Everything Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Have Said About Racism
Check out what the Sussexes have said about racism, from their accusations of unconscious bias in the royal family to Harry speaking out about his Nazi uniform.
Netflix's Harry & Meghan isn't the first time Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have spoken about the racist attacks against the Duchess of Sussex. The couple, who stepped down as working members of the royal family in 2020, previously opened up about the racial undertones of stories written about Meghan and how her situation was different from other members of the royal family.
Continue reading to see what Meghan and Harry have said, plus their latest comments in the "unprecedented and in-depth documentary series," Harry & Meghan.
Related: Every Bombshell Revelation From Netflix's Harry & Meghan
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Remarks on Racism
Prince Harry calls out racist undertones of coverage of Meghan
Prince Harry condemned the abuse of his then-girlfriend Meghan in a statement released by his communications secretary back in November of 2016. The full statement is below:
"His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public - the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments. Some of it has been hidden from the public - the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.
"Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game - it is her life and his," the statement continued. "He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press who have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done. He knows that it is unusual to issue a statement like this, but hopes that fair-minded people will understand why he has felt it necessary to speak publicly."
Related: Meghan Markle's 2022 Net Worth Revealed
Prince Harry didn't know unconscious bias existed until living a day in Meghan's shoes
Living a day in his wife's shoes made Harry aware of unconscious bias. In an interview with Patrick Hutchinson for British GQ in 2020, the British royal said, "You can't really point fingers, especially when it comes to unconscious bias. But once you realize or you feel a little bit uncomfortable, then the onus is on you to go out and educate yourself, because ignorance is no longer an excuse. And unconscious bias, from my understanding, having the upbringing and the education that I had, I had no idea what it was. I had no idea it existed. And then, sad as it is to say, it took me many, many years to realize it, especially then living a day or a week in my wife's shoes."
Related: Relive Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Royal Wedding
Meghan and Harry reveal alleged conversations about the color of Archie's skin
The couple claimed in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that there were discussions of how dark their son Archie Harrison's skin color would be.
"In those months when I was pregnant, all around the same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of, 'He won't be given security, he's not gonna be given a title,' and also, concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born," Meghan told Winfrey.
The Duchess said that there were "several" conversations with Harry that were "relayed" to her about how dark their baby was going to potentially be "and what that would mean or look like."
Meghan didn't reveal who had the conversation with Harry. "I think that would be very damaging to them," she said. "Those were conversations that family had with him [Harry]," Meghan added. "It was really hard to be able to see those as compartmentalized conversations."
Harry later told Winfrey, "That conversation I am never going to share, but at the time it was awkward. I was a bit shocked."
Related: The Biggest Bombshells From Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Oprah Interview
Meghan Markle says her treatment was worse than Kate Middleton's, noting, "rude and racist are not the same"
The Duchess of Sussex pointed out to Winfrey during their sit-down interview that the experience she went through was not the same as that of her royal sister-in-law. "Kate was called 'Waity Katie,' waiting to marry William. While I imagine that was really hard, and I do, I can't picture what that felt like, this is not the same," Meghan said.
She continued, "And if a member of his family will comfortably say, 'We've all had to deal with things that are rude,' rude and racist are not the same. And equally, you've also had a press team that goes on the record to defend you, especially when they know something's not true. And that didn't happen for us."
Prince Harry addressed his Nazi costume
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
Prince Harry apologized in Harry & Meghan for wearing a Nazi costume to a party in 2005. He said it was one of the "biggest regrets" of his life, noting that he met with a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor to discuss why it's no laughing matter, and learned from the experience.
Princess Michael of Kent wore a blackamoor brooch to Meghan Markle's first Christmas with the royals
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
One example of the unconscious—or, let's be honest, likely conscious—bias of the royal family happened at Meghan's first Christmas with the royal family. Princess Michael of Kent was photographed wearing a racist Blackamoor brooch, for which she later apologized.
Prince Harry was "sleepwalking through life" before hearing Meghan Markle speak on racism
The Duke admitted that he thought he had an "awareness to issues," but listening to Meghan made him realize that he was "sleepwalking through life." "One thing I've learnt is that we don't see the world as it is. We see the world as we are. By the time I met Meghan, I think I traveled half of the Commonwealth. Met people in communities all around the world, and through that, I thought I knew. I thought I had an awareness to issues, ways of living, unconscious bias. Like all of it," he shared on Harry & Meghan.
However, after hearing Meghan "talk and having seen her have conversations and chats," the Duke of Sussex said, "I was like, "Well, here you are just blissfully like, I guess, sleepwalking through life."
Related: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Accuse Palace of Racist Remarks About Archie
Harry was "hurt" by the royal family's lack of acknowledgment of "colonial undertones" in stories about Meghan Markle
Speaking to Winfrey, Harry admitted that he was "hurt" no one in his family had said anything about the "colonial undertones of articles and stories" written about Meghan.
"What was different for me was the race element, because now it wasn’t just about her, but it is about what she represents. And therefore it wasn’t just affecting my wife. It was affecting so many other people as well. And that was the trigger for me to really engage in those conversations with senior palace staff and with my family to say, ‘Guys, this is not going to end well,'" he said.
Harry noted it was not going to end well for anyone. He explained, "Because the way that I saw it was there was a way of doing things, but for us, for this union and the specifics around her race, there was an opportunity, many opportunities, for my family to show some public support. And I guess one of the most telling parts, and the saddest parts, I guess, was over 70 Members of Parliament, female Members of Parliament, both Conservative and Labour came out and called out the colonial undertones of articles and headlines written about Meghan. Yet no one from my family ever said anything over those three years. That hurts. But I also am acutely aware of where my family stand and how scared they are of the tabloids turning on them."
Related: Prince Harry Says Other Men in Royal Family Don't Marry for Love
Meghan Markle thinks U.K. media wanted her mom's side to be a source of drama
Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty Images
As a headline that read "Mum's Side: Dirt Poor in Deep South" was displayed in the Netflix series, Meghan said, "The U.K. media, I truly believe, wanted my mom's side of my family to be the ones that all this drama could be stirred up with."
Meghan Markle recalls mom Doria Ragland being called the N-word
Steve Parsons - Pool / Getty Images
As she drove by the Hollywood Bowl in a scene in Harry & Meghan, the Archetypes podcast host recalled her mother Doria Ragland being called the N-word. Meghan remembered attending a concert at the amphitheater with her mother and the incident happened in the parking lot as they were leaving. The Duchess said, "My mom like honked her horn 'cause this woman was taking a long time to figure out how to get out, and the woman turned around and screamed the N-word at my mom."
"I just remember my mom, like the grip that her hands had on the steering wheel. You could it was so tight, where like the knuckles get all white, and she was just silent the rest of the drive home. We never talked about it," she continued. "I had never in my life heard someone say the N-word."
Related: Meghan Markle Says Meeting Kate Middleton Was 'Jarring' in Harry & Meghan Netflix Series
Meghan Markle says most people didn't treat her like a Black woman prior to going to the U.K.
While Meghan said in the docuseries that it is "very different to be a minority, but not be treated as a minority right off the bat," she noted that people are "very aware" of her race now because "they made it such an issue" when she went to the U.K. "Before that, most people didn't treat me like a Black woman," she said.
When she began getting negative tabloid coverage, it was Ragland who pointed out that it was racial, which Meghan said she initially couldn't understand.
Related: Meghan Markle Thought Prince Harry Was Joking About Curtsying to Queen Elizabeth II
Prince Harry says there is a "huge level of unconscious bias" in the royal family
According to the Duke of Sussex, there is a "huge level of unconscious bias" in his family. During the third episode 3 of Harry & Meghan, Prince William's brother said, "In this family, sometimes, you know, you're part of the problem rather than part of the solution. And there is a huge level of unconscious bias."
Related: Meghan Markle, Niece Slam Half-Sister in Netflix Series
Prince Harry told his family that the "rite of passage" some members went through was different for Meghan Markle because of the "race element"
Harry revealed in the second episode of the documentary that the palace's direction following a story with the headline "Harry's girl is (almost) straight outta Compton" was to not say anything. He said, “But what people need to understand is, as far as a lot of the family were concerned, everything that she was being put through, they had been put through as well."
The Duke continued, "So, it was almost like a rite of passage, and some of the members of the family were like right, but ‘My wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she be protected?’ And I said, 'The difference here is the race element.'"
Related: Prince Harry Says Royal Family Judged Meghan Markle for Being an American Actress
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were recognized for their work on racial justice and mental health through their Archewell Foundation
Days before the release of their Netflix series, Meghan and Harry were honored at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights' annual Ripple of Hope Gala. Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, said in a press release, "The couple has always stood out for their willingness to speak up and change the narrative on racial justice and mental health around the world."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stated that they were "honored" to receive the award. "Our hope with this award is to inspire a new generation of leadership in the arts, where diverse up-and-coming talent have a platform to have their voices heard and their stories told," the royal couple said. "The values of RFK Foundation and The Archewell Foundation are aligned in our shared belief of courage over fear, and love over hate. Together we know that a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change.”
Related: Meghan Markle Says Kate Middleton Made Her Cry
Prince Harry says he and Meghan Markle share a "responsibility to confront injustice"
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex received the President's Award—"presented in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service"—at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards.
“We’re thrilled to present this award to Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who together have heeded the call to social justice and have joined the struggle for equity both in the US and around the world,” Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, said in a press release. “Not only do they continue to lead by example, The Duke and Duchess have also decided to inspire the next generation of activists through the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, ensuring the support and recognition of generations of civil rights leaders to come.”
In their acceptance speech at the ceremony, Harry said: "I think it's safe to say that I come from a very different background than my incredible wife, yet our lives were brought together for a reason. We share a commitment to a life of service, a responsibility to confront injustice and a belief that the most often overlooked are the most important to listen to."
Next, see where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first date.