The second time Americans destroyed the Brits by spilling the tea
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the “tell-all” interview Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry did with Oprah Winfrey recently. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex divulged to an audience of over 29 million people several shocking revelations about “the institution” (also known as “the firm” — this organization is the business side of the Royal Family) that sent the British monarchy’s reputation into a tailspin.
This isn’t the first time Harry and Meghan have sent shock waves through the masses. They stepped down from their roles as senior members of the Royal Family in January 2020 and moved to the Commonwealth nation of Canada, later settling in California. The media dubbed the move as “Megxit” and widely portrayed Meghan as a villain who broke up the Royal Family. In this most recent interview, Meghan got the chance to advocate for herself and her family.
The British tabloids and media have been harassing Meghan with racist statements since she first started dating Prince Harry, running headlines saying she is “straight outta Compton.” Six months after her wedding, the British media began to create a rift between Meghan and her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. Using scandalous headlines and stories they would villainize and bully Meghan, holding her to a different standard than Middleton, often with racist undertones for the purpose of what Meghan believed was a “character assasination.”
Meghan, a fierce advocate for women’s rights from an early age and the only self-made female millionaire in the Royal Family, said she was “silenced” for four years in exchange for protection from the institution. “The firm” controlled when and why she left the house in an attempt to control her image, which bred loneliness and isolation. However, the Royal Family never showed public support for Meghan or rebuked the colonial undertones of the articles or headlines that were published about her.
It was then revealed that during Meghan’s pregnancy with her first son, Archie, the first Black person to be in the line of succession for the crown, would not be given the title of “Prince,” which came without explanation. This part of the interview really affirms that this is only one side of the story, and it pieced together what Meghan was told by her husband and in casual conversations with other family members. Meghan was not concerned over the title of “Prince,” but more so the protection (ie. security) that would come with it.
One explanation as to why Archie would not be called “Prince” may have to do with the several “awkward” conversations between an unnamed member of the Royal Family and Prince Harry over how dark Archie’s skin would be. This was certainly the spin Oprah wanted the interview to take. Even though Archie is not technically qualified to hold this title at birth due to some fine print from a letter written over 100 years ago, the Queen is always entitled to give Archie the title of Prince, as she did to Prince William’s two youngest children in 2012.
What makes this comment so troubling is that we don’t know who said it — although it was later confirmed by Oprah that it was neither Queen Elizabeth nor her husband Prince Philip. This means that this comment regarding a baby’s skin tone could have come from Prince Charles or Prince William, both future Kings. Do we want someone who said something so damaging to their reputation that they cannot be named to be the head of Canada along with all the other Commonwealth countries?
“Growing up as a woman of colour, as a little girl of colour, I know how important representation is. I know how you want to see someone who looks like you in certain positions,” said Meghan, who was clearly puzzled as to why the Royals would treat their first Black heir in this way when 60-70 per cent of the British Commonwealth is made up of people of colour.
The monarchy will not admit to being racist, as Prince William stated to a reporter a few days after the interview aired, but they certainly remained silent and did nothing to protect Harry or Meghan from the damaging effects of the barrage of racist British tabloids. By leaving the Royal Family, Prince Harry fled from the same paparazzi and media attention that essentially caused the death of his mother out of fear of history repeating itself.
You may be asking, “Why should I care about the Royal Family?” Although Canada is a fully independent nation, we are still a member of the Commonwealth and a former colony of the British Crown. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state under the Canadian Constitution. The Crown is represented in parliament at the federal level by the Governor General, currently Julie Payette, who holds the highest position in Parliament, above the prime minister of Canada. While the Queen and her representative hold mostly ceremonial powers, we are still under the finger of a racist, colonial ruler who even harbours pedophiles.
The main job of the Royal Family is to attend public engagements — over 2,000 a year. Some engagements are official State responsibilities, such as diplomatic trips to the Commonwealth, and others are smaller gatherings like receptions and garden parties. Obviously these people have incredible influence and rub shoulders with the most powerful people from around the world. Don’t we want them to do more than just smile, wave, and make polite conversation? Shouldn’t those who hold positions of high power not be silent on major world issues but instead stand up for the rights of the oppressed and marginalized? Such as when Diana shook the hand of an AIDS patient in 1987, a time when AIDS patients were shunned and stigmatized because the public believed that the disease could be contracted through touch.
The Crown issued a prompt response to the interview in a statement that said the following: “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.”
There were several shocking statements in the interview, but I was most disturbed by the deafening silence of what was not said. The Royal Family needs people like Meghan and Harry to keep the monarchy from becoming an outdated and irrelevant institution. We must stop romanticizing the monarchy and brushing aside their faults while justifying their traditions. We need to demand more of them as we would any political leader or person in great power. There is no room in the world today for a bigoted family who lives in a bubble of privilege yet holds such power.
Royal Tea. (The Cascade)
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.