Prince Harry Admits He Was ‘Guilty’ of ‘Stereotyping’ Meghan Markle in ITV Interview
TL;DR:
- In a Jan. 8 interview, Prince Harry said Meghan Markle’s fame led to ‘a lot of stereotyping” among royals, himself included.
- He admitted to being “guilty” of stereotyping Meghan Markle “in the beginning.”
- Prince Harry previously said in Harry & Meghan that Meghan Markle’s acting career “clouded” his family’s “judgment more than anything else.”
Prince Harry confessed he, along with the royal family, were “guilty” of stereotyping Meghan Markle. In the first of multiple TV interviews ahead of Spare’s release, the Duke of Sussex shared “there was a lot of stereotyping that was happening.” What stereotypes he said the Duchess of Sussex had put on her, plus how the Duchess of Sussex’s acting career “clouded” the royal family’s “judgment,” ahead.
Prince Harry ITV interview: Meghan Markle’s fame resulted in ‘a lot of stereotyping’ among the royal family
Speaking to friend and journalist Tom Bradby in a pre-recorded ITV interview that aired in the U.K. on Jan. 8, Harry recalled introducing Meghan to the royal family. And, specifically, how her being a famous American actor led to “a lot of stereotyping.”
“I don’t think they [Prince William and Kate Middleton] were ever expecting me to get … into a relationship with someone like Meghan who had, you know, a very successful career,” Harry said (via ITV).
“There was a lot of stereotyping that was happening, that I was guilty of as well, at the beginning,” he continued. Harry, 38, also noted how it created a “barrier” to his family “welcoming” Meghan.
When Harry and Meghan started dating in 2016 (they had their first date in July of that year) Meghan had already been starring as Rachel Zane on Suits.
Asked to share the stereotypes that were put on Meghan, Harry replied with, “American actress, divorced, biracial.”
Prince Harry ITV interview: There’s a ‘tendency’ of ‘living in the tabloid bubble’
Continuing to discuss stereotypes as they related to Meghan’s entrance into the royal family, Harry suggested some royals may find themselves in the “tabloid bubble.”
“There’s all different parts to that and what that can mean,” he began, referring to the “American actress, divorced, biracial” stereotypes. “But if you are, like a lot of my family do, if you are reading the press, the British tabloids, at the same time as living the life, then there is a tendency where you could actually end up living in the tabloid bubble rather than the actual reality,” he said.
In an excerpt of Spare obtained by The Guardian, Harry reportedly recounted how Prince William had “parrot[ed] the press narrative,” calling Meghan “abrasive,” “difficult,” and “rude” before an alleged physical attack in 2019.
Prince Harry previously said Meghan Markle’s acting career ‘clouded’ the royal family’s judgment ‘more than anything else’
Harry discussed Meghan’s acting career and how it seemed to influence his family’s opinion of her in their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan.
“I remember my family first meeting her and being incredibly impressed,” Harry said (via Express). “Some of them didn’t quite know what to do with themselves. Because, I think, they were surprised. They were surprised that a ginger could land such a beautiful woman and such an intelligent woman.”
The Duke of Sussex continued, saying Meghan’s acting career “clouded their judgment.”
“But the fact I was dating an American actress was probably what clouded their judgment more than anything else at the beginning, ‘Oh she’s an American actress; this won’t last,’” Harry said.
Also in the docuseries, Meghan called career — the “actress thing” — the royal family’s “biggest problem” with her “funnily enough.”
“There is a big idea of what that looks like from the U.K. standpoint,” she said, referring to “Hollywood.” “And it’s just very easy for them to typecast that,” Meghan said.
Meghan, now 41, stepped away from acting when she married Prince Harry.
Spare’s global release is Jan. 10.
