For the last few weeks, the entire world has been speculating over whether or not Meghan Markle, acclaimed actress from hit-TV show Suits & writer/founder of The Tig, was dating Prince Harry, member of the British Royal Family. Since then, it’s impossible to log onto Facebook or Twitter without seeing a photo, mostly like the one below of 2 separate occassions, that links to an article about their budding relationship. Today at about 6AM, the Kensington Royal Twitter account released a statement about the two, after weeks of radio silence. This statement, which can be seen at the bottom of the post, defends the privacy of Prince Harry, but also that of his new girlfriend (as confirmed by the statement) and her family.Â
You’re probably thinking, okay well why on Earth is this important? Breaking it down for you: as an African-American woman, it is so nice to see a white male defending his black girlfriend (YES, Meghan Markle is mixed race, but she identifies as black), because I never expected to see that in the media. If you look at the tweet’s mentions and replies, you will see a lot of people supporting their relationship, but you will also see a lot of racist replies. People in the replies segment are going back and forth over it and attacking both the character of Meghan Markle, her family, and now Prince Harry. This defense that the Palace write up was to defend her from “the racial undertones” and “abuse and harassment” of Markle and her family and in England, it has unearthed the racist sector of the country, beginning a similar polarization that the 2016 election has created in America.Â
Since the news of their relationship broke, there has been an increase in articles dedicated to defaming Markle and her family, using her background as a divorcee and Crenshaw, CA hometown as a means of describing how she is not fit to be dating the prince. Prince Harry is typically seen with blonde, tall, white women, which is not a knock on his character, but it’s due to the social circle he is used to.Â
Now that he’s dating a mixed race woman, he is suddenly a “mudshark”, who is not dating his typical type of woman. But what if his type is beautiful, intelligent women? Does his type solely have to be defined by the people who he has dated in the past? No. Prince Harry and the Palace’s defense does not solely bring into question the importance of privacy, but it also is bringing into question why the media is so racist against black/mixed race people, now that they are dating someone in the limelight with white skin. Â
I believe that everyone is entitled to privacy, no matter their social status or lifestyle. Whether you’re an actor, royal, or college student, you are entitled to privacy. Prince Harry has a tie with the media that most do not have, as his mother was killed in a car accident because she was being chased by paparazzi in Paris. If you were Prince Harry, would you let your girlfriend and her family endure a similar harassment? I would hope not!! He is rightly worried about her safety and as a good boyfriend, he has come out publicly to defend Meghan and her privacy.Â
Prince Harry has seen the kinds of media attention that has plagued his family since his mother’s death, including the publishing of topless photos of his sister in law. His defense of Meghan Markle is coming at the right time and in the right way because he and his family have a serious effect on the media and the public. The media has harassed Meghan Markle due to her race and because of her newfound connection to the royal family, which is crazy to believe, especially in 2016. Defending your woman is an important precedent that Prince Harry is setting for the male population and even if race wasn’t involved, he is making strong steps towards preserving and creating privacy for people who we forget need that in one fail swoop.Â
Letter Source: Kensington Royal Twitter