TV host and musician Myleene Klass recently shared the kind of racial discrimination she faced during the MBE celebration. Last month, she was conferred with the MBE honor by King Charles in recognition of her work in charity, women’s health, and miscarriage awareness.
The singer was born to a Filipino mother, Bong Klass, and an Austrian father, Oscar Klass. She recently took to her Instagram story, where she shared a screenshot of a DM in which someone said:
“You look so much like my maid when I was living in Brazil. it is interesting that any woman can be presentable when they have money. Well done!”
In her statement on the same story, she mentioned that something was told to her at the banker’s dinner in Westminster during the MBE celebration. She wrote that someone told her that she looked like their househelp and caretaker from the Philippines. Myleene Klass said that although all of these jobs were honorable, this was unfortunately the only way people could relate to her. She wrote:
“I am Filipino. I am also liminal. Because our "in" to many countries has historically been through acts of service, we're often only seen through that lens. That's why representation and being a positive disruptor matters. When you assume my role because of my race, you do more than make an ignorant comment, you limit and define me before I can define myself. That is racism. It is insidious.”

Myleene Klass shares her experience of conversing with a white cis male
Further in her Instagram story, Myleene Klass explained that she always walked into important places like the Palace, Parliament, and business meetings with confidence. She did not want to be seen as a stereotype but as her true self.
She said she wanted her children to witness that too. For her, representation was not just about appearances, but it was about survival and breaking old patterns so that future generations could grow up free from society’s limiting roles.
In another story, she shared her experience of dealing with someone, with whom she remembered her conversation as:
“WCM: You should move into the Palace at this rate. Me: 'Because I spend so much time there these days?' WCM: 'No because all Kensington houses have a Filipino'”

Myleene Klass wrote that she had this conversation with a white cis male during the time they were discussing her MBE. She explained that what worried her most was that the WCM thought it was a joke. She also said she felt proud that her work, voice, and presence brought positive change and representation, even when people judged her by the color of her skin.
When Klass was awarded the MBE, she shared an Instagram post, writing:
“Today I received my MBE for services to Women’s Health, Miscarriage Awareness and to charity. I am utterly overjoyed and humbled. Having my family there and our rainbow baby boy was extra magical in what has at times been a very dark journey for us all.”
Myleene Klass wrote that as she went to receive her award, the song, I’m on Top of the World was played. King Charles gave her the medal himself and asked about her work.
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