MSNBC host Ali Velshi got involved in a heated on-air clash with a British historian over the royal family’s “ugly” connections to colonialism and slavery.
Mr Velshi introduced his Saturday morning show with a monologue about the death of Queen Elizabeth II, saying in one part that she represented an institution that had “robbed other nations of their wealth and power and exploited their people”.
“Even as Queen Elizabeth’s reign largely marked the beginning of the post-colonial era, the horrors that her long line of ancestors inflicted upon many generations of people across the globe continue to be the source of pain,” Mr Velshi said.
Appearing later on the broadcast, NBC historian Dr Andrew Roberts described the comments as “overblown”, and said that the royals enjoyed widespread popularity in Britain and around the Commonwealth.
“If we had given so much pain to people throughout history, why was Prince Charles chosen by every single Commonwealth country, many of which are former imperial countries, as the head of the Commonwealth,” Dr Roberts asked.
The anchor responded by accusing him of “whitewashing” Britain’s history and misrepresenting his remarks.
The pair continued talking over the top of one another, before Mr Velshi implored the historian to stop talking, and asked: “Are you really denying what I just said about British colonialism?”
“I’m certainly taking issue with your remarks about slavery, which we abolished 32 years before you did,” Dr Roberts replied.
“We didn’t have to kill 600,000 people in a civil war over it.”
Mr Velshi then explained that the subject was personal to him as he was born in Kenya when it was still part of the British Empire.
He went on to say that there were “many millions of people” who didn’t think it was appropriate to be celebrating the British monarchy.
The pair continued to argue, with Dr Roberts upset that the host was focussing on “only the negative things”, which had taken place 100 years before.
“There’s a lot more people in this world who don’t see it the same way, who grew up under the yoke of colonialism and the British Empire,” Mr Velshi said.
Several academics have found themselves in hot water over comments about the Queen’s death.
Dr Uju Anya sparked a massive backlash after tweeting that she wished the Queen experienced an “excruciating death”.
Queen Elizabeth oversaw the end of Britain’s imperial era during her seven-decades on the throne.
In recent years, several Caribbean countries have indicated they want to remove the British monarch as their head of state, amid lingering tensions with the crown.
