Harry and Meghan’s interview exposes Britain’s racial fault lines

Diversity experts say royal row could be watershed moment for tackling racism

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview exposed “serious fault lines” in race relations across British society, according to a leading diversity expert.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey that a member of the royal family asked Prince Harry "how dark" his unborn son Archie's skin tone would be.

Meghan, who is of mixed race, said media coverage with racial undertones and social media abuse contributed to her depression during her time as a royal in the UK.

Marcus Ryder, a visiting professor of media diversity at Birmingham City University, told The National that her allegations should be taken seriously because they revealed problems in a central British institution.

“Sometimes you can get into the gossip of it, almost like the Real Housewives of Windsor, or the Kardashians, but what we're really talking about, and the reason why it is so important, is because [the monarchy] is one of the pillars of the British State,” he said.

“If any black person had trouble entering the Bank of England, or trouble entering a government ministry and working there, and had allegations of racist treatment, that would be really important. That's how we need to look at this story ... a black woman alleging racism in one of the most important institutions.”

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry watch a flypast of Royal Air Force aircraft pass over Buckingham Palace in London. AP Photo

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave after visiting Canada House in London after their recent stay in Canada. AP Photo

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive to greet members of the public in Kingfisher Bay on Fraser Island in Queensland, Australia October 22, 2018. Reuters

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet with a local surfing community group, known as OneWave, raising awareness for mental health and wellbeing in a fun and engaging way at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. AP Photo

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex hold their baby son Archie during a photocall in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, Britain May 8, 2019. Reuters

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, visits Auwal Mosque on Heritage Day with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, during their royal tour of South Africa on September 24, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. Getty Images

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose for a photo with the New York Yankees before their game against the Boston Red Sox at London Stadium on June 29, 2019 in London, England. The game was in support of the Invictus Games Foundation. Getty Images

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, dance as they visit a Justice Desk initiative in Nyanga township, during their royal tour of South Africa on September 23, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. Getty Images

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a service marking the centenary of WW1 armistice at Westminster Abbey on November 11, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, visit an exhibition of Tongan handicrafts, mats and tapa cloths at the Fa'onelua Convention Centre on October 26, 2018 in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. Getty Images

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet with local children as they arrive at Dubbo Airport on October 17, 2018 in Dubbo, Australia. Getty Images

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his new wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, leave from the West Door of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. Getty Images

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Susse, arrive for a visit to "Justice desk", an NGO in the township of Nyanga in Cape Town, as they begin their tour of the region on September 23, 2019. AFP

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, chats with Disney CEO Robert Iger as Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, embraces US singer-songwriter Beyoncé as they attend the European premiere of the film The Lion King in London on July 14, 2019. AFP

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, joined by her mother, Doria Ragland, show their new son to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle, Windsor, England. AP Photo

Buckingham Palace broke its silence on Tuesday afternoon, saying the allegations would be addressed privately.

The palace said the race allegations were particularly concerning, but that “some recollections may vary”.

Prof Ryder, who co-wrote Access All Areas: The Diversity Manifesto for TV and Beyond, said the public's reaction to the interview demonstrated that Britain was uncomfortable with talking about race.

“The reaction to it has exposed serious fault lines and serious factions in society when it comes to how we think about race, how we think about diversity and how we discuss racism,” he said.

“And so I hope that one of the consequences of the last few days is that we have a more intelligent and more informed analysis. That isn’t happening yet – there seems to be a lot more smoke and a lot less light, a lot more noise and not enough signal.”

He said it was unhelpful to compare the UK’s experience with race with other major countries such as the US, where the Black Lives Matter movement was born.

“The specifics are that Britain needs to do better – this isn't just to do with Meghan Markle and the royal family,” he said.

Halima Begum, the chief executive of equality think tank the Runnymede Trust, said many would be thankful for the duke and duchess speaking about their struggles.

“If as anti-racists we want to make progress, we are going to have to deal with uncomfortable conversations,” she said.

Others were expecting a “more forceful” response from the palace addressing the racism allegations.

Opposition Labour Party MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy – who co-signed a cross-party letter from 72 MPs in support of the duchess in 2019 – rejected the monarchy's decision to discuss the matter privately.

“They are a public institution and as such they should condemn racism and they should tell the public what we should be expecting of them,” she told the BBC.

Meghan Markle is interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. Reuters

Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said the palace did the “bare minimum” by issuing a short statement nearly a day and a half after the interview was broadcast.

Royal historian Hugo Vickers, however, said the royal family’s response was aimed at building bridges with the duke and duchess.

“The message was very sensible, calm, generous under the circumstances and in the spirit of conciliation,” he said.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the allegations around racism and mental health needed to be taken “very seriously”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted with caution and said he “had the highest admiration for the Queen and the unifying role that she plays in our country and across the Commonwealth”.

“As for the rest, all other matters to do with the royal family, I’ve spent a long time now not commenting on royal family matters, and I don’t intend to depart from that today,” he said.