On Sunday, March 7th, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spoke with Oprah Winfrey in an exclusive CBS interview that exposed a dark side of the royal family.  The worldwide reaction was paramount, as millions of people were glued to their TV watching the riveting discussion. 

Meghan spoke up about her experiences since marrying into the family nearly three years ago; her statements sparked ubiquitous conversations in the following weeks, with some audiences siding with Meghan, and others with the royal family. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had no choice but to step down from royal duties in March 2020 and move to the United States to create a new life for their family. Since then, they have faced backlash from both the press and the royal family itself. 

During the interview, Harry revealed that he no longer speaks with his father and that the relationship with his brother, Prince William, has grown tense. Yet, this couple’s story is not one of defiance but of bravery against an outdated institution and a society of racism.

Meghan revealed how the royal family treated her after marrying Prince Harry. Although Meghan initially thought that the royal family’s publicist would protect her from the tabloids, those British outlets soon attacked Meghan for everything she did. 

The comparisons between the coverage of Meghan and Kate were startling. When Kate was pregnant and touching her baby bump, the tabloids reported about how she is cradling her baby and heading to maternity leave. When Meghan did the same, they said that she can not keep her hands off of her bump. Meghan tried to protect herself, but she could not do so because she said she was “silenced” by the royal family. 

However, the strongest accusation revealed rampant racism. Meghan talked about how there were concerns about the skin tone of her baby. When Meghan said this, Oprah’s jaw nearly dropped. Watching this on-screen disclosure from home was unsettling. The fact that a royal family member expressed concerns about Meghan’s baby’s skin tone was appalling.

As a result, the racism in the royal family is now at the forefront of coverage. The royal family is a business, and they were concerned that race would affect their image. A spokesperson stated that the royal family will look into allegations of racism.

Meghan then divulged that since marrying into the royal family, she has struggled with her mental health. In the interview, Meghan revealed that she had been suicidal, saying, “I just did not want to be alive anymore.” She wanted to kill herself because of everything she was facing but nothing changed.

According to Meghan, she was stuck in a terrible mental place, but members of The royal family did not let her seek help. The couple had to step down as senior members of the royal family for the sake of Meghan’s well-being. 

The couple still tried to stay involved in the family, moving to Canada. However, while living in Canada, Harry’s security was revoked. This action only worsened Harry’s relationship with his family, leading him and Meghan to sever ties with his family and move to California for safety. 

Now, Meghan and Harry are happily living in California and expecting a baby girl. They have signed multimillion-dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify. Harry has a new job as a Chief Impact officer at silicon valley mental health at BetterUp. Though the two have managed to construct a new life for themselves, their lack of acceptance into the royal family reveals ugly values that the crown continues to preserve.