Queen Elizabeth and Royal Family Are Scared of Meghan Markle for 1 Big Reason
Some of the biggest news out of the royal family in recent history has hit: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry are stepping back from their duties as senior royals. They aspire to live a more independent and private life in Canada.
The decision, which has been nicknamed “Megxit,” brings light to an issue the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have long been dealing with as a constant source of frustration and pain: the racist and sexist treatment of Meghan by the British media.
British media coverage of Meghan Markle is sexist and racist
Meghan has had a tough go of the spotlight since the moment the media found out about her relationship with Prince Harry. There seems to be no end to what the media will do to portray her in a negative light, from nitpicking how she dresses to finding fault with every perceived royal faux pas she supposedly commits.
Meghan can’t even eat avocados without experiencing the ire of the British press. This is not an exaggeration.
An actual headline from Express once read: “Meghan Markle’s beloved avocado linked to human rights abuse and drought, millennial shame.” This from the very same media outlet that applauded Prince William giving Kate, Duchess of Cambridge avocados as a morning sickness cure.
Other headlines include “Harry’s girl is (almost) straight outta Compton,” “Why can’t Meghan Markle keep her hands off her bump?” and “My memo to Meghan Markle following her Vogue editorial – we Brits prefer true royalty to fashion royalty.”
That last headline was by Daily Mail’s Sarah Vine, who just a month prior had praised Kate Middleton as a “style guru.”
The content of the articles often goes even further than the headlines
In the time of clickbait, it’d be tempting to assume the headlines are as bad as it gets when it comes to reporting on Meghan, but unfortunately, the content of the articles is even worse than their flashy headlines. In a Daily Mail piece titled “Sorry Harry, but your beautiful bolter has failed my Mum Test,” writer Rachel Johnson casts herself as a stand-in for Prince Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana.
In a completely unasked for the diatribe, she claims she has “done her due diligence” and that Meghan’s divorce is a “red line for a future mother-in-law.” She also describes Meghan as having “exotic DNA” and describes Markle’s mother as “a dreadlocked African-American lady from the wrong side of the tracks.”
There is far too much to unpack in that one piece alone, and Meghan has been judged in such a harsh way for years. One reporter, Danny Baker of the BBC, even tweeted “Royal Baby leaves hospital” with a photo of a chimpanzee. He, at least, lost his job and deleted the tweet.
What does the royal family think about Megxit?
Sunday Times reports suggest Queen Elizabeth is only supportive of Meghan and Prince Harry’s exit due to fears of being called “racist and sexist.” Tom Bradby reportedly claims that Queen Elizabeth is worried Meghan will hold a “no-holds-barred interview” and accuse the royal family of sexism and racism.
“I don’t think it would be pretty,” Bradby said.
That said, the queen’s official statement is in part this: “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
Prince William is also sad to see them go, especially his brother, saying: “I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do that anymore; we’re separate entities. I’m sad about that. All we can do, and all I can do, is try and support them and hope that the time comes when we’re all singing from the same page.”
Unfortunately, Meghan is already having a tough go of it in her new life in Canada. Reporters there are already starting to spy on the young mother, photographing her with long-range lenses as she spends time with her son, Archie.
This marks the crossing of a line in the same that British reporters stayed clear of. Despite taking a step back from life as a royal, it remains to be seen if Meghan will ever have the peace she seeks again.
