Black Britons Know Why Meghan Markle Wants Out

[IronLionZion]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/09/opinion/meghan-markle-prince-harry.html



The British press has succeeded in its apparent project of hounding Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, out of Britain. The part it perhaps didn’t bargain for, however, is the loss of Prince Harry — a much loved royal and a key part of the family’s global brand — along with her.

In a statement released this week, the couple said they want to “carve out a progressive new role” within the royal family and will “step back as ‘senior’ members, and work to become financially independent.”

The British press reacted with surprise at the “shock move abroad,” described variously as “seismic,” “selfish,” “rogue” and “an atrocious lapse of judgment.”

If the media paid more attention to Britain’s communities of color, perhaps it would find the announcement far less surprising. With a new prime minister whose track record includes overtly racist statements, some of which would make even Donald Trump blush, a Brexit project linked to native nationalism and a desire to rid Britain of large numbers of immigrants, and an ever thickening loom of imperial nostalgia, many of us are also thinking about moving.

From the very first headline about her being “(almost) straight outta Compton” and having “exotic” DNA, the racist treatment of Meghan has been impossible to ignore. Princess Michael of Kent wore an overtly racist brooch in the duchess’s company. A BBC host compared the couple’s newborn baby to a chimpanzee. Then there was the sublimely ludicrous suggestion that Meghan’s avocado consumption is responsible for mass murder, while her charity cookbook was portrayed as somehow helping terrorists.

Those who claim frequent attacks against the duchess have nothing to do with her race have a hard time explaining these attempts to link her with particularly racialized forms of crime — terrorism and gang activity — as well as the fact that she has been most venomously attacked for acts that attracted praise when other royals did them. Her decision to guest-edit British Vogue, for example, was roundly condemned by large parts of the British media, in stark contrast to Prince Charles’s two-time guest editorship of Country Life magazine, Prince Harry’s of a BBC program and Kate Middleton’s at Huffington Post, all of which were quietly praised at the time.

[samnsara]

1. Im so glad she and Harry are getting out of that mess....

..the British press killed his mom hes not gonna let it kill his marriage.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. Like with his Great-Great Uncle David...

Who as Edward VIII, abdicated the British throne to marry the woman he loved. Prince Harry wants a regular life. He will not be King, which takes a lot of pressure off. He loves his wife and son.

Because he was born Royal, his titles cannot be stripped, unless approved by Parliment. Meghan will always be Her Grace, the Duchess of Sussex.

It is sad that others in the Royal Family and throughout Britian, have shown their racist colors towards Meghan.

[wryter2000]

16. Um...

You need to check up on Uncle David.

He wanted to be king and expected his pal Adolph to reinstate him. We can fervently thank his Hitler-loving wife for getting him off the throne, even though that was the opposite of her plan.

[Lulu KC]

32. Yup

one of those things that has been lost in the romantic tale

[BlueMTexpat]

44. True.

And thanks for pointing that out!

[DBoon]

51. Hidden history - the support for Hitler among the rich and powerful

Right up to and after the start of war

Something not well known that requires more exposure..

[Ilsa]

53. It always sounded to me like the upper crust

of British nobility, not including the king and his family, thought they were going to get to "skate" in the Third Reich. I think they believed they could make a deal with hitler to preserve their status and assets and let the rest of the common folk fight the wheel that would crush them.

[ReformedGOPer]

79. One of the tabloids campared her to Wallace Simpson.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. Great-Great Uncle David was a Nazi sympathizer,

and it was a damn good thing for Britain that he abdicated.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

40. I am aware of that......

I have read 4 books on Edward and Wallace.

I was referencing the similarlarities of Royal men and the women who captured them. Harry and Meghan are far different.

[Freddie]

54. I think a better analogy would be Princess Margaret

Who was not allowed to marry the man she loved because he’d been divorced. I think the Queen (who did not take her sister's side) has felt guilty about this ever since.

[RVN VET71]

8. Agree

They both showed surprising strength and determination in doing this. The pressures against them must have been enormous and the human chancres writing for the yellow press will have to turn their lascivious attention away from them.

[ReformedGOPer]

80. One night during a fit of insomnia, I found myself on youtube. If you google Hate videos/Meghan,

you'll see hundreds of videos, made by lonely, unattractive, hateful women, telling all about their hatred for Meghan. Some of the reasons included:

Meghan "took Harry" away from them.
Harry cares more for Meghan and Archie than for his adoring subjects.
Harry is cuckolded and embarrassing.
Meghan is an actress playing a part, and will tire of Harry soon enough.
She only married him to get a big, fancy princess wedding that the taxpayers paid for.
Archie wasn't hers biologically.
Archie has cross-eyes and Down Syndrome.
Meghan had Archie in private because the London hospital wasn't good enough for her.

On and on. The Brits are a strange breed. If I were her, I'd have left much earlier.
BTW, I teach a world history course, and the monarchies of old Europe have always fascinated me. But I never thought I'd see it play out in modern times.

[olegramps]

3. This is clear evidence we don't have a monoply on ignorantly inspired racism.

[SunSeeker]

37. For sure. Our racism goes back to at least the Puritans--who were English.

https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/jinh_a_01270

[Timmygoat]

4. As I often remember

Standing in London opposite the Abbey watching Harry, just a tiny boy looking like he would cry but being so brave walking behind his mothers casket Because the higher ups thought it was the thing to do, it must have shaped his feeling for the whole business of royalty, I feel like the seeds were there for him to do something different. All of his short life has been dogged by the critical press, every childhood prank was magnified. I have thought he wanted to be an ordinary person, he loved life in the military when he had friends who were ordinary people.
Anyway I do not blame them for leaving the royal world, they deserve a life, Diana was never able to live normally and was picked at for having a boy friend, but how about Charles the future king, he had a mistress the whole time he was married to Diana.
I say - leave them alone and let them make a life for themselves and the baby.

[appalachiablue]

5. There's also some of the 'foreigner' and 'American' as well.

Last edited Fri Jan 10, 2020, 03:45 PM - Edit history (2)

Shades of Wallis Simpson decades ago, although totally different.

British aristocrats also dabbled in politics and fascism in the 1930s and 1940s, notably Diana Mitford one of the well known sisters, and the even the Duke of Windsor. Diana Mitford was married to Oswald Moseley, head of the BUF, British Union of Fascists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Union_of_Fascists

"A Nazi, a Fascist, a Communist, a Novelist, a Countrywoman, a Duchess — All Mitford Sisters." Tina Brown.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/books/review/six-lives-of-the-mitford-sisters-laura-thompson.html



The Mitford sisters and one brother in Oxfordshire in 1936.

[appalachiablue]

57. Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson with Hitler in Germany, 1937.

[mountain grammy]

6. Our black president wore a tan suit once

It was the news of the week. A “first” except it wasn’t the first time a president wore a tan suit. Ah but not a lie because it was the first time a black president wore a tan suit.
Racist? Damn right it is.

[blm]

9. You nailed it.

[NewJeffCT]

11. I remember right after that

somebody here had posted pictures of each of the previous 4 presidents in tan suits - Bush Jr, Clinton, Bush Sr and (gasp) Reagan.

[AtheistCrusader]

46. But that's different.

Obama had the unmitigated gall to make it look good.

[NewJeffCT]

50. nah

the only difference is that he was black.

Clinton wasn't a bad looking guy when he was in his 40s

[True Blue American]

56. Yes and people forget

The Bush family had their companies confiscated by our Government because they refused to Get out of Germany

[lostnfound]

7. Seems like they give it a worthy try, and fault lies solely with others.

They seemed willing and able to give the country something special.
Hope they find a happy, safe and meaningful life together.

[Rorey]

14. "They seemed willing and able to give the country something special."

This.

[soldierant]

39. Yes. Britain's loss

will be a gain to wherever they go. Probably not the USA at this time. I wouldn't advise it, but I hope we can improve.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

72. They will NEVER live in the US.

But Canada welcomed them warmly and Canadians kept a respectful, but admiring distance. In Vancouver, they found a restrained press, privacy and understanding. Look for them to find a place in British Columbia, which is often more English than England. Meghan also has strong ties to Toronto.

[GreenPartyVoter]

81. Agreed.

[soldierant]

82. There is racism in Canada - not as much as here,

not as pervasive as here, and not as institutionalized as here, but there is some. Every once in a while I read about a Trump-inspired type incident and find it happened in Canada. I agree that Vancouver BC is a good bet. But I can still dream.

[dlk]

10. Good for them! I wish every good thing for Meghan and Harry and baby Archie- they deserve it!

Claiming the space they need for a peaceful life was an excellent decision and sets an appropriate boundary for the bloodthirsty tabloids and mainstream press.

[B Stieg]

36. Hear, hear!

Me, also.

[Joinfortmill]

12. I get it, too

And I'm an old American white woman.

[Rorey]

13. I admire the strength it took for them to stay as long as they did

And I admire more the strength it took for them to leave.

What an ugly stain Britain has put on itself with the behavior of some of its people and the behavior of its press. The rest of the Royal family should be ashamed of themselves for not shutting that behavior down.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

15. I suspect Harry and Meghan feel the UK no longer represents their values...

with Brexit looming with its Tory xenophobia and Islamophobia, at least five more years of Tory rule to worsen inequality and disregard climate change.......things I believe they are repulsed by.

One of the best results is that it's a huge slap in the face of Rupert Murdoch.

I'm glad for them and wish them well .....

[Wellstone ruled]

52. Bingo!!!!

[PatSeg]

17. I had no idea it was that bad

I guess we don't have a monopoly on ignorance and racism, but still, it is very disappointing. They are a lovely couple and deserve so much better.

[Texin]

23. Depending on where they land, it could be worse. tRumplandia would be FAR worse.

I think their decision to "leave the Royal family" has a great deal to do with Harry as much as it does with Meghan. He's chafed at the fishbowl environment the family have faced. He was quite young when his mother died, and I'm sure he (along with his brother William) remember how she was dogged and criticized within the European papparazzi, along with the MSM in Britain during her life. I think they just want out of the Big Fish-Small Environment in which they live. I hope wherever they go - whether it's here or not - they find it more hospitable. California or New York might be a better fit, but anywhere else within the U.S. is sure to be as contentious as the UK.

[PatSeg]

24. Yes, that dawned on me as well

It is like a virus that has infected most of the world.

[IronLionZion]

26. Meghan and Archie are in Canada now

so they might stay there since it's part of the UK Commonwealth.

Meghan is from California so they could go there too, or split their time between several places.

[WheelWalker]

47. I believe she has relatives in Oregon. They'd be welcome here, but

Canada makes the most sense with respect to "North America".

[renate]

61. I think the Oregon relative is a weird and creepy brother, unfortunately

Darn it. It'd be cool to have them in the PNW.

[WheelWalker]

63. Perhaps they'll settle in B.C.?

[Grasswire2]

58. Their apparent choice of Canada is really nice, I think. nt

[WheelWalker]

62. I do also.

[Skittles]

66. I understand why they're doing it but

I really wish they would have stayed to fight. It does not seem right, letting racists run them out of their own country. I know, I know, it just gets tiresome.

[PatSeg]

67. I think when you have a child,

it changes your perspective on a lot of things. Meanwhile, Harry has childhood memories of how his own mother was treated and how the press hounded her, causing or contributing to her untimely death. There are a lot of ways to fight, sometimes you can accomplish more from the outside.

[Skittles]

68. when those boys were forced to walk a distance BEHIND their mum's casket (funeral procession)

omfg, that was just so wrong

[PatSeg]

70. I know

That was brutal.

[Skittles]

83. I did not understand that

it was inhumane - all those people and yet those kids looked utterly alone

[winetourdriver01]

18. Wow

And the Duke is H.M.'s favorite grandson too.

[Submariner]

19. Harry is probably ready to pop a paparazzi for annoying his wife, and by extension,

killing his mother. If I was in Harry's shoes, I'd probably want to get away from the tabloid media scum to hopefully avoid a violent incident against the press. He loves his wife, wants to be safe and happy with her, the Queen should let it happen.

[IronLionZion]

20. CNN Analysis for DUers stuck at the NYT pay wall

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/10/entertainment/meghan-markle-blame-all-sides-race-trnd/index.html

[lunasun]

30. TY ILZ

[bronxiteforever]

21. Murdoch put out a press contract on her.

Her skin and her politics is everything he hates.

[47of74]

22. I don't blame them at all.

I think I would have done the same.

[WheelWalker]

49. Absofuckinglutely. When you come to a fork in the path... take it.

[PatrickforO]

25. I'm tired of racism. So tired of it. I watched

eight years of Obama bashing and Michelle bashing.

From Obama's campaign when he and Michelle fist bumped and some vapid talking head from Fox asked, "Was that a...terrorist...fist bump?" to comments about Michelle's arms, all the ugly shit that came out of the right-wing media.

And it isn't harmless. Hundreds of brown-skinned immigrants are languishing in US concentration camps for the crime of wanting to come here to have a better, safer life while at the same time being persons of color.

Racism is ugly and dangerous and to my mind about 90% of the blame can be laid directly at the door of the rich, who work really hard to divide us against each other so we won't notice how badly they are ripping us off. Divide and conquer has been used for centuries, and if we can be persuaded to hate and mistrust one another, then that only helps the billionaires and the oligarchs.

You know, the same people telling us we can't have health care, and we have to cut Social Security, and we need to get rid of other programs that help us because we can't afford them. The same people hiding a smile while pocketing the giant tax cut Republicans gave them.

It is ALWAYS about greed. The greed of a few and the ripple effect as they lie, cheat, steal, rape and kill to stay on top at our expense.

[RandySF]

29. If this was about money, Markle would have been immune.

[PatrickforO]

34. Not so. Anyone who is different from the white mainstream is subjected to it.

No matter how much money they have.

I can't count the times I've heard of prosperous, middle class people of color getting stopped on the road, or while jogging. Getting followed around stores because the clerk thinks they might steal. Getting lesser terms on loans and/or having tighter credit because they are perceived as 'higher risk.'

Markle might be rich. I don't know. I don't usually pay much attention to the British royals. But I know that everywhere there is a white majority and we have a so-called 'free market' that allows the few to get rich at the expense of the many, we have racism.

But no matter what, Randy, because Markle is black, there will be people who hate her. Just because of that.

And that's what I'm talking about. We saw it day and day out with the Obamas. I can't even imagine how tired they got of it.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

73. The STAGGERING racism of the British press was unconscionable.

The things the tabloids have written about her are mind-shattering. It started before they were even married. People loosely affiliated with the monarchy have climbed out of the sewers to make all kinds of repulsive comments. It never stopped. And even the wee baby, Archie, was not immune to repugnant remarks: some wanker on the BBC liken the child to a chimpanzee. A chimpanzee !?! I've seen pictures of the infant. He looks NOTHING close to that, but to even SAY something like that is reprehensible. No one would have said that if Meghan wasn't bi-racial.

The one thing that shocked me was the total lack of support Harry and Meghan received from the Royal family itself. They could have stopped this filth in a cold minute. But they never did.

I think Harry finally said 'enough," and wanted to protect his wife and son because it was clear that no one else was going to step up and do so, including the "senior" royals. And now, they're falling all over themselves in "confusion" and "disappointment." Were they really so fucking blind ?? Conveniently so.

Harry saw a pattern repeating itself . . . coming full circle and said "No."

All the best to the couple.

[PatrickforO]

74. I'll go with that. May the couple be blessed with peace, rest and divine light! n/t

[RandySF]

28. Money and position are only partial shields against systemic racism.

[PatrickforO]

35. Ah, I see where you're going with this.

I equate capitalism with racism and see a near-100% correlation between the few wanting to preserve their riches and racism. You perhaps don't see that relationship in the stark terms I do.

I can see that.

But still stand by my statement. In countries where the majority is white and where capitalism exists and where the system produces a few people who have lots of money while incomes and wealth for the rest stagnate, there is racism. I see the racism as being one vehicle by which the powerful retain power and wealth.

[panfluteman]

31. So - the Taint of Even a Drop of Black Blood is Too Much for the Royal Family, Eh?

Heck - Harry's mom wasn't even black, and still wound up getting trashed by Charlie and the royals. I don't blame Harry and Meghan for wanting out of it. Kind of makes a fitting end to a great love story, in my opinion. And who was that other Crown Prince who abdicated his throne for the woman he loved, just because she was American, and was a commoner to boot? Personally, I don't see what the heck he saw in her, but heck, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To each his own.

[IronLionZion]

33. Princess Diana dated brown Muslim men, Hasnat Khan and Dodi Al Fayed.

and did a lot of charity work in Africa. That was too much for some people to handle.

[BlueMTexpat]

45. Ding, ding, ding! I think we

have a winner here!

[rocktivity]

38. They didn't resign -- they were fired.

Last edited Wed Jan 19, 2022, 11:26 PM - Edit history (3)

There was the decision not to give Archie a title from birth -- something that is expected among royal children of this rank -- but which Meghan and Harry appear to have chosen to avoid. Then there were the rumors last spring that they might relocate to a country in southern Africa.

It was Meghan and Harry who decided not to give Archie a title from birth? To use a British expression, not bloody likely. As for their "relocating" to Africa, well, the punishment would have fit the crime, eh what? I think Harry decided to turn down the "senior royal duties" of representing the Crown in Africa because he saw it was more of a banishment. Why else would "financial independence" be one of their goals (reality show much?), and why pick Canada over the U.S.?


rocktivity

[CottonBear]

41. The official Letters Patent regulate titles in the UK.

Archie was not eligible to become HRH Prince Archie of Sussex, because he is a great grandson of the Monarch and the son of the second son of the current heir to the throne, The Prince of Wales. Only the children and grandchildren of the male children of the monarch are entitled to HRH title and style.

The only great grandchild who is allowed a HRH title according to the current letters patent, is the eldest child of the eldest child of the heir. HM The Queen also gave the two younger Cambridge children (Prince William’s children, HRH status as well.

When Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales becomes Kimg, then Archie could be titled and styled as HRH Prince Archie of Sussex. However, in order to give him a normal life, his parents will most likely not allow him to take the title and style at that future time. He could have been titled and styled as the firstborn son of a duke at birth, but his parents chose not to do so.

[Native]

64. The Queen of Britian is the Queen of England - seems to me they may have chosen it because

while it is part of the monarchy, it was also Meghan's home for several years.

[Mr. Sparkle]

42. This a Murdoch and Murdoch clones, donimated, right wing press.

The way she has been treated by them was horrible.

[Normanart]

43. Racism and royalty

Both are cancers of society.

[jmbar2]

48. Run children run!

May you live in peace. Gamechangers, both of them.

[Ilsa]

55. Wow. They don't even try to hide their racism.

They are a lovely couple with a beautiful baby. They deserve respect. I hope they can find a place that is accepting of their family. They seem pretty normal to me.

[onetexan]

60. especially now that Borish Boris and the Conservative party have come to power the RW Brits have

stepped up their overt racist attacks on Meghan. Sad but it is today's world. I thought the UK was more culturally aware and tolerant than the US. Turns out they are in the same boat as we are. Diversity has now become an ugly word among conservatives all over the world.

[FakeNoose]

59. Even before their wedding, there were hints that they might settle in California

I don't believe this is a sudden decision on their part. Maybe Prince Charles cutting off their income is a new idea, and it might be a game-changer for Harry and Meghan. After all, she can't work in show business any more, and Harry never had a "job" to speak of.

I would expect that the British Royals will not allow Harry and Meghan to starve or declare bankruptcy, should they decide to leave England.

[Sogo]

69. Both Harry and Megan are multi-millionaires.

If they were to "starve or declare bankruptcy," that would constitute a gross mis-management of their money.

[Skittles]

65. My English mum would have loved Meghan

mum always said the royal family needed to branch out more; she'd be very disappointed in this turn of events

[Cha]

71. Tweet from Justin Trudeau on Harry, Meghan, and Archie!

Link to tweet

[delisen]

76. I would think there have been the usual right wing death threats

and their move is wise.

[Aussie105]

77. Brtish society is so layered, it isn't funny.

People differentiate and stigmatise based on skin colour, what your job is, where you live, your accent, what car you drive, where you shop, what food you eat, etc.

Worst of all are the unspoken rules, clearly in evidence to a visitor. But invisible to those who are born into it, and soaked in it.

Classic is the 'British stiff upper lip' also known as 'Know your place and don't complain!'

Meghan can't cope with the rules, restrictions and expectations put on her by virtue of her marriage. And I'm glad, if she could adapt, it would change the beautiful and open hearted person she is now.

All the best in Canada, girl! Hopefully, Harry can adapt.

Britain has lost a branch of the Royal family. They may not come back too often.

[QualTest]

78. In General...

I could give 2 rats asses about the Brit royalty, and can't fathom why Americans are so
enthralled by all of the BS surrounding it. The fact that it eats up news time in the US is
a nod to the notion that we would rather spend time looking at "Reality TV" that actual, useful,
news.... But, all that being said. I comment because,

Once again it's the UK media that caused this issue, and now are flabbergasted that it has come to this!
Much like the US media that is having a non-stop "Wargasm" over recent Iran activities, and then are
"Shocked!" when the shit hits the fan.

Self serving, money grabbing, Wastes of Ink, trees, and airspace! They no longer serve any public good.