It was early in the new year when Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, publicly announced plans to “step back” from their official roles as Duke and Duchess of Sussex to pursue financial independence elsewhere.
By the next day, it seemed, every media outlet had a sensational headline to pitch. “They didn’t even tell the Queen,” read the now-infamous headline from The Daily Mirror on the morning following the couple’s statement. On the same day, The Sun termed the situation potential for “civil war.”
It appears that for many Britons, the abdication comes as the latest and most damnable offense in a series of perceived scandals involving the country’s most divisive power couple.
Unlike media darlings William and Kate Cambridge, the Sussexes have suffered a largely negative reception from the British public since their relationship began in 2016. The couple has been the constant subject of rumor and unflattering comparisons. With this turbulent background, it was certainly no surprise when the Sussexes’ announcement was met with immediate backlash.
For much of the U.K., Harry and Meghan’s apparent renunciation of the royal life — a phenomenon referred to disparagingly as “Megxit” by a number of trigger-happy tabloids — represents an affront to the esteemed monarchy, and perhaps even a threat to the integrity of the Crown. The most extreme narratives paint the Sussexes as outright traitors, with a majority placing the blame almost entirely on Markle.
Though the basis of such widespread disdain remains a highly contested subject, one truth is abundantly clear: for years, Markle, as a mixed-race American, has been the repeated target of thinly veiled racial denigration from the British press. In one particularly egregious incident, the Daily Mail even referred to the former Duchess as “(almost) straight outta Compton,” alluding to crime demographics in her hometown of Los Angeles.
Now, if you’re like me — and the rest of America — it’s probably safe to assume that until fairly recently, you weren’t even aware of Prince Harry’s official job title, let alone the fact that he actually had one. Personally, I had always assumed that the younger of the Queen’s grandsons more or less made his living gallivanting around Europe and generally being the distinguished humanitarian of the royal family à la the late Princess Diana.
This turned out to be a fairly close approximation of the truth. In truth, Harry was only formally appointed Duke of Sussex (aka Earl of Dumbarton, aka Baron Kilkeel) in May of 2018, an apparent wedding gift from Elizabeth II.
According to royal.uk, a website dedicated to the painstaking archival of the comings and goings of the British monarchy, Harry’s responsibilities
included, until very recently, such ill-defined offices as “supporting a number of charitable activities” and “carrying out public duties in support of the Queen.”
An interesting coincidence, considering that the Prince had been championing such projects for nearly two decades before superfluously acquiring the dukedom. Equally interesting is that, on their official website, the Sussexes maintain that they intend to continue to fully support the Crown (albeit from a distance).
In light of this, I imagine that the centuries-old foundations of the British monarchy aren’t in any danger, with or without active participation from the former Duke and Duchess. As for Harry and Meghan themselves, the couple simply appears to be doing what is best for them. And, frankly, I find that admirable.
In any case, the Sussex scandal will eventually die down for the most part. Inevitably something new will rise. Perhaps by then the sensationalist media will have learned to stop needlessly scapegoating women and minorities. Perhaps not.
Grace Pulliam is an 18-year-old creative writing junior from Zachary, Louisiana.