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OPINION: Meghan Markle DOES NOT deserve the character assassination she's ruthlessly subjected to
While Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's LA move was more like a reprieve, away from the unforgiving British press, the aspersion continues, especially towards The Duchess of Sussex.
Step 1: Head on to Twitter, Step 2: Write a tweet with #MeghanMarkle and witness the recommended hashtags that follow. #MeghanMarkleisaBully, #MeghanMarkleisaLiar are some of the trending #s for The Duchess of Sussex which left me considerably perplexed. In comparison, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton are free from such hashtags while for Prince William, it's a tame #PrinceWilliamisaHyprocrite. Ironic, ain't it?
In 2019, when Harry and Meghan announced their controversial decision to step back as senior royal roles, the immediate blame game was pointed at The Duchess, in spite of it being a 'collective' standpoint. What made it worse was how this particular move was deemed as Megxit, with no fingers pointed at Queen Elizabeth's grandson. Meghan became the vicious villain who tricked Harry into leaving the royal family! This is regardless of how, on various occasions, especially in the moving mental health docuseries, The Me You Can't See, which was co-produced by Harry and Oprah Winfrey, The Duke of Sussex had stressed how he didn't want his wife to have the same outcome as his late mother, Princess Diana.
The Princess of Wales, too, was hounded by the British press, where her every move was captured by the paparazzi giving her zero breathing space. It was also while being chased for coverage that led to her imminent death in 1997. Meghan, too, has openly spoken about her battles with mental health, being constantly defamed under the public eye especially after she started dating Harry, and how she was driven beyond her limits, but when asked for help, she was allegedly denied.
When it was revealed that Harry and Meghan were in a relationship and thereafter they were engaged to get married, for many, this romance felt like a glimmer of hope for representation within the royal family. However, in their controversial Oprah interview, Meghan claimed that a prominent royal family member enquired about her and Harry's son Archie's skin tone thus reigniting the racism claims towards the monarchy.
2021 also saw a 2018 bullying claim against Meghan resurfacing which The Duchess staunchly denied. What's questionable about this revelation is not just the claim per se but the timing. It was mere days before Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview was scheduled to air. And the fact that the usually privy royal family doesn't address such accusations, in fact, put out a statement. While William was publically "sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players," via his official tweet, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford after England's UEFA Euro 2020 loss against Italy, several questioned why such a stand wasn't taken when his sister-in-law was brutally subjected to open racism on a silver platter by the public and media. Why the convenient silence?
Some even point out the difference in headlines by the British press between Meghan and Kate. Meghan, in particular, has been gossip fodder for media since the inception of her and Harry's dating days. During their candid engagement interview with BBC in 2017, via ABC, Meghan had shared her thoughts on the scrutiny that had already surrounded her, particularly centering on her ethnicity. "Of course, it's disheartening. You know it's a shame that that is the climate in this world to focus that much on that or that that would be discriminatory in that sense," Meghan pondered before adding, "...but at the end of the day I'm really just proud of who I am and where I come from, and we have never put any focus on that. We've just focused on who we are as a couple. And so when you take all those extra layers away and all of that noise, I think it makes it really easy to just enjoy being together and tune all the rest of that out." Alas, it got too much to handle!
A little background check on Meghan would make it known that she's always been a philanthropist even during her Suits days, with her lifestyle blog Tig, as well as being a UN Women's ambassador, as the classic examples. That same philanthropy was shared between her and Harry during their short tenure as senior working royals and especially, after. Advocating mental health, women's rights, etc have been at the forefront for the couple in their many initiatives like 40x40, Meghan's 40th birthday project to motivate women employment.
One of the big reasons for Meghan and Harry's LA move was their need for privacy, not just for them, but their two children - Archie Harrison, 2, and Lilibet Diana, two months. However, many questioned why Meghan and Harry gave so many revelations-filled interviews about the royal family if what they were seeking was privacy. In an interview with Today, Oprah defended Meghan and Harry explaining what it is that The Duke and Duchess meant by privacy. "being able to have a life that you are not intruded upon by photographers or people flying overhead or invading your life is what every person wants and deserves, is to not to be intruded and invaded upon," Oprah explained hoping that people will understand that for Harry and Meghan, "privacy means not being invaded, not being intruded."
However, Oprah further stated that Meghan and Harry "are public figures who are going to use their platform to speak to the world. And I'm sure we will continue to hear from them. Privacy doesn't mean silence. That's what people are missing." Like I mentioned earlier, there are clear-cut accusations being targeted solely at Meghan and even if she may be in the wrong, like many assume she is, why isn't the same questioning aimed at Harry, who is equally if not more responsible for the LA move? Why aren't the other members of the royal family held accountable the same way Meghan is on a daily basis? Why the hypocrisy? It's not just the press and public though. Her own family, including estranged father Thomas Markle, half-sister Samantha Markle and more recently, Meghan's half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. on Big Brother VIP, have verbally attacked their own family member.
Harry was always the rebellious adult, similar to his mom's zest for life and freedom, and that's mostly because he didn't have the weight of the monarchy on his shoulders like his big brother William is harbouring. Maybe, if the roles were reversed, Harry too would have been of the more conservative, following royal protocols kinds. However, in such a case, he would probably have never even thought of marrying Meghan, a move so unlike the royal family.
Nevertheless, Meghan and Harry fell in love, tried the royal family life, and realised they weren't cut from the same formal cloth as the other senior working royals were trained their whole life. Let's not forget that just like you and me, they're human too and the constant degradation from the press and public can get to just about anyone. Mental health matters and Meghan, along with Harry, decided to put that in the forefront. Even if that meant the obsessive scrutiny continues to follow them all the way to their Montecito mansion.
Hence, yes, I staunchly believe that Meghan Markle doesn't deserve the ruthless character assassination that she's subjected to. Honestly, we can do so much better than a Piers Morgan! Treat people with kindness...
