On Wednesday evening, news broke that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are to take a step back as senior members of the Royal Family. A statement released on their new website and their official Instagram talks about a transition that will see the young family split their time between the United Kingdom and North America, with Meghan having already returned to Canada today.
Like Meghan, I am mixed-race, and since she joined the Royal Family I have felt a real affinity towards her. As someone who grew up with little representation of anyone who looked like me in the media, much less in the monarchy, it felt like a seismic shift. Her addition made history that seemed to anger some who have continually made clear that a mixed-race woman does not belong in that institution.
I can sympathise with their decision to spend less time in the UK wholeheartedly: in January 2017, I moved from the UK to Toronto after seeing the racial tensions stirred up by the Brexit debate.
Everything Meghan has been subjected to has been extremely distressing to watch. When you’re treated like that, of course you’d want to leave. ‘Good for them,’ I thought.
Obvious racist undertones started from the very beginning when the couple were first linked. The Daily Mail published an article in 2016 called ‘Harry's girl is (almost) straight outta Compton: Gang-scarred home of her mother revealed - so will he be dropping by for tea?’ Another article refers to her ‘exotic DNA’
I can sympathise with their decision to spend less time in the UK wholeheartedly: in January 2017, I moved from the UK to Toronto after seeing the racial tensions stirred up by the Brexit debate. Home suddenly felt like a hostile environment for people of colour. In the three months after the EU referendum, hate crimes more than doubled compared with the previous three months. I was subjected to racist comments by strangers in the street. Before then, I’d never experienced anything like that.
I’d lived in Canada before as part of an exchange scheme at university and absolutely fell in love with Toronto. I know exactly why Harry and Meghan love it. It’s one of the most diverse cities in the world, with over 200 ethnic groups and over 140 languages spoken. It feels like they accept differences far more than in the UK. When I moved back to Toronto in 2017, I was frequently reminded just how much tolerance matters to Canadians, with the anti-Trump Women’s March and a rally against Islamophobia taking place within my first few weeks there.
Having spent seven years in Toronto while she filmed Suits, Meghan will be familiar with how liberal and welcoming the city is. As a young, mixed-race couple raising a family, I bet this is playing a major role in their decision to spend more time there. It’s a no-brainer; a city with less paparazzi and racism.
I don’t blame Meghan and Harry for stepping back from royal duties to spend more time away from the UK and its racist tabloids. It’s something I’m considering doing again myself one day.
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