Harry and Meghan
Just like Princess Diana’s now-infamous interview with Martin Bashir in the 90s, The Oprah interview with Prince Harry and Meghan has caused shockwaves around the world. In a family that is known for their very British stiff upper lip, Harry and Meghan doing this interview is like watching an episode of Maury Povich with posh people.
As a Brit living in the US, it’s fascinating to see the different reactions to the interview on both sides of the pond. Given the vitriol towards Meghan by the British press over the years preceding their move to California, it’s no surprise the tabloids have continued their attack on Meghan. In contrast, the US is obsessed with the Royals and there has been overwhelming support for The Sussexes.
Let’s be honest, most of my generation gets our news through social media. But as we’ve seen time and time again, this leads to lots of room for misinformation. A surprising takeaway was people confusing the family and “The Firm”. Much of the negative feedback online was directed towards the family with news outlets in both the UK and the US focusing on this interview being an “attack” on the Royals themselves. I thought it was very clear throughout that Harry and Megan were talking about their disdain for the business, “The Firm”, rather than the family itself. If you think of the Royal family as a corporation, the Queen isn’t the CEO. She is the Executive Chairperson. Other people are running the “company,” “The Institution,” “The Firm,” which is made up of over 1,000 employees. Harry and Meghan consistently discuss their respect for the Queen, with Harry mentioning that he’s spoken to his grandmother more this year than ever before. I can’t help but feel that they wouldn’t have done this interview without her knowledge. Publicly, the palace will deny it and the press will say otherwise, but we are aware the British press isn’t known to be entirely truthful when it comes to Meghan and Harry. I also can’t help but think about the HBO Show “Succession” and the relationship the family has in that show: the parallels of being a multimillion-dollar corporation as well as a high profile family and trying to make sure every member of the family is being respected and cared for. Like in Succession, we see strained relationships and mishandling of the family’s affairs to the detriment of its members.
What is at the forefront of this conversation is the importance of better mental health support and of conversations around racism and racial bias. As someone who has struggled with my own mental health, this interview highlights how paramount it is to have honest conversations about our struggles. Much of the negative press towards Meghan over the last couple of days has been, “Well, how difficult is your life, really? You’re married to a Prince and you lived in a palace with millions in the bank.” This position suggests that money fixes all of life’s problems and fails to address the pressure, negative attention, and racism that Meghan faced at the hands of the British press. It was incredibly brave of Meghan to speak so publicly about her thoughts of suicide. The “Keep Calm and Carry On” attitude is still prevalent in the UK today and even more so in upper-class families. The British press feed into this discomfort of discussing mental health and continue to use it as a way to demonize Meghan. How scandalous that a member of one of the most high-profile families in the world might say, “I’m not okay.” Why is it okay to turn mental health into a negative? Oprah and the conversation currently being had by US news outlets also highlighted how alarming it was that Harry couldn’t talk to his family about Meghan’s mental health issues. As a Brit, I understood this. British people are terrible at talking about their feelings whereas Americans are much more open. I imagine this was particularly difficult for Meghan and why Harry only understood it being an issue once Meghan addressed it with him. I began opening up about my feelings much more once I moved to the US but there is still an internalized discomfort about being so open. What this interview helped to do was to elevate the conversation around it being okay for men to talk about our feelings. To hear Prince Harry, not as a prince but as a man, address his own shame at not being able to talk about his and Meghan’s struggles helps us move away from toxic masculinity and towards men talking about their feelings and that being a sign of strength as opposed to weakness.
At the core of this interview is the continued need for a conversation about racism. The Royal family historically represents slavery and colonialism and is marred with this to the present day. One of the most alarming points in the interview is when Harry and Meghan discuss that a member of the family asked how dark Archie would be. I watched the following day as Piers Morgan discussed how he felt this was a perfectly acceptable question to ask. The fact that Trisha Goddard, a woman of color, had to explain why this isn’t an appropriate question shows how much we need to focus on conversations around race relations. There is also a long-overdue discussion that needs to be had about holding the British press accountable for the many examples of racism towards Meghan.
What I found particularly fascinating is when Harry discusses the toxic relationship, the “invisible contract” between the British press and the Royal family. Harry talked about the need for the Royal family to play the game with the UK tabloids and how the Royals all fear them. It was a moment that seemed to puzzle Oprah and a point that Harry didn’t make particularly clear. What Harry failed to address is that the Royal family can be removed from power by a simple majority vote by UK citizens to abolish the monarchy. This toxic relationship between the Royals and the British press exists because, as we’ve seen, the tabloids are ruthless and bad press for the Royals could mean their removal. Therefore, it is easier for the institution to ignore false news stories about Meghan than to correct them. Meghan was expendable to them. It’s terribly damaging and I think more than anything, there needs to be a review of the British press and how they report information that isn’t factual but made to seem that way! Reliable, honest journalism should be something that is pivotal to a functioning society. If we compare the treatment that Meghan has received to that of Prince Andrew, you have to wonder if the British press and the institution have their priorities straight and why they’ve allowed this harmful relationship to exist for so long.
This interview left many questions unanswered but also forces us to address several problems in our society: a continued need for social justice, conversations around racism and racial bias, and support for those struggling with mental health issues. While people may think this interview wasn’t necessary and many people argue that Harry and Megan have opened up a can of worms, Harry and Megan’s openness gives us a glimpse into how the Royal family of the future could be. As more and more people crave honest conversations about issues such as mental health and racism, the Royal family needs to move with the times and understand people want more transparency. The Institution’s problematic silence represents indifference and an acceptance of issues that should’ve been addressed long ago. Harry and Megan have spoken a lot about their desire to help others. Perhaps with this interview, they have already started to help by opening us up to having these conversations? At some point, there will be a reconciliation in the Royal family and my hope is that after this interview we’ll see a more transparent, forthcoming Royal family; one that feels more reflective of current society. As a royalist and a Brit living overseas, I want the Royal family to continue being a positive representation of the United Kingdom. It’s important that they clean house so that racism and bigotry are words we never have to use in association with the Royal family again.
