Racism With the Royals
On March 7, an interview with Oprah Winfrey and Meghan Markle was broadcasted nationwide and watched by over 17 million people. The two discussed such topics as how Meghan was treated by the royals and why she and Harry decided to depart from the family. But, one of the main highlights of the interview was when Meghan brought up the topic of racism amongst the royals.
Since at the time Meghan was the only person of color in the family, she explained how she was treated differently from the rest of the royals and in particular from the wife of Prince William, Kate Middleton. Markle expressed that royal insiders and the press treated Middleton like a princess. Middleton was gifted with many privileges, she was allowed to hang out with her friends whenever she wanted, and was regularly praised by the British press. Markle, on the other hand, revealed how the royal insiders would not let her leave the home to see anyone and on top of that, she was incessantly bullied by the press for months. The British press is known for unfairly comparing Markle and Middleton and often throwing Markle under the bus. A prime example of this is when the two were pregnant. British press exclaimed how nice it is when “Kate tenderly cradles her baby bump” but constantly asks the question ‘Why can’t Meghan Markle keep her hands off her bump?’
Markle explained how all of this unnecessary hatred put her in an awful place. She described to Winfrey that she was having suicidal thoughts and tried to seek help but was denied. “I told them that I needed to go somewhere, and they said that I couldn’t, they said it would be bad for the institution.” Meghan made it clear that if she were left alone any longer the consequences would be serious.
Winfrey responded with shock. She couldn’t believe that such a picture-perfect family could possibly discriminate against one another, but Winfrey agreed that this wasn’t even the most shocking part. About halfway through the interview, Prince Harry joined and their son Archie was brought into the conversation. The couple explained that their son wasn’t given a royal title like the other royal grandchildren because Archie “limited” the “HRH” (His Royal Highness) title. While addressing the situation, Markle explained to Oprah that “They didn’t want him to be a prince.” At first, the couple found this extremely problematic, but they concluded not to care since they were stepping down from the throne anyways. Harry also mentioned that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie’s] skin might be.” The conversation about Archie’s complexion not only shocked Oprah but also the American public, no doubt changing the perspective of how millions viewed the royals.
The next evening, the interview was broadcasted all over Britain. Many British people who had favored the royals did have a hard time believing Markle’s words and felt like she was simply trying to damage their reputation. The press also described the interview as a “Trash-a thon.” Though some of the British reacted in a negative way, others sided with the couple and began seeing the royal family in a different light. Either way, this powerful interview shed new light on a closely watched family and allowed Meghan and Harry to finally share their side of the story. They ultimately expressed their happiness at their decision to part ways with the royals and expressed excitement about their growing family, as they have a baby girl on the way.
By Sariah Robbins