Prince Harry denying royal racism allegation could shatter his reputation

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Prince Harry says Meghan Markle did not accuse the Royal Family of racism after telling Oprah Winfrey there were ‘concerns and conversations’ about her unborn child’s dark skin before she was born .

The Duke of Sussex has done television interviews to promote his memoir Spare, including one in Britain with a friend of his, Tom Bradby.

The ITV reporter suggested that Harry had accused members of the royal family of racism and the prince replied: “No, I didn’t. The British press said that. Did Meghan ever mentioned they were racist?”

Harry acknowledged that “there were concerns about his [Archie’s] skin color” but asked if he would describe it as racist, he added: “I wouldn’t, having not lived in this family.”

Above, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu with their grandson Archie Mountbatten-Windsor during a tour of South Africa in 2019. Meghan told Oprah Winfrey [inset] during their 2021 interview that there were “concerns and conversations” about how dark his skin was before he was born. Toby Melville/Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage/Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

“Going back to the difference between what my understanding is due to my own experience, the difference between racism and unconscious bias, the two things are different,” he said.

“But once it’s been acknowledged, or made known to you as an individual or as an institution, that you have unconscious biases, then you have the opportunity to learn and grow from that so to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem, otherwise unconscious bias falls into the category of racism.

The account sparked criticism from some quarters who have traditionally been positive about Harry and Meghan.

Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, author of This Is Why I Resist, wrote on Twitter: “Prince Harry, you are WRONG. There is NO difference between conscious/unconscious racial bias and racism. Bias is the presence of racism and the actions/words are proof of it. . You are right to point out once that it is the person’s responsibility to rectify/evolve #HarryTheInterview.”

Prince Harry, you are wrong. There is NO difference between conscious/unconscious racist bias and racism. Prejudice is the presence of racism and actions/words are proof of it

You’re right to point out once that it’s the person’s responsibility to rectify/get out of it #HarryTheInterview pic.twitter.com/6AWLOBfHB0

— Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) January 8

There is also a secondary risk that millions of people watched Meghan’s comments live and will have formed their own conclusions about the meaning of Meghan’s words before they have a chance to engage with the UK media.

What Meghan Markle Told Oprah Winfrey About Race

In their 2021 interview, Oprah Winfrey asked Meghan why she thought the Royal Family considered not giving Archie the title ‘prince’ and asked: ‘Do you think it’s because of his race? ?

Meghan replied: “During those months that I was pregnant, around the same time… so we have in tandem the conversation of, ‘He won’t get security, he won’t get a title’ and also some worries and conversations about how dark his skin was when he was born.”

Oprah’s shock was audible, asking “what?” and “who is having this conversation with you?”

“Wait, wait, stop right now,” Oprah continued before later asking, “Because they were worried that if it was too brown it would be a problem? You say that?”

Harry denies that Meghan accused a member of the royal family of racism during their interview with Oprah. It’s surreal.

— Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) January 8, 2023

Meghan said: “I haven’t been able to figure out why, but if that’s the assumption you’re making, I think it seems pretty safe, which was really hard to figure out, isn’t it? not?”

Asked if she would reveal the identity of the royal in question, Meghan replied: “I think it would be very detrimental to them.”

Harry later said the question was, “What will the children be like?” and declined to share further details.

Above, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are interviewed by Oprah Winfrey during their prime time special on CBS in March 2021. Harry said in a January 8, 2023 interview that they did not accuse the racism royal family. Joe Pugliese/Harpo The implications of Prince Harry’s latest story

Prince Harry seems to feel like he is taking issue with the UK media story, but millions of people watched the interview when it was broadcast live, and it aired in the US before the UK.

If viewers felt Meghan’s story amounted to an allegation of racism, Harry might have unwittingly told millions of Americans they were wrong.

Not only that, but these people will all know that whether they were right or not, their instantaneous knee-jerk reaction was not the product of any brainwashing by the British media.

This matters because it threatens to undermine the keystone of much of Harry’s story, which is his tendency to blame the media for many of his troubles.

Harry needs his audience to believe he is acting in good faith and a reliable storyteller rather than someone who hates the media so much because of his mother’s death that he blames it for everything.

It’s very hard to marry Oprah’s visible shock when she heard the words come out of Meghan’s mouth with Harry’s account of the racism story coming from the British media.

Harry’s audience is not only the public but also American journalists who may find themselves writing and debating more and more if his revelations continue and they too will know how the American media interpreted Meghan’s remarks.

He has sometimes blamed the press for the breakdown of relations with his family and his decision to leave Britain, but in this example viewers can compare his assessment of the media’s influence to their own direct experience of hearing Meghan’s words by themselves.

Harry and Meghan also allowed the narrative of racism to persist in Britain, the United States and other countries around the world for almost two years without correcting the record.

The Duke is correct that neither he nor Meghan used the term ‘racist’, but they also didn’t use the term ‘unconscious bias’, meaning at best they left their meaning ambiguous and then did nothing to correct the record once they had been misunderstood until this final interview.

This is particularly striking given that another major part of their complaint about Kensington Palace is the refusal to correct the story accusing Meghan of making Kate Middleton cry.

All of this could have a significant impact on Harry and Meghan’s popularity ratings on both sides of the Atlantic. They are far more unpopular in Britain today than when they worked in the royal family, but they enjoy the greatest support among 18-24 year olds.

It is very difficult to see how a politically idealistic younger generation is going to accept the idea that it is unconscious bias rather than racism to express concern about whether the skin of an unborn child might be “too brown”.

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