Bridgerton star breaks silence after 'terribly white' Coronation backlash

07 May 2023 , 15:56
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Bridgerton star breaks silence after
Bridgerton star breaks silence after 'terribly white' Coronation backlash

Adjoa Andoh has insisted she didn't intend to cause offence after her comments about the Royal Family during King Charles' Coronation, which has sparked some backlash online.

The actress, who plays Lady Danbury in Bridgerton, says she "didn't mean to upset anyone" when observing how the Buckingham Palace balcony was "terribly white" during an appearance on live television yesterday.

Adjoa, 60, was speaking during ITV's coverage of the King's Coronation, which saw peaceful protestors and safety volunteers arrested, when she made the comments that sparked a huge backlash online.

Sitting alongside Mylenne Klass to discuss the newly crowned King and Queen, Netflix star Adjoa shared her thoughts on the moment Charles and Camilla were joined by members of their family to wave at their subjects from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

"We have gone from the rich diversity of the Abbey to a terribly white balcony," Adjoa mused when speaking to Tom Bradby and Julie Etchingham.

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Bridgerton star breaks silence after 'terribly white' Coronation backlashAdjoa Andoh spoke about the backlash during a BBC Radio 4 appearance this morning (ITV)

"I am very struck by that," the former Casualty actress continued. "I am also looking at those younger generations and thinking: 'What are the nuances that they will inhabit when they grow?'

Many people supported the actress, who is of Ghanaian heritage, by pointing out out a "lack of critical thinking" from those slamming Adjoa.

Adjoa's observations sparked some backlash, with fans of the Royal Family and many right-wing commentators blasting the mum-of-three.

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, who often appears on ITV shows like Good Morning Britain, took to Twitter to show support for Adjoa earlier today, telling her followers: "#AdjoaAndoh told no lies in factual observation of ‘terribly White’ (literal & symbolic) Buckingham palace balcony at #Coronation in contrast to tokenism of race diversity at Westminster Abbey & got branded ‘racist’

Bridgerton star breaks silence after 'terribly white' Coronation backlashFans of the Royal Family didn't appreciate the Bridgerton star's comments during the Coronation (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

"White people false equivalence of racism is laughable."

She added: "For me it’s the lack of critical thinking re why the contrast is terrible as she rightly points out.

"Even if Adjoa Andoh spent 99.99% on TV adulating King Charles & British Monarchy, that one observation of White Balcony erases it because for racists she doesn’t know her place."

One of the negative tweets, from an account called 'End Wokeness', reads: "Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh calls the British royal family 'terribly white'

Bridgerton star breaks silence after 'terribly white' Coronation backlashA regular Good Morning Britain contributor has defended Adjoa amid the backlash (LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX)

"Imagine someone talking like this on live TV about any other race."

The Bridgerton star has since responded to the backlash and explained how she didn't intend cause such an outrage.

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"'I think I upset a few people yesterday," Adjoa told Paddy O'Connell on BBC Radio 4 this morning.

"I was talking about the day and how marvellous it was and then looking at the balcony at the end and suddenly going: 'Oh it's so white!' because the day had been so mixed and I didn't mean to upset anybody."

Zoe Delaney

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