Op-Ed by Taleen El Gharib, Featured Writer

May 10th, 2021

The legacy of the Royal Family has become an inherently deceitful image of all but what is expected. One particular event in the 90s led to the domino effect that is the fall of the Royal Family, from among the strongest, most influential monarchies in the world to a flicker of power under fearsome titles.

Following a horrific car crash in 1997, the world bid a heavy farewell to their beloved Princess Diana. Her tragic death broke the hearts of the masses, and truth be told, many of those hearts remain broken to this day. Many speculated about whether her death was an accident or not, considering her rough experience with the Royal Family. The people even went so far as to accuse the Queen herself for setting up the entire ordeal. However, in a political playground as dangerous as that of the Royal Family, anything is possible.

Today, we witness a very similar situation. Former actress Meghan Markle attained the title of the Duchess of Sussex after her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018, and although it represented a considerably large win to many people of color, the events that followed her marriage revealed the dark truths that were overlooked for many years following Princess Diana’s death.

The 1997 car crash: an accident or murder?

Many conspiracy theories circulated within the media regarding Diana’s death. She had frequently expressed the struggle of being part of the Royal Family, and many of her claims were concerning. In an interview, she said: “The day I walked down the aisle (…), I felt that my personality was taken from me, and I was taken over by the royal machine”. The so-called wedding of the century seemed more like a tragedy in Diana’s eyes, and she even referred to herself as “a good product on a shelf” that “sells well”.

A dedicated humanitarian, Diana was able to make a name for herself as the queen of people’s hearts, a title she very successfully fulfilled and still holds today.

However, what happened behind palace doors was unknown to the public. She faced many difficulties in her marriage, and perhaps also had a strained relationship with the Queen, revealing that she suffered from depression, bulimia, and engaged in self-mutilation. She publicized many accusations about Prince Charles’s ill treatment of her, and his intimate relationship with former girlfriend, Camilla R. Shand, who he then married in 2005. 

This was only the beginning of the downfall of the Royal Family. Although many people initially developed a dislike for the non-traditional Diana, a great deal sympathized with her situation. In 1996, the Queen advised Charles and Diana to divorce, but she insisted that Diana withholds her title as Princess of Wales, as her children were still heirs to the throne. 

A very important detail that many fail to remember about the car crash is that there was another person in the car with Diana, an Egyptian film producer, Dodi Fayed. His involvement with Diana and plans to get engaged became a motive leading up to the car crash, as rumors circulated about her being six weeks pregnant at the time of her death.

If this were true, this means the Royal Family would have had a non-Christian brother associated with the heirs to the throne and potential future beneficiary of a £17 million settlement to be divided among three children.

The racist legacy of the Royal Family

Meghan Markle was, for the longest time, painted as the bad apple, up until her and Prince Harry’s shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey. She was constantly accused of being the reason behind Prince Harry’s separation from the Royal Family, alongside other accusations that painted her as “too Hollywood” for such a prestigious title. Although many people were aware of the tension between the couple and the Royals, Meghan’s confessions were very impactful.

In the interview with Oprah, she admitted that she just “didn’t want to be alive anymore”, and the most shocking revelation was the Royal Family’s concerns over “how dark his [Archie] skin might be”, since Meghan is of mixed race.

Clearly, a pattern became clear, as both Diana and Meghan experienced the same scrutiny, seen as members of the Royal Family who could not fulfill their duties in a satisfactory or acceptable matter, whether in the eyes of the media or the Family itself. While Diana’s membership was ended by death, Meghan and Harry made the decision to leave the Family and abandon their titles.

The British media worked relentlessly to tarnish Meghan’s image in the eyes of the public, and when one compares the headlines written about Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, to those written about Meghan, the racism becomes very clear. One cannot underestimate the power of language in media and its role in shaping public opinion. 

Here are some of the headlines:

“Pregnant Kate tenderly cradles her baby bump” vs. “Why can’t Meghan Markle keep her hands off her bump? (…) Is it pride, vanity, acting (…)?”

“Kate Middleton’s homegrown bouquet of flowers (…) follows royal code” vs. “How Meghan Markle’s flowers may have put Princess Charlotte’s life at risk”

“(…) new Duchess of Cambridge requested her favourite scented candles (…) be delivered to scent the Abbey” vs.“Dictatorial bride Meghan wanted air fresheners for ‘musty’ 15th-century St George Chapel…but the Palace said no”

Ever since Diana’s death, the Family began to lose their political sway and respect, and the interview was the final shove towards an irreversible downfall of the royal image. This may be in line with the rumors of Diana being pregnant with Dodi Fayed’s child at the time of her death. Could racism/islamophobia have been the motive behind Diana’s death? What can we speculate about Meghan’s future?

Clearly, something wrong is going on behind the doors of Buckingham Palace. For there to be such a pattern of scrutiny and ill treatment from not only the British media, but the Family itself, then perhaps the accusations being thrown at the Royals must be true.

It is undeniable that the Royal Family’s image has been permanently tarnished, and rightfully so. Although many people pointed fingers at Prince Charles for setting up the car crash back in 1997, Meghan’s similar experiences have diverted the blame towards the Queen. The fall from one of the most powerful monarchies in the world to a hated family with diminishing influence began back when Diana was alive, but it has significantly accelerated with Meghan’s shocking confessions.

The world is unhappy with the Royals, and it is hard to say whether this will ever change in the future. The destruction of a “respectable” reputation is often irreversible, and a close eye must be kept on the family to see what exactly they will attempt to reclaim that respect, because the damage has been dealt not only on a social level, but a political one as well.