Harry and Meghan – The British Monarchy Still Unable To Deal with Mixed Race Union
In 2018, a lot of people were excited over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, as the new addition to the Royal Family is a product of a mixed race union. Aside from being an American, Meghan’s mother is black and her father is white. The United Kingdom has a rich history on mixed-race culture and it was only recently that the term “half-caste” in the British vocabulary was changed to “mixed race”.
Oprah Winfrey‘s interview of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has all but erased doubts that mixed race union is still not as acceptable to the British monarchy. Still, Harry and Meghan’s revelations drew mixed reactions not only from the UK audience; but worldwide as well.
Tina Brown, a known royal watcher and an experienced magazine editor, stated that the bombshell interview exploded while the British monarchy’s reputation is still hurting from the portrayal of the royal family in the Netflix’s original made-for-streaming-movie “The Crown.” Brown told CBS that Meghan Markle’s revelations about how she was barred from getting inpatient treatment for her suicidal thoughts, was similar to how the Saudi royal family handles their internal affairs.
British writer and podcaster Owen Jones who has a huge following of British youth, said in a tweet that the interview exposed the truth — not only of the English monarchy’s racist leanings, but also the fact that the institution has little or no care about suicidal tendencies either.
Nevertheless, the couple only had warm words for the queen throughout the interview with Oprah, but were frank about how the institution that Queen Elizabeth leads, gave Markle little support. The two confirmed Prince Harry’s falling-out with his father Prince Charles, saying that lately, the later has not been taking his calls. Harry stated though that he hopes to one day patch up his relationship with his father.
It’s Not Just about Meghan and Her Mixed Race Origin
Some people who were once involved with the monarchy’s institution conveyed their sympathy to Meghan Markle, including the queen’s former press secretary Charles Anson, who explained that
”It is very hard to marry into the royal family as it comes along as a new relationship and a new job as well.
The Viscountess of Hinchingbrooke, Julie Montagu, who is also American-born, mentioned in an interview that as an outsider to the British aristocracy, it was like living a marriage in an alien world. As someone who has been married to a British aristocrat for twenty years, Montagu stated that the two cultures are very different.
Popular television personality Piers Morgan was quite scathing with his words in taking side with the British monarchy and its royal traditions. Piers said that compassion is typically not expected from the British aristocracy. He rebuked the couple for throwing away everything the queen has worked for during her reign. His comment however, received an on-air and live clapback from Trisha Goddard who is a Black TV host.
After the live confrontation with Goddard who disapproved of his harsh remarks about Meghan, Piers Morgan quit his hosting job with “Good Morning Britain.”