On March 7, Duchess Meghan Markle revealed the truth behind the tabloid news regarding the drama with the British royal family, The Windsors.
As a duchess, Markle symbolizes the new wave of royals. However, it seems as though she did not realize the amount of attention that comes with the role. While it seemed like Markle lived in a fairy tale from an American point of view; in reality, she was a media punching bag in Britain. Moreover, many of her identities, such as being mixed-race and American, often came into question by a lot of people. She is the victim of double-standard, racism and xenophobia.
As a fanatic of both Netflix’s “The Crown” and Markle, I concluded the history has been repeated on two counts: sibling disputes and treatment of outsiders.
Throughout Britain’s history, the drama between the first in line and second in line has always been a trend—from Edward VIII’s rivalry with George VI to the conflict between Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, and now Prince William’s dispute with Duke Harry.
It is no surprise controversy continued after this history since tensions within the line of succession can be expected. No matter how much the understudy wants to do the work, the lead has no choice but to sideline them.
Speaking of sovereignty, many critics think Prince Harry and Markle have betrayed their country and the crown. As a citizen of a country with a monarch, I can understand and somewhat relate to their reaction. Sovereignty is one of the core values within my country, Thailand, and many others, despite American’s opinions on the issue.
Moreover, Queen Elizabeth’s journey is not short of empowering moments. In many situations, such as this particular issue with Markle, her hands were tied. Being a matriarch of her family does not pardon her of the duty to the people of Great Britain. She has to prioritize the crown over her responsibilities as a wife and a mother, always and forever.
If you’ve been wondering why they haven’t done anything with Prince Andrew’s allegations, it might be in part because he’s her favorite child.
Now that the viral interview has been aired globally, the Dutch and Dutchess’ agenda has been pushed to an extent in which Queen Elizabeth II has to send out a public statement.
Some people who might remember the interview of Edward the VIII and his American wife Wallace Simpson regarding his abdication may compare it with this interview. It is easy for many to say that airing an interview of dirty laundry is an American tendency.
If you ignore Edward’s connection with the Nazis, the two couples seem to have a thing or two in common. Of course, both Harry and Edward married American divorcee women. Also, they choose love over duty, which is hard for the royals to do. Edward did abdicate the throne for his wife after all.
There is no doubt Markle was treated horribly. From denying security to questioning her child’s skin color, the institution wanted to tear down her dignity little by little.
There are precedents for this. Every outsider that marries into the family has to get approval from the senior members. It is remaining to be seen if this is still the case with Meghan.
Comparing Princess Diana to Markle, their experiences were similar. The family and the institution did not help and support them. However, Markle had the support of her husband and Diana did not have Prince Charles by her side. Additionally, there is the issue of racism layers on top of the anxiety that comes with being an outsider for Markle.
Every institution has failed us for one important reason: they failed to grow and evolve together with all of us.
Regardless, I doubt the royal family will go anywhere soon. Not only are they the most popular royals in the world, but they are one of the main attractions of England. Similar to Donald Trump, the royals are media cash cows. Although, when Trump was in charge, tourists probably tried to avoid America.
