Tracing The Roots Of British Royal Family Racism To Eton College

JAKARTA - Oprah Winfrey interviews with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle rocked the British empire. The eyes of the world have again highlighted the issue of racism that is entrenched in the royal environment, including how the royal family is educated. Eton College and a range of other exclusive schools are at the root of the kingdom's 'inclusive' culture.

Last June, the 'Black Lives Matter' (BLM) solidarity action expanded to England. Various government-owned and private institutions in England look back to seeing past sins. Those with a history of perpetuating slavery and racism simultaneously issue formal public apologies.

Eton College is one of the most highlighted. Principal of the School, Simon Henderson said Eton College today has committed to eradicating racism. But Henderson is aware of Eton College's long history of racism. Quoted by Reuters, Henderson even expressed an open apology for the past sins of the inclusive school.

"We must have humility and on a personal level to admit that there are still many things that need to be addressed," he told reporters, Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

Eton College was founded in 1440. Since then Eton College has been founded inclusively by order of the English King Henry VI. Eton College was founded with the aim of preparing prospective students for King's College, Cambridge University, which Henry VI also founded one year later.

The 16th-century archives describe the daily routines of Eton College students. The young men used to get up at 5 in the morning to say a prayer together. Then, at 6 am they will be in class. Furthermore, at 8 pm, the students will return to the room to sleep, having previously worshiped and prayed together.

Throughout history, the relationship between Eton College and the British empire has been inseparable. This happened due to the inescapable fact, that Eton College was specially protected by the royal family. Another is that the school is located just steps from the Royal Palace of Windsor.

The majority of Eton College students are British aristocrats and entrepreneur families. Selection based on the class system even starts from school fees. At Eton College, tuition fees reach 34 thousand pounds, or around Rp.700 million per year.

Indeed, Eton College provides scholarships for students from the middle and lower classes. The problem is, the scholarships that are opened are very limited. As stated by Nick Fraser in The Importance of Being Eton (2006), those who feel rich become so powerful that they often underestimate other students.

Those with brown skin from the former colonies and the still standing protectorates were the targets of bullying. Nick also described how gossipy, disrespectful and arrogant culture is one of Eton College's environmental legacies.

"The behavior then becomes a bad thing in the form of arrogance and exclusivity," wrote Nick. It is a kind of escape for them because they do not have much talent. But not all bad. In the end, they just choose between two options: to be stupid Etonian. or the bad Etonian, ”wrote Nick.

Experiences related to Eton College were also written by well-known researcher, Benedict Anderson. It is one of the 'Etonian', as Eton College Students are called. In his book entitled Living outside the shell (2016), Ben tells of the privileges that majority students get at Eton College. He said that the special students lived in luxurious residences. They can only be found in the classroom.

“These kids, whose backgrounds guarantee a comfortable or powerful future, don't see the need to work hard. And openly demeaning scholarship children as 'bookworms' whose social class is way below theirs. They actually also have their own (intellectual) arrogance, and the bonds between them are very close. I've never been in the same class with so many smart kids, ”said Ben.

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The name Dillibe Onyeama is one of the important historical records for Eton College. Through his book, Nigger at Eton (1972), Onyeama wrote various stories of racism at Eton College. In the book Onyeama tells about the racism he received throughout his school days.

Questions like, "How many maggots are there in your hair, Onyeama?", "Have you ever eaten human flesh?" or "Is your father a witch doctor?" often aimed at Onyeama. And that's because of Onyeama's skin color and physical form.

"Every time I heard that, I almost always exploded. To the point where the emotions were so high that suddenly I gave them a few hard punches to the face and stomach. It made some of them cry, which then invited their friends to always shout with a tone of hatred and bitterness at me, "said Onyeama.

Onyeama, who graduated in 1969, admits he can still feel the pain of racist behavior at Eton College. When Eton College expressed a desire to apologize directly to him, Onyeama did not respond. He said Eton's apology was unnecessary.

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As we have discussed, Prince William and Prince Harry are Etonian. Prince Harry attended Eton College when he was 13 years old.

Previously, when he was eight years old, Prince William attended Ludgrove School. Prince William was even living in Ludgrove's dorm at the time.

At Eton College, Prince William graduated at prestigious levels of excellence in geography, arts and biology. In higher education, Prince William chose St Andrew University.

Like Prince William, Prince Harry also attended Ludgrove before continuing his education at Eton College. Unlike William, Prince Harry did not make a brilliant achievement. Harry then continued his military education.

William's son, Prince George, also pursued an exclusive and formal education. Prince George attended the Wastrace Montessori School. The school, which is located in Nofolk, is the first school.

Prince George spent about 18 months there. Prince George then continued his basic education at Thomas Battersea, an elite school not far from Kensington Palace in London. Thomas Battersea School costs 350 million rupiah per year.

Unlike her grandchildren who attended formal educational institutions, Queen Elizabeth II studied at Buckingham Palace. The woman whose full name is Elizabet Alexandra Mary has only one friend, namely Princess Margaret.

Both are educated by private tutors and caregivers. It is said that Philip Mounbatten's wife experienced socialization problems in her youth.

The history and greatness of Eton College, how the school created many British elites we have discussed in the Memory: Seeing Racism at Eton College: The Royal Family School That Brings 20 British Prime Ministers.

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