Princess Michael of Kent has come under fire when news broke that she wore a "blackamoor" brooch to a Christmas lunch Wednesday at Buckingham Palace that was also attended by Meghan Markle.

Blackamoor jewellery usually depicts a man or woman of African descent. The facial features can sometimes be large and exaggerated, and are often painted a very deep black to contrast with the jewelled detailing. Blackamoor figurines and sculptures most commonly depict Black men as holding a tray to hold things, essentially depicting Black people as sculpted, ever-smiling and "exotic" servants.

Blackamoor figures and jewellery are now commonly understood to be racist due to their links to colonialism, exoticism and slavery.

A statement from a spokesperson for the Princess said that "The brooch was a gift and has been worn many times before." Of course, wearing it to meet the future first biracial member of the Royal Family, Meghan Markle, made the choice of accessory all the more controversial.

Princess Michael's spokesperson said that she "is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offence," and has said she will not wear the brooch again.

This is not the first time Princess Michael has been accused of racism.

In 2004 she was accused of telling a group of black diners in New York to “go back to the colonies” because she was offended by the level of noise coming from their table.

Later, in an interview discussing the incident, she referred to African people as “adorable” and said, “I even pretended years ago to be an African, a half-caste African, but because of my light eyes I did not get away with it, but I dyed my hair black. I travelled on African buses. I wanted to be a writer. I wanted experiences from Cape Town to right up in northern Mozambique. I had this adventure with these absolutely adorable, special people, and to call me racist: It’s a knife through the heart because I really love these people.”

Again: “These people.”

Yikes.

This isn't the first time that Blackamoor figures have made the headlines. Last year, Thandie Newton accused Starbucks of racism after spotting a statue of a black boy wearing a pith helmet and loin cloth in one of its London coffee shops.

The outraged actress posted a photograph to Twitter, showing the model - which was being used to hold Colombian coffee beans - on the counter of the chain's shop in Soho.

She then wrote: "Seriously @Starbucks? At the counter — Loin cloth and Safari hat on a black child. Happy New Year circa 19th century."