Battle Royal: Harry and Meghan Spill the Racist Beans

America, or at least Twitter, was enthralled with Oprah’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Among the bombshells, they allege the race and skin tone of their child Archie was a topic of concern among members of the royal family.

Summary

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle gave an interview to Oprah, which aired last night, in which the royal couple allege racist remarks among royal family members and complain about unfair media coverage.

• In the interview, Meghan, who is biracial, recounted conversations among royal family members about the skin tone of their child.
• Prince Harry said he was surprised he was “cut off” financially from the royal family when he and Meghan decided to move to the United States.
• Harry said he felt “trapped” in the royal family, alleging his brother Prince William and his father Prince Charles feel the same.
• According to Meghan, “the misery of being a working royal” led to her considering suicide.
• In what the press framed as a “pre-buttall” to the interview, Queen Elizabeth addressed the Kingdom and Commonwealth on Commonwealth Day, stressing the importance of family and staying in communication with them in the trying times of coronavirus.
• This is the second time in less than 100 years a royal marriage to an American caused a major rift in the British royal family, the first being the abdication of the throne by Edward VIII to marry Wallis Simpson.

• Huffington Post’s coverage emphasized the allegation of racism within the royal family over the skin color of Harry and Meghan’s child. Neither named the individual who made the remarks.
• The New York Times also led with the bombshells around race and Meghan’s suicidal thoughts, while comparing the interview to the Netflix series “The Crown.”
• CNN reporter and British person Richard Quest reacted to the interview, saying “it’s devastating for the royal family.”

• The Daily Mail reported on most of the same claims, but added an interesting nugget from Meghan: “When I joined that family, that was the last time I saw my passport, my driving license, my keys – all of that gets turned over.”
• The blog RedState poked fun at the interview and Americans’ obsession over it, jokingly suggesting Meghan Markle was an American operative sent in undercover to undermine the royal family.
• Newsmax covered the Queen’s remarks for Commonwealth Day, highlighting her message of unity “a few hours before” Harry’s and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.

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© Dallas Gerber, 2021