Kate Williams: The behaviour towards Meghan shows Britain learned nothing from Princess Diana's treatment
NB: What is it with the UK tabloid press + royalty's obsession with skin colour? They seem demented. But who are we to talk, with our pet paranoia about caste pollution or religious identity. What part of the media works to heal the scars, rather than pour salt on them? DS
The story of modern royalty might go something like this: once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman who met a prince. They married, and everyone said it would bring the royal family into the future. The young boy who suffered after the terrible death of his mother seemed to have finally found happiness. But the racist and sexist media coverage of his wife increased, and after she became pregnant, it only grew worse. So they decided to leave the country.
And now Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have told their story. What we saw in their interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired last night on CBS and will tonight be shown on ITV, was a series of bombshells. Under Oprah’s expert and insistent questioning, Meghan and Harry spoke of animosity, racism and a dearth of support from the “firm”. We learned that Meghan experienced a severe mental health crisis while she was pregnant, but was denied support because it would make the royal family look bad. When Harry asked the palace to use its existing relationship with the tabloids to “call the dogs off”, he was told “this is how it is”.
Most alarming of all were revelations of racism towards their son, Archie, the first child of colour to be born into the succession….
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/08/harry-meghan-oprah-winfrey-royal-british-
This is not just a crisis for the royal family – but for Britain itself
