In their two-hour prime time interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle opened up about the various factors that led to their departure from the royal family last year.
In the interview, Markle opened up about a concern from a member of the royal family that her son’s skin would be too dark, racist coverage from the tabloid press, and a general lack of support for Markle that nearly drove her to suicide. Markle’s entrance into the royal family was initially seen as a symbol of a more inclusive royal family, which was almost immediately undercut by scathing racist criticism from British tabloids, which attempted to paint Markle as a bully to royal house staff members. Under stress from these tabloids, Markle also was denied mental health care from the palace’s resources department, and was advised not to seek therapy because it would reflect poorly on the royal family. Some chalked up these allegations as simply being family drama, but from the perspective that Markle is the first person of color to enter a centuries-old British Institution, which is paid in part by public funds and represents a major part of the British state, the severity of these allegations is made apparent.
Many applauded Markle’s courage in breaking her silence about these issues, which resonated with many Black people in Britain who experience deep-rooted racism. Others criticized her and Harry for openly attacking the monarchy, and argued that by not revealing the identity of the person who was concerned about the color of their son’s skin, they had made it difficult for the royal family to respond. However, Prince Harry clarified on Monday that neither Queen Elizabeth II nor Prince Phillip was the one who made the racist comment.
In a statement from Buckingham Palace responding to the controversy, they said "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately." However, the nature of these allegations have already been made overwhelmingly public, and the tug-of-war between keeping private matters private while also constantly being in the public eye is what makes this situation difficult for Markle.
The allegations also raise questions about the monarch’s position in modern-day Britain. While trying to become inclusive, the hereditary model of succession in the royal family somewhat prevents this. Today, the monarch has become more of a figurehead rather than a governing force, a separation perhaps best embodied by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s refusal to comment on royal family matters, and its reliance on media coverage is what keeps it alive.
6 comments:
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's interview with Oprah was definitely shocking, as viewers became even more aware of the deeply rooted racism and hate the couple received before cutting ties with the Royal Family. The conversations were very tense, to say the least, as the two tried carefully to address the systematic issues without directly calling out members of the family. While initially many saw Markle's addition to the Royal Family as a breath of fresh air, the quick warm welcomes soon turned sour as Markle struggled a lot to feel welcomed and included in the reported toxic culture. I also watched interviews with Black Britons, where many of them were saddened by the response towards Markle and the racism she experienced while a part of the Royal Family. Many commented on the inappropriate concerns over Archie's "skin-color" and the differences in media portrayal of "Waity Katie" versus Markle's negative press.
I agree with what Rosella talks about, although it was shocking to hear about the racism issue during the interview, I found it not unexpected. Back in 2018, when Meghan and Harry got married, some tabloids already started making racist critics about the couple. Most of us thought that Meghan's entrance into the Royal Family would the start of the inclusion of a diversity of races, but during this interview, Prince Harry and Meghan tell the public quite the opposite. The couple has clearly suffered a long journey with racist comments about a variety of things when they were affiliated with the Royal Family. This reflects the closed-mindedness of the Royal Family. The mindset within is still traditional and restrictive, creating useless concerns over someone's skin color.
The Prince Harry and Meghan Markle interview was certainly a wake-up call for many people around the world. It shined a negative light on the Royal Family, for it exposed some of the racist values and beliefs that exist within the family. The clear racism that exists can even be seen through the difference in the media's coverage of Meghan Markle in comparison to Kate Middleton. After the interview aired, many people on social media began comparing the way in which the media wrote about the two under similar circumstances. There were a lot of things said in the interview that shocked and saddened a great number of people, especially the comment regarding their son's skin tone before he was even born. Many people around the world find Markle brave for sharing her story.
I think the interview coming out was shocking to many, but the ideas that were presented weren't so shocking which is extremely concerning. There were topics brought up about the royal family and people in the institution concerned about the color of Meghan and Harry's baby and how that might affect him and their family in the future. This idea of race being a factor to most people was not shocking and many people knew that comments on race were brought up in conversations like this one before. What was shocking was Meghan's struggle with mental help and the royal families failure to help her, it was nice however to see how helpful Harry was through her struggles and the work that he and Oprah are doing with Mental Health Awareness. I thought overall the interview was done very well, in terms of it being very explanatory and I think Meghan handled everything very gracefully and it didn't seem like she has any intent to "bash" members of the royal family or talking about them in such ways on purpose. Overall I think Meghan was treated poorly, being compared to Kate and her son not having safety precautions was sad and something that they should not have had to deal with.
With speculation of racial divide in Buckingham Palace emerging a few years ago, this interview, though heartbreaking, was not a shock. For years, Meghan Markel has been undermined by others in the royal family, ultimately causing Prince Harry and her to leave the Palace for good. Historically, British Monarchs have always been White, and when Prince Harry married Meghan, she became one of the first family members to "challenge" this. Though disgusting, as the royal family is rooted on clearly racist beliefs, Meghan's mistreatment is unfortunately not surprising. I'm glad they ultimately left the royal family so that they not only remove themselves from a toxic environment, but so their children can grow up surrounded by people who love, and fully respect, every individual. I can't believe in 2021 we're still dealing with racism, however, it's important that we continue our focus on creating a better, more inclusive future.
Many people are comparing Meghan's situation to Diana's and are grateful that her husband is supporting her through it and hasn't left her side. It's saddening to see that in this day and age no one helped her with her Mental Health struggles when she was open about them and vulnerable. The conversations revealed about race while appalling have not been a shock to many because of the Royal family's reputation.
I'm glad Meghan was able to reveal her side of the story and get herself to an environment she's comfortable with but the institution needs to change there.
Post a Comment