So, what exactly is the purpose of a controlling and racist Royal Family, anyway?
The world is still buzzing about the exclusive sit-down interview Oprah had with the Harry formerly known as Prince and his wife, Meghan Markle.
It was teased for at least a week that the primetime special would be eye-opening must-see TV. And it was.
When I heard that Oprah was involved and that it would be on a Sunday night (outside of ratings time), I knew it was something explosive. CBS didn’t disappoint.
As I watched, I predicted that Meghan would get a lot of sympathy from Americans (since she’s one herself) and that her story about being part of the Royal Family would make people think differently about the institution.
Meghan admitted, as most Americans would, that she was unfamiliar with the dynamic of the family relationships and how an outsider must conform to the traditions — as outdated and one sided as they might be.
There seems to be two sides of the argument: Those who say Meghan shouldn’t be treated the way she says she was; and those who say Meghan knew what she was getting into and if she didn’t like it she should’ve stayed away.
Problem is, Meghan fell in love with Harry. Sure, if she seemed money or fame hungry, it would be easy to make that criticism. But the fact that she loved the guy so much that she said, “Hey, let’s live a private life and do our own thing,” makes me think she’s focused on the man and not the title.
It’s a different argument than people who say celebrities don’t have a right to privacy. Both Meghan and Harry already had that status individually. This is up another level because of the royal angle involved.
Leading up to their wedding, we heard there was concern amongst the royals about Meghan’s race. But to hear it directly from her as she talked with Oprah was somehow stunning. It’s almost as if we didn’t believe the rumours and she confirmed them with the jaw-dropping revelations.
In the days, and even hours, leading up to CBS’s special, Buckingham Palace, and the Queen herself, seemingly lobbed gentle defences about the family. Were they enough to do damage control before the tell-all? Not even close.
The two-hour special, and the gossipy rumours that the Royal Family was anti-Meghan from the beginning, only deepened the divide between the lesser people (the public) and the high and mighty (the royals). In today’s world, the average person will say, “I ain’t got time for that.”
If this didn’t make people reassess the necessity, oh hell, the purpose, of having a Royal Family, then nothing will.
