Prince Harry praises Dutch monarchy for ‘leading by example’

Britain’s prince Harry, who is at the centre of a media storm following the publication of his autobiography Spare, has praised the Dutch and Norwegian royal families for their efforts to combat prejudice.

The prince, who has accused the British royals and the press for not accepting his mixed-race wife Megan, said in an interview on broadcaster ABC that the Dutch and Norwegian monarchs are a good example to the rest.

‘I genuinely believe the best thing for the monarchy is to modernise, especially because of their role in the commonwealth,’ he said.

‘In the last couple of months, the king of the Netherlands and the king of Norway have led by example, and I congratulate them for that, enormously, and I don’t think they have been given enough credit for what they have done. But it is huge, and more of that is needed.’

In his Christmas message to the nation, king Willem-Alexander referred specifically to the apologies given by the government earlier in the month for the Netherlands’ role in slavery.

The statement is the start of long journey in which the pain of the past has been recognised, he said.

‘Over the past year, my wife and I have spoken to people of all ages about this topic, including descendants of people who lived in slavery several generations ago,’ the king said. ‘We will remain involved in this coming commemorative year.’

The king will, for example, be present at Keti Koti, the annual celebration marking the end of slavery in the Netherlands, in July. This year’s event marks 150 years since slavery was actually abolished.

The king has also commissioned research into the colonial artifacts held in the royal collection to make sure none of it was stolen or taken by force.