
 
 She is then said to have downed her glass of red wine before beginning to speak in a trembling voice, placing a hand on his left wrist on the table. 
 
 At one point, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. 
 
 Saatchi then left, leaving his wife, who was wearing a spotty top, black jacket and trousers, sobbing at the table as he got into a waiting car. 
 
 A couple on an adjacent table reportedly turned around and gasped as they saw Lawson become distraught but nobody intervened, despite the apparent severity of the attack. 
 
 The witness added: “He looked guilty. It was clear he knew he'd done something wrong. He was menacing, there's no question. She had been abused and humiliated in public. 
 
 “No man should do that to a woman. She raised her voice and got angry but at the same time was trying to calm him down, almost like you would try to calm down a child. The kiss was a strange thing. He was being intimidating, threatening. 
 
 "And yet she kissed him. She appeared to be a woman who loves him but was clearly unable to stop him being abusive, frightening and disrespectful to her.” 
 
 Earlier in the day, last Sunday, Lawson had tweeted a picture of her scrambled egg and smoked salmon breakfast. 
 
 She has since tweeted several times about food but there has been no hint of trouble in her marriage. 
 
 She has previously admitted that she and Saatchi have fiery rows and has described her husband as "an exploder". 
 
 She said in 2007: "I'll go quiet when he explodes, and then I am a nest of horrible festeringness." 
 
 The couple, who have both been married before, are due to celebrate their 10th anniversary in September.
– The queen's Christmas luncheon had attracted more attention than usual—and then even more attention, this time of a negative flavor. The lunch entered the spotlight thanks to Meghan Markle's presence at Buckingham Palace among what People reports were about 50 royal family members. But the headlines then shifted to the sartorial choices of one of them: Princess Michael of Kent. She was pilloried for wearing "racist jewelry" after being photographed (see image here) wearing a blackamoor brooch to the luncheon. NBC News explains the two-inch brooch features "an antiquated depiction of a black figure that many contend exoticizes people of color." It notes Dolce and Gabbana dealt with similar accusations in 2012 after one of its models wore a pair of blackamoor earrings in a runway show. NBC News reports some considered it an insult to Markle, who is biracial. A rep for the princess, who is married to the queen's cousin, had this to say: "The brooch was a gift and has been worn many times before. Princess Michael is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offence." The Guardian points out it's not the princess' first rumble with accusations of racism: In 2004, she was said to have told black diners at a New York restaurant to "go back to the colonies" during a dispute about noise, and in an interview about the incident, she said that she once pretended to be "a half-caste African, but because of my light eyes I did not get away with it, but I dyed my hair black." People reports that Markle will buck tradition and attend church with the royals on Christmas.