This past week, I read an article published by The New York Times titled, “‘I Just Didn’t Want to Be Alive Anymore’: Meghan Says Life as Royal Made Her Suicidal”written by Mark Landler. The article discusses the interview that Oprah Winfrey conducted with Prince Harry and his wife, Duchess Meghan Markle, a woman of color. The interview was shocking to watch, revealing the systemic injustices that Meghan Markle experienced at the hands of the British monarchy.
Meghan explained how her mental illnesses were ignored by palace officials and she did not receive the medical help that she needed at the time, causing severe depression. In addition to reading this article, I also watched the full interview Oprah Winfrey conducted with Meghan Markle. When speaking about her experiences with being denied help regarding mental illness, she revealed that the Institution could not help her because it would lead to media coverage. After this, Meghan was shocked and recognized that she was still mentally unstable. She then went to the human resources department, explaining that with her previous job, she would’ve been supported by the union to receive medical care when needed. They acknowledged that she was in an unfortunate situation, but because she was not a paid employee of the institution, there was nothing they could do to help her (Oprah). This denial of basic medical care is an aspect that anyone else in the Royal Family would ever experience.
In addition to this, palace officials began to raise concerns regarding how dark their child’s skin complexion would be after he was born. They also made it very clear that the child of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan would not have a royal title or financial security (Landler). At this point, after three years of mistreatment, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan decided it was time to leave behind their royal duties and financial security to avoid the mistreatment.
After reading the article, I was stunned to see that systemic injustices take place within the palace walls as well. I was also shocked to learn about how differently Duchess Meghan and Duchess Kate were treated and how Kate mistreated Meghan as well. Duchess Meghan revealed that Kate even drove her to tears after relentless fighting over her flower girls’ dresses (Landler). During her interview with Oprah, various magazine titles were examined that showed Duchess Meghan and Duchess Kate doing the exact same thing, but portrayed in entirely different light. For instance, when Kate would cradle her baby bump during appearances, the media portrayed it in positive light, showing excitement for the arrival of the new member of the Royal Family. However, when Meghan did the exact same thing, she was shown in a much more negative light; she was accused of drawing too much attention to herself (Oprah).
Duchess Meghan Markle’s experiences with systemic racism relate to the concepts we discussed regarding deBeauvoir’s theory of “the One” and “the Other.” Meghan is portrayed as “the Other” in this context, where her behavior and actions are over-scrutinized to the point that she feels she cannot do anything right. To the point where she truly questions her will to live, asking herself if it is even worth it. She was clearly distinguished as “the Other” by the British Institution and palace officials who consider themselves, “the Ones.” “The Ones” continuously try to hold control over “the Other” due to their respective differences.
-Divya Patibandla
Links:
www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/world/europe/oprah-interview-harry-meghan.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/world/europe/oprah-interview-harry-meghan.html
https://www.cbs.com/shows/oprah-with-meghan-and-harry-a-cbs-primetime-special/
Additional Media:
Citations:
Landler, Mark. “’I Just Didn’t Want to Be Alive Anymore’: Meghan Says Life as Royal Made Her Suicidal.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/world/europe/oprah-interview-harry-meghan.html.
Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special [Interview by 1275727956 941733689 O. Winfrey]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.cbs.com/shows/oprah-with-meghan-and-harry-a-cbs-primetime-special/video/i6UW_WTQjLrEeOoObMmlwrFLTTypvuZm/cbs-presents-oprah-with-meghan-and-harry-a-primetime-.special
Hello Divya,
I really enjoyed reading your showcase. I also had the same reaction, I was in shock when i heard all the outbreak about Duchess Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s leaving from the Palace. Honestly i wasn’t surprised. This racism has been occurring way before, since Princess Diana’s era, and yet nothing was ever done. It is honestly so sad and heartbreaking to see history repeat itself. I am glad that Duchess Meghan Markle was able to leave way before things got even worse, and i am glad she was able to speak up about this issue because many unfortunately never get to.
Thank you for sharing, your post was very interesting to read!
Hello Divya,
I was very intrigued by your Diary of Systemic Injustice showcase as I found the story about the Duchess Meghan Markle to be quite a captivating one and her interview with Oprah was a topic of discussion among my friends for a few days. Seeing her and Prince Harry valiantly speak up after leaving the royal family was inspiring and really eye opening. Her treatment when compared to Kate was blatant discrimination and showed the amount of racism and colorism that exists not only in the media but in the royal family. The amount of systemic injustice and micro aggressions that Duchess Meghan Markle endured was very disturbing and definitely affected her mental health. It appeared that everything she did was being analyzed with the intent of critiquing her and tearing her down. Her story showcases the mental toll systemic injustices, racism, discrimination, and micro aggressions can have on a person.
Hey Divya,
I had a great time reading your showcase. I was stunned when I learnt about Duchess Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s departure from Kensington Palace. This discrimination has been going on since Princess Diana’s day, and still little has been said about it. Watching past replicate itself is profoundly tragic and heartbreaking. I’m grateful Duchess Meghan Markle was able to flee before things deteriorated worse, and I’m glad she was able to speak out on this issues since many others sadly never do. Thanks for your sharing!
Hi Divya, your diary of Systemic injustice showcase is great and I really love your point that using deBeauvoir’s theory of “the One” and “the Other” to explain the systemic injustice of Meghan Markle’s experiences. Around the world, young people are an important voice against injustice and racism. As she said after the Freud events, “as a global organization with many young leaders, we will stand together and pursue a fair and better path. ” This is definately a racial discrimination and her voice, I think, is a good help for making the world aware of this problem again, take it seriously, change it.