The Royals Are No Normal Family

By: Dave Devereaux

After seeing the interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Oprah Winfrey on Sunday night, I was as shocked to hear some of the allegations of racism that Meghan and Harry said they experienced. Just as Oprah was surprised at their statements, I too don’t believe for one minute that many blacks in Britain found that to be too far from the truth. Racism in England is prevalent but not as publicized as in America. England is a society of conservative behaviors along with staunch classism that reaches back several centuries. And until recently, many black Americans were not aware of the extent of racism in the United Kingdom. 

The monarchy is an institution that has been around forever. To understand the significance to British nationals: The Monarch serves as a Head of Nation, representing sovereign acts that focus on national identity and service. Thus, they are involved in charitable endeavors that ultimately keep their name in the forefront of the country and governed commonwealths and promote a sense of stability and continuity. To the average American, that means nothing. As Americans we are more individual with our philanthropy for recognition. We give on behalf of ourselves and not on the behalf of the government.  

The Monarchy consists of the Royal Family represented by The Queen and for lack of a better way to describe them, are mostly untouchable and reside within a close and exclusive bubble. They ferry about London mainly in chauffeur-driven cars and unless you are a low-level Royal, are unable to hold regular jobs. So, how do they make money? 

There are three sources of funding for The Queen, or officials of the Royal Household acting on her behalf. They are the Sovereign Grant, the Privy Purse and The Queen’s personal wealth and income. The Sovereign Grant is an annual lump sum from the government meant to be used for costs of travel, security and staff at the royal palaces. The Privy Purse or Duchy of Lancaster, a private estate of commercial, agricultural and residential properties that dates back to 1265, is used to pay for private and official expenses. This fund pays the working Royals. And finally, The Queen has her own personal assets including Balmoral Castle and the Sandringham Estate east of England, both inherited from her father. The total amount yearly from all three is hundreds of millions received. 

More importantly, as we have now been made aware, they are a homogeneous lot who obviously have had little personal experience with other races other than photo ops in territories of color that are under the reign of The Queen and the Commonwealth. The question or even discussion of a baby’s skin tone sounds out of touch and ignorant and quite frankly, racist. What difference would that make? Meghan also described the fact that security was to be pulled and no title to be given to baby Archie upon his birth, yet other royals, not even in line for succession, have the titles of prince or princess. It does lead one to think, was this done because of Meghan’s mixed racial background? 

According to Meghan, the Royals admitted that they were changing the existing rules on the matter of title. Prince Harry had been left little choice but to abandon all that he has known in support of his wife and young son. He too lost the privilege of security based on these new rules. The behaviors of the palace indicate a callous recognition for change and an apparent willingness to punish them for making their choices. I applaud them both for being willing to give up so much to build their own existence even if that means in another country. The Monarchy will need to clarify its real meaning in the next few weeks in response to these allegations in order to avoid greater scrutiny in the future. 

The most shocking part of the interview, however, involved Meghan’s need to seek mental health services and being told that she could not. The response that it would not be a good look for the Monarchy is absurd. Of all the allegations, this one was the most damning. How can anyone with any sense of compassion and rationale deny a person the right to seek medical attention of any sort? I was left to wonder whether that person is a paid employee of the palace, so steeped in old tradition and perhaps trying to hold on to some last vestiges of power. All the while, that person was using this as a subtle racist act to deny and browbeat her because of skin color and prejudice. To hear that she had to surrender her passport, keys and other identification documents like her driver’s license is also alarming as that sounds like she was being held captive. Perhaps that may be common, but it all seems somewhat overkill. All this begs the repeated question of, was she treated differently than other Royals? 

Perhaps, to Meghan’s disadvantage, is the presence of social media and the tabloids. A negative story can trend within minutes without any vetting of truth or fact.  The vitriol that is spewed daily on any given topic has emboldened zealots to be even more brazen. Meghan was bombarded with negative press daily. Also, the use of the internet has allowed for some anonymity when someone wants to be racist, homophobic, misogynistic or xenophobic. Of all the negatives that I have written about in the past, I always allude to the fact that the internet can be a tool for good and an incendiary mouthpiece for bad. We are quick to cancel someone when they make a mistake, without the benefit of them being able to make amends. Whether the palace actually investigates these allegations, is yet to be seen. 

A 61-word response two days after the interview was given, but I felt like a slight was included in the statement that alluded to there being some dispute over the actual events presented. Of which I felt was unnecessary. It is obvious these people and the staff working in the palace have no real clue of their actions. It has been stated that in years, private secretaries have been overstepping their positions when it comes to trying to manage royal relationships with one another.  Since the monarchy is such a huge machine, it seems implausible that a hired employee would be involved in managing a familial relationship, let alone someone’s schedule. That may be an area that needs extensive review. 

Having spent time in London and observing the people, I must admit that I have not had any issue with race. Brits are very protective of The Queen, and make it seem like blasphemy if you speak of her or the Royals disparagingly.  I know racism exists everywhere there is difference, but in The Queen’s court, one would think this would not occur or be allowed as she is sovereign over so many other cultures and derives loyalty and respect from these cultures. As always, it lends itself to a need for greater sensitivity and respect of other cultures as well as a need for cultural awareness training. As with so many other issues in the past two years, this highlights the inequalities that people of color continue to have to fight. Though Duchess Meghan made us aware of these issues, it’s much bigger than her alone. It comes back to racism, fair treatment, microaggressions and intentions. The overall question in this matter is, what is the actual purpose or need for a Royal Family in 2021? Why is this institution that obviously is out of touch with much of regular society still allowed so much attention? Is there a true purpose for The Royal Family in today’s society?