Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview this past month has the world stirring with controversy as they shared their personal experiences with racism by the royal family and insensitivity from the British press.
The interview aired March 7 on CBS led by talk show host Oprah Winfrey. The interview was not monetized, and no topic was off limits for questioning, making it highly anticipated among the public with 17.1 million people tuning in live. The interview walked the audience through Meghan’s struggles through various phases of her childhood and married life.
Meghan explained some of the struggles she personally encountered after her wedding to Harry—the first being the defamatory media. After Meghan and Harry had come out as a couple, she explained that the tabloids were relentlessly racist towards her.
Markle also stated she quickly came to understand that the royal family was “willing to lie to protect other members of the family, but they weren’t willing to tell the truth to protect [her] and [her] husband.” She further referenced how the media villainized Meghan for allegedly making Princess Kate cry. The royal family did not accept or refute these claims.
The constant false allegations and scrutiny from the media not only resulted in a cold shoulder from the family but allegedly also took a severe toll on Meghan’s mental health.
She opened up to feeling suicidal stating, saying “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was very clear and real and frightening.”
The last revelatory statement was regarding Meghan’s unborn baby as she revealed that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when born,” leading the couple to believe it could have influenced the royal family’s decision not to grant Archie, their son, a royal title and security.
In the days following the explosive interview, social media was ablaze with opinions.
Americans generally sided alongside the couple. Recent statistics on Morning Consult poll read that, “of 2,200 U.S. adults pre-interview and 838 post-interview found the share with a favorable view of Markle surged from 45% to 67% following the Oprah interview.” Harry’s popularity on this survey also increased from 46% to 69%. Many Americans took to social media platforms to advocate for Meghan’s mental health and support her for coming forth with her story.
On the contrary, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s popularity in the U.K. fell to a new low after they expressed their grievances about the royal family. A YouGov’s poll reported that Meghan Markel decreased in net favorability by 27%, “with 31% of Britons having a positive opinion of her and 58% viewing her negatively.” As for Prince Harry, his rating has hit a negative number for the first time, where 48% of U.K. citizens view him negatively. YouGov also reported that in total, 33% of British people surveyed said harbored “no sympathy at all” for the couple.
Despite opinions regarding the interview and royal family being disputed around the world, Meghan and Harry’s blunt answers and claims have been sweeping the world, shedding light on the potential issues of race and privilege within the royal monarchy.
Article by Inaya Siddiqi of Clarksburg High School
Photo courtesy of the New Zealand Office of the Governor-General via a CC BY 4.0 License
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