The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Royal Foundation has revealed that improving diversity on its board has become a “particular focus”, as senior royals step up efforts to improve ethnic minority representation.

       The Royal Foundation’s annual report said formal targets for diversity had not previously been set but would be monitored and reported on.

       It added: “Diversity has always been considered in trustee recruitment and improving this has been a particular focus for the board and governance and nominations committee in 2020.”

       The move, which is understood to represent a continuing ambition, follows the acrimonious departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from the UK amid repeated allegations of racism.

       The report concerned the year from January to December 2020, a period punctuated with increasing concerns that the couple would publicly brand the royal household racist and sexist.

       As far back as last January, Tom Bradby, the ITV journalist and friend of both Prince William and Prince Harry, warned that the Sussexes were considering a set-piece television interview to reveal their reasons for stepping back from the family, which would not be “pretty”.

       Six months ago, the couple went further than anyone expected, accusing the institution of racism and claiming that a member of the Royal family had voiced concerns about their son’s skin tone.

       Prince Harry said racism was a “large part” of why they left the UK.

       The 10-strong board of the Royal Foundation, as well as the senior management team, is overwhelmingly white.

       Last September, Zeinab Badawi, the Sudanese-British BBC journalist and former Channel 4 News presenter, was appointed as a trustee, and two months ago, Ron Kalifa, a former Worldpay chief executive, who in 2018 was named one of the top 100 BAME leaders in business, also joined the board.

       However, the recruitment process for both is understood to predate the new push for better minority representation.

       In June, Buckingham Palace admitted that it was failing in its efforts to improve diversity as it published staffing figures for the first time since the Sussexes' racism allegations.

       The Sovereign Grant report revealed that 8.5 per cent of employees at the Palace are from an ethnic minority background. Aides said they hoped to increase that figure to 10 per cent by the end of next year.

       A senior palace source acknowledged it "must do more" to improve diversity, adding: "We are not where we would like to be despite our efforts."

       Clarence House revealed that 8 per cent of its staff were from ethnic minority backgrounds, which it also admitted was "not where we need to be." Kensington Palace did not publish its figures.

       Palace's diversity strategy

       About 13 per cent of the British population is from a minority ethnic background.

       The palace diversity strategy, agreed in 2017-18, was adapted early last year, shortly after the Sussexes moved abroad, to "actively emphasise the importance of inclusion", although plans to appoint a diversity tsar were paused.

       Elsewhere in the Royal Foundation report, it emerged that the amount received last year from the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund dropped to ￡15,750 from ￡21,346 the previous year and ￡21,583 in 2018.

       Prince William and Prince Harry have agreed to divide the proceeds of their mother's memorial fund between them.

       Prince Harry has asked for his share of the funds to go to Sentebale, a charity he founded to help the victims of poverty and HIV/ Aids in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi.