The British royal family has been quiet amid the protests and riots taking place in the U.S. because of the death of George Floyd, the man killed in police custody. But one royal took to Twitter to express her support for the cause.
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, paid a tribute to Floyd, whose unjust death sparked a wave of protests in America. On Tuesday, Prince Andrew's ex-wife posted a blackout square on Instagram and captioned this with "Black Lives Matter," along with thousands of other silent protesters on the social media platform.
Fergie's move received praises from her followers. Some of her fans, however, said that instead of "Black Lives Matter," it should be "All Lives Matter." The Duchess of York didn't say anything else about why she joined the movement.
It comes as protesters also took the streets in the U.K. to accuse cops of racial profiling and targeting black people. The demonstrations in London, Manchester, Cardiff and Nottingham were slightly peaceful compared to the rallies in the U.S. but there were still 23 people arrested for breaching COVID-19 rules, according to The Guardian.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of York is launching a new foundation that will connect "financially able" individuals to charities. Dubbed Sarah's Trust, the Duchess of York said that she wants to be a vital bridge to "champion charities" around the world.
The trust will center on women, children and family causes. Sarah's first initiative for this new foundation is to team up with Kipbag, which will help prepare bundle bags for vulnerable people who still live in the streets despite the health scare.
Amid this pandemic, Sarah's Trust is also working with groups of people helping healthcare frontliners. Since the crisis started in the middle of March, Prince Andrew's ex-wife and his daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, as well as their husbands, have been reaching out to the frontline workers and vulnerable communities to provide them with their basic necessities. Sarah has been tapping different companies to donate goods to these people in need.
The Duchess of York has also been busy setting up her YouTube channel, where guests read stories for families with kids. Sarah has also recently joined LinkedIn to improve on her business profile. Though she has retained her royal title, Sarah ceased to be referred to as Her Royal Highness and has not been extended royal privileges following her divorce from Prince Andrew in the 1990s.
