The British monarchy needs to be dissolved
On March 7, Oprah Winfrey interviewed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry Windsor and Meghan Markle. In the interview, Markle revealed the trauma she endured as a member of the royal family and the lack of support she faced from the institution. She revealed the royal family’s struggles with her race, her declining mental health and Harry even made connections to his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. To the public, this interview made one thing clear: the monarchy is an outdated institution that needs to either bend with the winds of change or break.
One of the most astonishing accusations was that there were discussions of the skin color of Markle’s child from multiple high ranking members of the royal family. This is only the tip of the iceberg of the royal family’s racism. For one external example, the British press has demonstrated a favoritism towards Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. When comparing headlines on similar topics, it’s clear that the media paints Kate in a positive light while Markle is portrayed in a negative light. One can only come to the conclusion that race played at least some role in Markle’s character assasination in the British tabloids and also her treatment, or lack thereof, within the royal family.
Although the notion of their family having concerns over their child’s race is horrible, it comes as no shock that the institution that colonized most of the world and introduced racist laws to the world is treating their member of color unjustly. They have decided to not accept Markle for who she is, an asset to them that would have earned them a considerable amount of respect in a time where many are contemplating the real need for the monarchy. Them not doing so, in a very public way, is another catalyst online for people to consider the relevance of a monarchy in this modern era.
With the constant attack of the media online, Markle was told to stay at home most of her days to avoid further conflict with the press. Obviously, with constant harassment combined with isolation combined with a lack of protection from the press, it is no wonder Meghan sank into such a dismal mental state that she was contemplating suicide. Even when she and her husband begged for support from the institution to receive therapy, they were denied as it would make the royal family look bad. One might have hoped that the royals might have learned from Diana that mental struggles need to be treated, but they did not, forcing Markle to experience similar struggles.
The royal family is a de facto puppet head of state that merely serves as an overpaid group of mascots representing decades of oppression and colonialism that suck millions of dollars out of taxpayers annually. Despite all of this, one would hope that they would at least be capable of protecting their own, but it seems that history is doomed to repeat itself and people will learn nothing once again.
