May 19, 2018. For many, this day marked a historic event and a turning point for the royal family. For Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, it marked the beginning of their challenges with both the British media and the institution of the British royal family. 

Since their relationship went public, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and fifth in line to the throne, and Meghan have faced constant scrutiny, with the majority coming from the British media. The media was quick to paint Meghan as a villain, an outcast due to both her heritage as a mixed-race American and her status as a divorcee. The press made her feel so unwelcome that her mental health deteriorated significantly, leading the pair to leave the royal family and England and move to the United States. 

Although the press was a major factor in what is now referred to as “Megxit,” they were not the only factor adding to the problem. Alongside being criticized from outside of the royal family, Meghan also received criticism from within the family. There were two points of conflict between Meghan and her royal counterparts. Meghan said in her interview with Oprah Winfrey that there were  “concerns and conversations about how dark [he son’s] skin might [have been] when he [was] born.” There also were, allegedly, disputes between Meghan and Duchess Kate hours before Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding. 

Although Meghan and Harry left the British public eye, they have not shied away from the public as a whole. Instead, they chose to embrace the freedom they gained to express themselves through “tell-all” press interviews with Oprah and Anderson Cooper, an explosive Netflix documentary and most recently, Prince Harry’s autobiography “Spare.” 

While many view Meghan and Harry as “traitors” and “rank [hypocrites]” for telling their horror stories, I view them in a different light. 

Meghan and Harry’s exit from England and their control over their narrative in the media was a brave and powerful move. Their actions are only demeaned as traitorous as a result of people’s unwavering devotion to the British royal family.

The fact that people view the British royal family as being able to do no wrong is naive. Since the founding of the institution, the royal family has been complicit in colonization, “appropriation and exploitation,” yet people still find the need to support them. 

Meghan and Harry left behind an institution built on the back of imperialism and systemic racism. 

In exploring the royal family, it is quite evident that they serve solely as figureheads. Because of this, the royal family’s choice to remain silent, despite Meghan and Harry’s claims, is their attempt to keep in the public’s favor. 

The family’s silence signifies their complicity in the negative portrayal of Meghan and Harry in the British media and in the eyes of the British public.

Knowing all of this, the information Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen to share is not entirely surprising. The royal family does not deserve the power that they have, and Meghan and Harry’s stance on the institution now demonstrates that it is more bad than good.