Oprah’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aired out a lot of the Royal Family’s dirty laundry. The lack of protection Meghan was given as a member of the family, their siblings-in-law’s contempt toward them and Prince Charles’ neglect of Harry were all put on display. But the worst of all, and maybe one element that should not be completely unexpected, was the Royal Family’s alleged prejudice against Meghan and her son Archie because of their race.
Prejudice against someone outside of royal or “higher” birth is completely expected, and it is not unprecedented to see the royal family shun those members (for instance, Harry’s own mother, Diana). This does not excuse how they have treated Meghan and her family. She was subjected to racist comments against both her and her son.
Throughout the pregnancy, Meghan said that the royal family was concerned about what his skin color was going to be, and once he was born, Archie was not granted any titles. As the son of the Duke of Sussex, he is privileged to some title, but because of the royal family’s inherent racism, he was granted nothing.
This interview allowed this vastly important couple to put a dent in the façade of the seemingly untouchable royal family. The world’s view may not have drastically changed, because various scandals have cast the family out of their good graces, but it definitely reinforced the negative view people had of the family outside of England.
Prince William issued a statement last week saying that they “are very much not a racist family.” Oddly enough, a majority of the UK seem to agree with this statement despite the tell-all interview. According to a YouGov poll, Prince Harry’s approval rating was only at 49% after the poll, compared with Queen Elizabeth’s approval rate of 80%.
If any change can occur in the royal family, this seems to be the turning point. Racism needs to be addressed in the family and in the UK as a whole, just as we in America have to re-examine our racial and cultural biases. Now is the time to admit fault and change, not to deny any shortcomings; the royal family seems to be taking a step backward rather than forward.
