Which Royal Family Member Commented on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Son’s Skin Color? The Internet Has Theories
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Susssex have been the topic of much media hand-wringing since the moment their relationship went public, but the explosive interview they just gave with Oprah has definitely been one of the most dramatic moments of their entire public controversy.
When Prince Harry and Meghan made the decision to step away from the British royal family and their official duties, they caused quite a stir across the globe. Dubbed “Megxit,” much of the blame for the dramatic departure was placed at Markle’s feet. Meanwhile, her supporters pointed to the racist and unfair treatment she faced from the British press and applauded her ability to keep her family safe.
The interview with Oprah gave the famous couple a chance to set the record straight and open up about some of the deeply personal moments that went into the historic decision to break free from royal life.
Among the most shocking revelations is that Markle faced racist comments not just from the press but also from within the Royal Family itself. When she revealed that some family members speculated what skin tone baby Archie would have, she diplomatically did not name any names — but the internet has theories.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed comments about Archie’s skin color
There is plenty to talk about from the Oprah interview, which had already caused reports that the royal family was nervous about what would be revealed even before it aired. There has long been speculation that Meghan and Prince Harry’s departure came amidst tension within the family as well as the unkind treatment from the public.
Since the royal protocol is to keep things that happen within the family intensely private, any confirmation of these tensions would be a troubling state of affairs — especially for the queen.
When Meghan revealed that some members of the family had expressed “concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie’s] skin might be when he’s born,” it was certainly a shocking revelation. As People reports, Oprah has made it clear that Prince Harry said the comments did not come from the Queen or Prince Philip, but that still leaves a lot of possibilities.
Colorism has a long and troubling history
Colorism is a specific kind of prejudice that ascribes positive attributes to lighter skin and negative attributes to darker skin. Historically, colorism has been used as a way to sort people into categories that then allow access to certain jobs, social statuses, and visible positions.
It has been a particularly ugly part of American history that has persisted over decades, but it is not limited to the U.S. As TIME describes, “Colorism is a societal ill felt in many places all around the world, including Latin America, East and Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and Africa.”
For a member of the royal family to voice “concern” about Archie’s skin color because of his mixed-race ancestry, whoever made the comments was tapping into a long and painful history of racism and discrimination.
Internet sleuths have theories about source of racist comments
While Prince Harry and Meghan refused to name the commenter, that hasn’t stopped the internet from lighting up with possibilities. Knowing that the queen and Prince Philip are in the clear, many fans turned their attention on other members of the immediate family, namely Prince William and Prince Charles.
“It was probably William or Charles calling themselves concerned with that baby’s skin color,” one user wrote.
Some are being cautious with their accusations, noting that no one knows for sure. Others feel very confident that they know the culprit. One user took to Twitter to say that “CHARLES DID IT.”
That seems to be a common suspicion, but others have considered Prince Harry’s brother, Prince William, as well.
While there are certainly other members of the sprawling royal family’s vast connections who could have made the disturbing comments, many believe that it has to be someone fairly close to the couple in order for it to have impacted them so seriously. The Internet appears to have concluded that Prince William and Prince Charles seem like the most likely candidates to many who are following the story, but it could be multiple members of the family.
That said, there’s no hard evidence suggesting one or the other. When asked by Oprah, Meghan declined to answer which royal was responsible for this nature of conversation saying “that would be very damaging to them.”
When pressed by Oprah, Prince Harry also declined to comment. “That conversation, I am never going to share,” he said. “At the time, it was awkward, I was a bit shocked.”
