A campaigner running a pioneering mixed-sex relationships group in Nottingham says the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will ‘help the world see’ how far race relations have come in western society.
Coleen Francis, 58, manages the Colour of Love Project in St Ann’s. It encourages the children of mixed race couples to come forward and share their stories of love across the early cultural divide in post-war Britain.
Prince Harry and US former actress Meghan Markle marry on Saturday (May 19) at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Ms Markle, 36, is the child of a mixed-race relationship. Her mother, Doria Ragland, is African American, while her father Thomas Markle, is white.
Mrs Francis said the union is important to “highlight the fact mixed race marriages do happen” and “they have been happening for a long time”.
She was inspired to start The Colour of Love, which also researches the history local mixed-race relationships, by the story of her mum, who met her Jamaican father when he arrived in the UK in 1957 – a relationship her mum’s family did not approve of.
Speaking of the wedding, she said: “I love Prince Harry and always have – he seems to have a bit of a rebellious streak within him which I quite like, and I like he’s got involved with the community.
“He’s also empowered young people and has made them feel special and that they can do things.”
However, Coleen adds she does not like the publicity surrounding Meghan Markle and her family.
She said: “I don’t like that – it’s personal to her and is a family matter.
“People’s personal lives are their choice – Harry has chosen Meghan to be his wife but it’s good to let the world see mixed race people are, and they will, be forever.
“And I love that they will be living in Nottingham Cottage.”
The couple announced previously they will live in Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Their first official public engagement together was a visit to Nottingham in December, which brought crowds of thousands of people onto the streets.
“Some people still don’t like the idea of them [mixed race relationships] but, through the project which I am running, you just can’t help who you fall in love with regardless of colour – some people don’t even see colour.”
Her project will see an upcoming production called Shebeen performed at Nottingham Playhouse. The play explores the themes of mixed-race relationships and cultural integration in society.
Mrs Francis said she found some facts which surprised her during her research.
She said: “When men come over in the Windrush, there were a number of men that came over and they are naturally going to have relationships with the locals.
“It was always going to happen because of the work available here.
“As part of the project, we found one of the first mixed race relationships from Nottingham was in the 1920s where a Jamaican German man was with a white German woman and they had eight children.
“We’ve also found Nottingham has the highest population of mixed race people in the UK outside of London.
“I’ve got children who are black by colour – I’ve got twin girls and one is married to a white man with the other due to marry a white man, and my nieces and nephews are all mixed race.”
