On March 7th 2021, Oprah conducted an interview with Megan Markle and Prince Harry giving continued insight into the twisted mechanism that is the British Monarchy. Over the course of the past week, numerous media outlets have discussed, at length, the legitimacy of Meghan Markle’s claims of racist inquiries from Senior members of the Royal Family, as well as their efforts to withhold aid for Markle’s profound mental illness. The unwillingness of many media sources to investigate these claims or to hold the Royal Family accountable for these alleged transgressions but rather pin blame on Markle as an attention-seeking-ex-royal is, in my mind, a reflection of the false pedestal on which the British Monarchy sits.

It is common knowledge that the British Monarchy upheld one of the largest colonial efforts in history having invaded, colonized and converted a vast majority of the world; to this day, the Queen of England owns more land across the globe than any other individual. While many of these countries have gained national independence, such colonial trauma persists. As a result, most no longer, or indeed never did, glorify the British Monarchy in the way they glorify themselves.

Monarchical Absolutism, while no longer a modern practice, gives way to the idea that those within a Monarchy have been appointed to their positions by God and thus absolves them of their actions. An archaic system, the Divine Right of Kings/ Queens is, in many ways, a system that remains in place especially within the British Monarchy- after all, Queen Elizabeth is the head of the Church of England and is representative of a direct line from God to the people.

Monarchy as a political doctrine is more concerned with religion than rationalism. Rather than inaugural ceremonies, a monarch would be crowned in a church setting which virtually creates the distinction that those who are divinely appointed are to be inherently of higher status and importance than any other person. There is a generally accepted belief that those who serve in a monarchy are never to be held accountable for their actions as they are always justifiable on the basis of their inherited God given rights. Consequently, this monarchical authority, being seen to be above the people, is a likely reason as to why Markle was refused any and all assistance or support for her mental health. The perception must be maintained that they do not share the same problems as the common person; they are the standard by which all other people should strive to be.  

In the interview, Markle infamously mentioned that there was discussion surrounding what the color of her son, Archie’s skin might be. It is surprising how many people found this to be a shocking revelation, as if this lineage hadn't already attempted global colonization, erasure and exploitation of various ethnicities on the foundation of entitlement, and ultimately, racist beliefs. Monarchy has fueled racism for centuries through incessant colonialism of most countries, therefore it should come as no surprise that members of the royal family questioned the darkness of an unborn baby, so as not to taint their pristine lineage of purely white descendants.

Considering how far we have come in humanity, one would think the age of the monarchy should be coming to a close, however there is nothing to suggest they will ever change. The royal family will persist the way they have been, unscathed by the media. Despite our knowledge of the toxic inner-workings of this institution, the British monarchy remains unquestioned and the royal family continually idolized by their citizens.

Source:

https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2018/05/21/royal-wedding-kensington-palace-releases-official-portraits-of-meghan-markle-prince-harry-and-royal-family/23439876/ (picture)