Uncovering the effects of racism in 'Harry & Meghan' Netflix documentary

Four years ago, the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, signal a shift towards a more modern and inclusive monarchy. As a member of the traditionally white British royal family, Prince Harry's marriage to a mixed-race American woman was seen as a step towards reconciliation and progress. However, in their recent Netflix docuseries, the Sussexes, now living in the United States, suggest that the legacy of slavery and colonialism may have played a role in the adverse treatment Meghan faced from the media and the royal family before and after her marriage to Prince Harry. The first three episodes of the series explore the history of Britain's empire and its impact on contemporary issues.

The docuseries highlights the intense media scrutiny Meghan and her family faced when the couple's relationship became public, also referencing a column by Rachel Johnson, sister of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in which Meghan's heritage was described as exotic. These examples illustrate the racist and derogatory treatment Meghan received from the media.

Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, who is Black, says in the documentary that she told her daughter that it was about race, but Meghan initially resisted the idea. However, Doria insisted, and Meghan later reflects that she hadn't really thought about her race until the media made it an issue, saying that it's very challenging to be treated like this. In the documentary, she says that after moving to the UK, people were aware of her race, making it an issue. Prince Harry suggests that some members of his family did not fully recognize the role that race played in the media's treatment of Meghan and stated that in everything his wife was being put through, Harry’s family was also affected.

The documentary also explores the significance of Meghan's marriage to Prince Harry for Black people in the UK. In the third episode, the footage shows Meghan and Harry attending a memorial service for Stephen Lawrence, a Black teenager killed in a racist attack in London in 1993. This event marked a turning point for one viewer, who had previously perceived Harry as "racist" and "ignorant," but now saw him as someone on a journey toward becoming an anti-racist. In the documentary, Harry also addresses his own history of racism, including his 2005 attendance at a costume party in a Nazi uniform, and his use of racial slurs against South Asian army colleagues in 2006. While the documentary touches on the historical connections between the British monarchy and the slave trade, including Queen Elizabeth I's approval of the first commercial slave voyage in 1562, it does not characterize the monarchy as inherently racist. Instead, Harry speaks about the existence of an unrecognized and unknown bias within the royal family, which Meghan helped him to recognize and address.

The late Queen Elizabeth II devoted much of her reign to the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 independent states, most of which were former British colonies. The documentary does not address the calls in many Commonwealth states to end the British monarchy's role as head of state or to return looted treasures that make up part of the crown's wealth. In March, during a royal tour aimed at strengthening Commonwealth ties, William and Kate faced protests in Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas calling for reparations and apologies for slavery. After Queen Elizabeth II's death in September, politicians in Australia and the Bahamas indicated their desire to follow Barbados in removing the U.K. monarch as head of state.

It is positive that the issue of race has been brought to the forefront with Harry and Meghan's series, but if the conversation only focuses on them, then we have a larger issue at hand. It is important to address the underlying issues, not just one specific case. Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the show.