While discussing the killing of George Floyd, Queen Elizabeth II experienced a minor technical glitch during a video call with several representatives of the major accounting firm KPMG.
Many people have had to adapt to the world of technology this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some high-profile figures take the stage from their own living rooms via video calls, and thousands of children are learning in “virtual classrooms.”
And it seems the Queen is not exempt from the typical problems which occur when joining others by video. During the video call, the Queen told the five KPMG members that they had “all disappeared.”
It was a minor glitch where internet connection had been lost for a short moment, proving that even Windsor Castle’s internet can be less than perfect.
The monarch took the time to speak with employees and board members of KPMG as the company celebrates 150 years since its beginnings.
KPMG — which stands for Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler — has a varied history over the decades, starting back in 1870 when Sir William Barclay Peat came on board and later gave his own name to the company.
As part of the virtual visit to the Big Four accounting firm, the Queen heard from John McCalla-Leacy, who is the company’s first Black board member.
They spoke about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on KPMG, and the Black Lives Matter protests, which have taken place across the world this year, sparked by the killing of Floyd by police in the U.S.A.
The board member said: “This year was really an incredibly difficult year for us within the firm, within KPMG because not only did we have to adapt to the many challenges that the pandemic brought.”
He added: “We also witnessed, like everybody around the world, that just deeply, deeply distressing scenes and the event unfold which ignited the Black Lives Matter campaign right across the world but also here in the U.K.”
McCalla-Leacy shared with the Queen that 2020 has been a difficult year for KPMG, forcing the 200,000+ members of their workforce to adapt to unusual circumstances.
The board member also played a large role in promoting diversity and inclusion within the company.
It seems like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Queen, is now talking about social issues, including racism.
Some observers say that this might be a necessary move for the Btiyish monarchy to keep in step with the current world.
