Although British media outlets have been racist in their coverage of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, for years, a new interview by Oprah Winfrey has brought the issue to the limelight. The explosive interview answered questions that the public has had for years, and has confirmed that racism was a huge part of why the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from their senior working royal roles and moved to the U.S.
Ongoing Racist Coverage
This racism has been obvious since the two were first romantically linked in 2016, with headlines such as “Harry to marry into ganger royalty? New love ‘from crime-ridden neighbourhood” and “Harry’s girl is (almost) straight outta Compton: Gang-scarred home of her mother revealed – so will he be dropping by for tea?” seen all over British tabloids. In fact, Prince Harry called out the “racial undertones” of the media coverage back in 2016 well before discussing the “colonial undertones” in the new interview.
Although the duchess explained that “rude and racist are not the same” in the interview, it doesn’t seem like the British media understands what that means. This was made painfully obvious during an interview with Ian Murray, the executive director of the Society of Editors, where he was asked about the racist coverage of the duchess. Despite the news anchor’s repeated questions and countless examples of racist headlines, Murray refused to accept that the British press was racist.
However, the lack of accountability and complete denial aren’t entirely surprising considering the bombshell that the Sussexes dropped during the CBS interview. According to the couple, members within the Royal Family were concerned about “how dark [their baby’s] skin might be when he’s born.”
Those who say that today’s world is equal and that racism is a thing of the past only have to look at the vile examples set by the media – one British publication even went as far as to say that “seventy years ago, Meghan Markle would have been the kind of woman the Prince would have had for a mistress, not a wife.”
Global Response
While the Sussexes have received widespread support in North America, 47% of Britons thought of their interview as “inappropriate.” Additionally, when asked about how much sympathy they had for the couple after the interview, 23% of people said, “not very much” and 33% replied with “not at all.” In an interview that detailed racism, sexism, and the account of a woman brought to the verge of suicide, these answers are very telling.
With alleged racism within the institution of the British monarchy and the cold reception of the interview from the British public, it is clear that a lot of work needs to be done before these matters can be rectified.
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