A year after “Megxit”, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, caused a new global shock wave in March 2021. The actress, now 42 years old, reported racist remarks made by those close to the Crown, shortly before Archie’s birth. Since then, the controversy surrounding racist remarks within the Crown has been regularly fueled. In recent days, the name of one of the accused was even revealed in the Dutch translation of End of reign, the new book by the royal biographer and chronicler Omid Scobie. If you haven’t followed everything, Gala.fr offers you a catch-up session in seven episodes.
1. Meghan Markle denounces racist remarks to Oprah Winfrey
The controversy began on March 8, 2021. In the evening, an interview with Meghan Markle and Harry, granted to the famous American journalist Oprah Winfrey, was broadcast on television. In addition to her past suicidal thoughts, the actress has also come forward with accusations of racism against the British royal family. She said she was informed, by her husband and before the birth of her first child, Archie, “concerns and conversations about whether how black his skin will be when he is born“. Oprah Winfrey then asked him if the people in question were worried that the baby was going to be “too dark”. “If that’s the assumption you’re making, I think you’re not taking a risk.”replied Meghan Markle, whose father is white and mother black.
The day after the interview, after the excitement caused by this revelation, Oprah Winfrey provided clarification in the show CBS This Morning: “Prince Harry wanted to make sure I knew […] that this was neither his grandmother nor his grandfather who had expressed concerns about the color of their baby’s skin.
2. Elizabeth II reacts to the controversy
On March 9, 2021, the day after the shock interview was broadcast on British screens, an official press release from Buckingham Palace put an end to the Queen’s silence. “The whole family is saddened to learn how difficult the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan”we could read there. “The questions raised, particularly that of race, are of concern. Although some recollections differ, they are taken very seriously and will be treated privately by the family.”, had also been added. Her Majesty Elizabeth II also promised to keep the Sussexes close to her heart: “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”
3. Prince William responds to accusations of racism
On March 11, 2021, during an official appearance in east London, Prince William unexpectedly reacted to accusations of racism raised by Meghan Markle. “We are absolutely not a racist family“, he declared, alongside Kate Middleton. The Duke of Cambridge also expressed his intention to speak soon with his brother Harry. An unexpected intervention which was then welcomed by Elizabeth II.
4. Princess Anne at the heart of first suspicions
At the beginning of April 2021, Lady Colin Campbell, a British aristocrat and author of numerous books on the Crown, indicated that Princess Anne would be the person targeted by the Sussexes, according to her information. But, Prince Harry would have misinterpreted his words. “Harry got it into his head that the slightest allusion to culture was a reference to skin color. Anne worried about the catastrophic consequences of having someone of that caliber, in terms of personality, arrive in the family. For her, this would cause problems for everyonebut also to the child born from this union”, declared the writer in a podcast.
5. Charles III and Camilla also accused!
At the end of 2021, Charles III, then prince, also saw his name attached to these accusations of racism within the Crown. “I wonder what the kids will be like. (…) I mean, in your opinion, what will be the complexion of their children?“, would have asked Archie’s grandfather, during a conversation with Camilla, reported in a work by Christopher Andersen. The name of Camilla Parker Bowles was also put forward by Tom Bower, in his book entitled Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war with the Windsors, got out in July 2022. But, the information was quickly denied.
6. Meghan and Harry persist and sign on Netflix
In one of the episodes of the documentary series dedicated to Meghan and Harry, available on Netflix in December 2022, the treatment judged “racist” from the British press with regard to the actress is mentioned. The couple also regrets the royal family’s incomprehension in the face of a request for increased security around Meghan Markle, due to her origins. There would therefore exist, according to Harry, “bias [raciste] unconscious’ within the Windsor familywhich would prevent her from understanding why her fiancée, then his wife, finds herself in a particularly vulnerable position, particularly vis-à-vis the media.wrote our colleagues from World. Furthermore, the resignation of a lady-in-waiting of Queen Elizabeth II, godmother of Prince William, accused of having engaged in racist behavior during a reception at Buckingham Palace, gave food for thought to the Sussexes.
7. Two people are accused of racism by Meghan Markle
According to Omid Scobie, in his book entitled End of reign, and published this Tuesday, November 28, 2023, Meghan Markle reportedly sent several letters to his father-in-law, Charles III, then Prince of Wales. In these, Archie and Lilibet’s mother would mention two members of the Royal Household, linked to accusations of racist remarks that she would have received. If Omid Scobie did not explicitly reveal these names, it could be a member of the Windsors but also people who work for them.
Omid Scobie, a royal biographer close to Meghan Markle, also claims to have more information on the accusations of racism made by the Sussexes. “I know who made the comments on Archie’s skin color”he notably boasted in the American show Good Morning. But, the writer chose not to reveal this name in End of reign. However, it would be found written in black and white in the Dutch translation of the book, indicated our colleagues from Sun. A new element which has not gone unnoticed by the British people…
Photo credits: Backgrid USA / Bestimage