By Gabriel Princewill-
The revelation that Archie would be denied the title of a prince, has sent shock waves globally.
Analysts said the news revealed racism displayed at the highest level of British society.
Under customary protocols, as the grandchild of a sovereign, Archie would automatically become a prince when his grandfather Charles acceded the throne, but not in this case.
The couple told the globally televised interview that the rules would be changed, in line with Charles’s plan for a slimmed-down monarchy, leaving Archie stripped of his birthright title, without the security protection that naturally accompanies his position.
Harry came across calm and collective, as he articulated the distress he endured throughout his wife’s pregnancy and beyond that. He told Oprah: ”we did everything we could to make it work”.
There was no mention of whether the couple sought intervention within the royal family to confront the issues head through dialogue, as this would necessarily be embodied in the comment that all possible mechanisms were of resolving issues were exhausted.
The palace environment was presented as toxic and unbearable, Harry later saying he was ”trapped” in the system and did not have a way out.
Most shocking was Meghan’s response to Oprah’s question, when the television host said: ‘You certainly must have had some conversations with Harry about it and have your own suspicions as to why they didn’t want to make Archie a prince.
‘What are those thoughts? Why do you think that is? Do you think it’s because of his race? And I know that’s a loaded question, but..’
Meghan sighed and said: ‘In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time…. so we have in tandem the conversation of ‘He won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title,’ and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.’
Oprah responded in shock: ”what? there is a conversation with you about what colour your baby would be? Meghan corrects her and confirms the conversation was with Harry directly, not with Meghan.
Troublesome
Meghan has generally been perceived as the troublesome intruder, who turned up with chaos in her wings. An investigation by the Palace of bullying allegations by Meghan against her staff , announced after the documentary scheduled for airing was promulgated has been brushed aside by commentators as retaliatory.
In light of the seriousness of Harry and Meghan’s claims, those allegations now seem insignificant, but could still put the entire fall out into more complex perspective, depending on the facts, and how long they had allegedly been going on. Are some or all the allegations true? If so, were they symptoms of the mental health issues Meghan was experiencing during those tough times?
Harry complained about the UK press, particularly, the British tabloids, which he accused of being bigoted.
The Society of Editors denounced the claim that the UK press was bigoted. Its executive director, Ian Murray, said: “The UK media is not bigoted and will not be swayed from its vital role holding the rich and powerful to account.” He added it was “not acceptable” for the couple to make such claims without supporting evidence.
Bad Advice
Harry said he was “really sad” that the Queen had been given “some bad advice” when she suddenly cancelled a planned face-to-face with him before the Sandringham summit where details of the couple’s departure were thrashed out.
However, the Conservative peer and government minister Zac Goldsmith claimed Harry was “blowing up his family” in a tweet that added: “What Meghan wants, Meghan gets.”
The shadow education secretary, Kate Green, told Sky News the couple’s claims were “really distressing, shocking” and called on the palace to investigate any allegations of racism. Last week it launched an inquiry into claims of bullying allegedly made by palace staff against Meghan.
The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, said the race and mental health issues raised by Meghan were “bigger than the royal family” and should not be put to one side. The children’s minister, Vicky Ford, stressed there was “no place for racism in our society”.
Let Down
Harry criticised his father, saying he felt “let down” by Charles, adding: “There’s a lot of hurt that happened.” Charles stopped taking his youngest son’s calls after the couple’s public announcement they were to step down as working royals and the couple were cut off financially, Harry said, leaving them to foot their own security bill. Other claims included that:
Harry said that no one in the royal family had said they were sorry the couple left royal life because they felt unsupported. “No, sadly not”.