The British royal family is the subject of recent debate after Duchess Meghan Markle and Prince Harry appeared on a Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) special with Oprah Winfrey and answered questions about their time with the royal family, including the reasoning behind their decision to step back from their official royal duties. Following the interview’s broadcast, controversy was ignited around the world, with many people questioning whether the mistreatment, and racially motivated discrimination against the couple was true. Some think that Meghan was over exaggeration, and used this opportunity to gaslight the royal family and create a name for herself. However, it took great courage for Prince Harry and Markle to share their experiences with racism, and instead of trying to dissect their statements, people should listen to what they have to say.

Many Miramonte students watched the interview; according to a poll taken on The Mirador’s instagram account, 44 percent of student respondents watched the interview. And many have their own opinions on the situation. Including the denial of protection for former Duchess Meghan Markle which was a major reason for the couple’s departure from their duties. When Meghan and Harry married in 2018, the English tabloids seemed to single her out and critique her every action, but the royal family did nothing to defend her or her name. The family should have shut down the clearly racist coverage to protect Markle from the unfair and cruel media coverage. Those who argue that the family doesn’t have the right to shut down the press should remember that when rumors of Prince William infidelity to his wife, Kate Middleton, surfaced in the tabloids in 2019, the family swiftly shut down the acquisition and swept it under the rug. Clearly, Meghan was unimportant to the family, and her name being tainted by the press was of no significance to them. 

The couple begged for assistance and protection as the media’s coverage became worse, but they were turned down every time. “I find it hard to believe that the royal family wouldn’t give Meghan protection for no reason; there must have been some other aspect to why they wouldn’t protect her from the media. It is honestly disappointing that the family did this; there is a clear bias against Meghan,” junior Nora Liu said. 

Meghan stated in the interview that the media’s constant attack on her had a significant impact on her mental health, to the point where she considered suicide. The public criticism she received left  draining and detrimental effects on Meghan, and the fact that she sought assistance from her family and expressed her concerns only to be dismissed is a clear red flag in and of itself. “I think it’s really weird that the family wouldn’t even say anything about how the media’s coverage of Meghan was obviously racist.  The fact that they are royals to an extensive amount of ethnicities and aren’t even able to stand up for someone in their own family paints a bad picture of them,” sophomore Charlie Burke said. It’s difficult to say if they didn’t give Meghan protection because of racial factors, but there doesn’t appear to be any rationale for this decision. Prince Harry and Meghan allegedly asked the family for further protection when they received death threats, but were promptly turned away. The family even went as far as to say that all of the royals also had to undergo these things, as if discrediting the couple’s experience. It is clear that the family wasn’t concerned about the health or safety of the two. 

Following the birth of Meghan and Harry’s  first child, Archie, the royal family announced that the child wouldn’t be receiving a title. The family released a statement that Meghan and Harry wanted to let their child have a normal life. However, in the interview, Meghan stated that the family actually refused to give him a title, and relayed information that they were worried about how dark the baby’s skin would be. “I was shocked when I heard this part of the interview; I really didn’t think that in 2021 there would still be such an apparent issue of racism everywhere you go. I’m not sure if the statements are true or not, but it seems like the royal family needs to pull their act together, because all the evidence is pointing against them,” freshman Michelle Bradley said. Since the duchess is biracial, the royal family allegedly brought up concerns to Prince Harry regarding the child’s skin color. Meghan alluded to the fact that their child would be denied the right to be a prince in the future because of these concerns. 

The issue of race in the royal family appears to be a major one. First, the family didn’t shut down obviously racist coverage against Meghan, and second, they were concerned about how dark Archie would be. The family’s decision to not give Archie a title and refuse the possibility of giving him a title in the future for no apparent reason appears suspicious.

Overall, the interview seemed very genuine and raw, and the bravery with which the two came forward and shared their stories was inspiring. Considering that Harry is a part of the royal family, it doesn’t seem reasonable to say these things with malicious intent. Harry even stated that he wanted to get Meghan and Archie out of the toxic family  because it was beginning to resemble Princess Diana’s tragic situation when her marriage to Charles, the Prince of Wales, began to crumble. The interview was heartbreaking and raw, but Harry and Meghan’s  mannerisms and the way they relayed the information seemed believable. At this point, it appears that the evidence is stacked against the royals.