#Megxit and the Racism of British Media
The Royal Family has received much coverage in the last few weeks—for better or worse. To the Queen’s frustration, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have left the Royal Family to pursue their own endeavors. However, this decision is not disappointing. It’s expected.
Meghan Markle has faced comparisons to Kate Middleton ever since her relationship with Prince Harry was announced. For example, when the Daily Mail, a British tabloid, wrote about Kate holding her baby bump, the headline read, “Not long to go! Pregnant Kate tenderly cradles her baby bump while wrapping up her royal duties ahead of maternity leave—and William confirms she's due ‘any minute now.’” But the report on Markle’s baby bump was more antagonizing. “Why can't Meghan Markle keep her hands off her bump? Experts tackle the question that has got the nation talking: Is it pride, vanity, acting—or a New Age bonding technique?”
The differences between these headlines explicitly show the ways that the press treat Middleton and Markle differently. So it’s no surprise that Meghan would want to leave the family. After all, she has received different treatment because she is an outsider. Not only is she American, she’s also biracial.
Members of the press have highlighted the racial discrepancies between the two royals in unsavory ways, to say the least.
Last May, according to the New York Times, a member of the BBC Live Radio took to Twitter and compared Meghan and Harry’s son, Archie, to a monkey. He tweeted a picture of two white people holding hands with a monkey and tried to compare it with a shot of Harry and Meghan holding their son hours after presenting their newborn to the world.
The BBC employee tried to explain himself. “Once again. Sincere apologies for the stupid unthinking gag pic earlier,” he said. “Was supposed to be a joke about Royals vs circus animals in posh clothes but interpreted as about monkeys & race, so rightly deleted.” This presenter was consequently fired, but this firing cannot negate the lasting effects of his tweet.
There have been many more instances like these—incidents that reach down to either Markle’s nationality or her race. The Daily Mail has done little to hide its blatant racism. They wondered if Markle grew up “gang-scarred” in Los Angeles. “EXCLUSIVE: Harry's girl is (almost) straight outta Compton: Gang-scarred home of her mother revealed—so will he be dropping by for tea?” the headline read.
The Washington Post connects this phenomenon to the racists remarks of Boris Johnson, the new British Prime Minister, arguing that it has become more and more difficult for the press to hide their racist values. I completely agree. The racism and elitism that runs deep through the country’s veins proves exactly why Harry and Meghan should want to leave.
These are only a few of the countless headlines painting Meghan as a gold-digging social-climber, only with Harry for her own benefit and not because she is actually invested in their relationship. The press seems to only focus on the so-called “bad” parts of Markle, such as her race, home and occupation, though they are not bad at all.
Consequently, when the couple announced that they were leaving the Royal Family, all of the blame was placed solely on Markle. The media seems to pity Prince Harry for having to deal with Markle’s “woke” views and her drama. Another Daily Mail headline read: “Once Prince Harry was the life and soul of the party, so how did he go from a fun loving bloke... to Prince of Woke?” If a tabloid has the opportunity to antagonize Markle, they take it. Whether it is because of her rise from actress to Dutchess or because of her race, it is no question that the press has capitalised on any “problem” they’ve found with her.
As mentioned before, the British press are incredibly racist and elitist. Though perhaps filtered through social media and the press itself, it’s clear that the saga has left quite the impact on the couple. But the press continues to deny that it has a problem—Piers Morgan, a British broadcaster, even went as far to say that claims of racism didn’t factor into her treatment. “This ‘It's all racism' defence of Meghan is so wrong and such a disgraceful smear on the British people who welcomed our first mixed-race royal with huge enthusiasm. Her racial background is not why she's been criticised,” he said.
A GQ article analyzes this quote, explaining that statements such as these simply try to hide the double-standards that were placed on Markle—ones that royals like Kate never had to face. His statement is the perfect example of a British society that ignores and marginalizes conversations of race.
As I mentioned in the beginning, the Queen and those British people who are disappointed by Harry and Meghan’s decision should not be. With the extremely harsh treatment of Markle by the press and the blatant racism that people of color experience in the UK, this decision should come as no surprise. Who would want to be in an environment where they are constantly scrutinized and judged for their every move?