BOSTON Before Prince William kicked off his first event in Boston on Wednesday, Rev. Mariama White-Hammond asked audience members gathered to see the royals at City Hall to consider the legacy of colonialism and racism prior to the prince taking the stage.

The ways it has impacted people across the world and its connection, its deep connection to the degradation of land and our planet that we are all seeking to reverse, White-Hammond, who is Bostons chief of environment, energy and open space, said to the crowd.

The stories lost, the species made extinct, but also the persistence of people in the face of oppression and the fundamental dignity of all of our relations, she added.

White-Hammonds comments came after a spokesperson for the Prince of Wales on Wednesday morning condemned a racist incident that occurred at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

A spokesperson from the Mayors Office of Environment, Energy and Open Space confirmed that the remarks in White-Hammonds speech were planned before the incident at the palace in London was revealed.