Meghan Markle, the first biracial member of the British royal family, is leaving Buckingham Palace behind because of the racism she has endured, according to a California professor.
Afua Hirsch, a journalism professor at the University of Southern California, pointed to bias in the royal family against people of color.
“In Britain’s rigid class society, there is still a deep correlation between privilege and race,” wrote Hirsch in the New York Times. “The relatively few people of color — and even fewer if you count only those who have African heritage — who rise to prominent success and prosperity in Britain are often told we should be ‘grateful’ or told to leave if we don’t like it here.”
Friends of Markle, 38, warned her not to marry Prince Harry, 35, saying the tabloids would “destroy” her life. After more than a year of racially tinged stories, including a BBC 5 presenter’s claim that the couple’s newborn baby was a “chimpanzee” and the Daily Mail’s claim that Markle had “exotic DNA,” Harry and Markle issued a statement disclosing their decision to leave the royal family.
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” read part of the statement.
The relationship between the royal family and the British press has been strained in the decades since Princess Diana died in a car crash spurred by paparazzi.
“Both she and Harry appear to have gained crystal clear vision as to their reality,” added Hirsch. “It’s no wonder the couple want to leave and — as the coded statement that they want to raise their son Archie ‘with the space to focus on the next chapter’ seems to suggest — protect him from the bile to which they’ve been exposed.”
