By Darsh Mirchandani
A firestorm of allegations arose when Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, aired her bombshell interview with Oprah, opening up about her time at the palace and her ultimate decision to step away from the royal title.
With accusations of racism, ignorance, and lack of support from the Royal Family, Markle noted the fear and isolation she felt being part of the monarchy. She brings to the forefront the concerns of racism throughout the Royal Family, referred to as "The Firm" or "The Institution" during the interview. Markle stated that there were also "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin [the Prince and Duchess’s son, Archie] might be when he was born.”
“The outspoken duchess had brought many to sympathize with her experiences and provide everyone with a bit more insight into the realities of the royals...”
A couple of days after the premiere of the interview, Oprah relayed that neither the Queen nor Prince Charles were the source of these concerns. Since then, the Royal Family has not addressed many of the allegations; however, in reference to Markle’s statements, Buckingham’s Palace declared that “recollections from her [Markle’s] interview may vary.”
“The racism that Meghan faced, coupled with the unwelcome attitudes that she encountered from some, shows her strength in the face of a family so traditional that it often seems inflexible in the face of change,” said senior Khushi Shah.
With the pressure of the public eye, the Duchess revealed that she had suicidal thoughts while she was a part of the royal family due to the lack of people she felt she could turn to for comfort and camaraderie. She approached a senior official of the royal institution for help, but the response she received was that it “wouldn’t be good for the institution.” After realizing that she would not be supported, the Duchess went to the royal family’s human resources department, where they continued to repeat their cycle of inaction, stating that she was not a paid employee of the institution.
Source by Sabeena Ramdarie
During the Oprah interview, Markle claimed that there were concerns in the Royal Family about how dark her son's skin would be.
“I feel like Meghan has gone through a lot from dealing with trying to fit in with all the protocols and now hearing that she has had suicidal thoughts, it took a definite toll on her mentally and emotionally,” said junior Rachel John.
Markle and Prince Harry also claimed that "The Institution" was ignorant when it came to matters of safety and security. She mentioned that the decision not to give her son Archie a title would disqualify him for police protection, which was extremely upsetting to her since she and her family had received many specific threats over the years.
Although Markle does not provide any names of any specific members of the Royal Institution, the outspoken duchess had brought many to sympathize with her experiences and provide everyone with a bit more insight into the realities of the royals.