Harry & Meghan Oprah Interview Tonight

I think the bigger picture is being missed while people are arguing about how many angels dance on the head of a pin. The Royals are closely tied to the Commonwealth, many countries of which are from Africa and the Caribbean. What are they to think about any member of the Royal family being concerned about the baby’s skin color? This is not a difficult topic here but I’ll spell it out. R-A-C-I-S-M.

I would have been outraged if someone was gossiping and speculating like this about my child. She’s a lion mama and I respect her. I’d be depressed during pregnancy, too, if I was in the public eye and my family members were speculating about my kid’s skin color.

Megan was stuck in the same hornet’s nest as Diana, another lion mama, who reacted the same way during her lifetime. The important difference is Megan’s husband is standing by her side and doing all he can to protect his family. All this “she should have known” nonsense is appalling. Every one of us has had life issues where we went into situations blinded by something — love, ambition, loneliness, hope — and were sadly disappointed. Who can’t relate to that?? Who among us hasn’t done that? And didn’t we want help?

I think she is a very courageous woman who is standing up to both racism and to a system that makes puppets of its members. And Harry’s brother, if no one else, needs to step in and work this out so that, minimally, Harry has protection for his family. It’s not a big ask. Beyond that, the royals will need to repair their relationship with Commonwealth countries of color. I hope all of that happens and that the Queen will have the strength and insight to see it through.

I don't think the issue of the title was as important to H&M as the fact that he did not get a title meant that he was not entitled to security protection. They kept stating that "because he was not getting a title, he would not get security'.

The firm managed to provide E & B security until they were adults.

As they expected Harry and Megan to be official working royals, why not provide security for Archie? Harry is still in the direct line from the queen, not just a niece/nephew /great niece/nephew. Archie would be more a target for security issues, then his cousins (except for WM children, but they probably have round the clock protection).

The BRF could auction off one of the tiaras, or Saudi gifts and pay for security for Archie's lifetime without a blink.

And if they had chosen to stay as officially working royals they all would have had security. 

Agreed. Strongly.

Beyond the odd geneticists argument (and now a research scientist weighing in to deny racism because of profession), I’m astonished that people are denying that conversations about biracial babies often CAN BE problematic and often are UNLIKE typical conjecture about eye color and family likeness.

All? No. None? Again, no. So why are so many here fighting the possibility tooth and nail?

In high school, my daughter’s two closest friends were biracial. These girls, and their parents, could tell you myriad stories about how their looks are dissected by others - skin color, hair texture, facial fixtures, body type. In other words, how Black they look. Or how white they look, from their Black relatives.

Like all adolescents and teens, they just wanted to be like everybody else and not regularly put under a microscope physically. They were sensitive to these conversations and to tone and innuendo. My bet is Meghan is sensitive also, maybe sometimes hypersensitive, borne of a lifetime of examination that neither her husband nor white women on a message board people can understand, let alone categorically deny. 

Related to my post above (‘cause y’all should know by now that I’m both wordy and tangentie):

I live in a neighborhood that is two-thirds white and one-third Black. When I tell white people from the greater urban area where I live, I get a lot of, “Oh, is that area safe?” And “How’s the crime there?” My husband notices the frequency of the question to him, as do many neighbors and friends. Of note, I rarely-if-ever get that question from Black people. And I rarely-if-ever ask other people about crime in THEIR neighborhoods. 

It’s weird. And it makes us suspicious about subtext. I would flat out not believe if all those questioners claimed that they only ask because “I read an article about the rising crime rates there...” yada, yada. I might believe some, but definitely not all. Doesn’t pass the sniff test when you’ve heard it enough.

There's a lot of things in that interview that have been said and left to hang in mid-air for everyone out there to guess the rest of the story and the matter of Archie's security is one of them.

If they were still living in this country I would bet my life on it that Archie would be given security whether he had a title or not. As the son of a former active soldier which fought in Afghanistan and happened to be a Royal, Archie would be a target.
My guess is, at the time this was discussed  maybe someone (she failed to mention who THEY were) would have said that it wasn't a given for every person in Archie's position( as the great grandchild of the Queen) to be given security. Neither Harry or Meghan said WHO told them this 

The security of the Royal Family is up to the family themselves, together with the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police Royal Protection Squad who assesses the risk, provides and oversees the security of all the Royals. So who were "They" the family? the Home Office? the Met? or was it a casual remark made by one of staff at the palace?

As an aside  Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice no longer have security paid for by the taxpayer it finished around 8 or 9 years ago when they left university when a financial review and a  risk assessment was carried out by the Met.

From the interview he said he was too embarrassed to tell anyone. Then they went to the event. Harry seems to be getting a lot of passes. Seriously, it’s not like royals haven’t declined to attend events due to unforeseen issues. Telling your husband you’re suicidal falls under that umbrella. WTF?

Also, we don’t know the context or who said it, but considering Harry and Meghan have been vocal about the work he’s put in re: racism/feminism, why wasn’t that addressed with whomever said the comment? Seems like that’s where Harry shares his own journey to understanding with this racist family member. Instead they leave it open ended, effectively smearing the entire royal family with the comment of one person. In the current climate regarding race, I find it irresponsible.

I don't know, I just see this whole nest of drama and it turns me off.

Princess Madeline of Sweden stopped being a SR and moved to America after getting married. I wish that PH and M would have looked and payed attention to the way she did it and followed. Granted, she wasn't dealing with racism, but she set a very nice standard for leaving a SR status. She didn't burn bridges.

Jennifer

Yeah, I think Harry dropped the ball on this one. As her husband and soon to be dad, you ask for help. You just dont ignore it and hope it goes away. 


I just saw on Twitter that Buckingham Palace has asked Downing Street to help form a response. 

In my post I did say that for some people those conversations would be based in racism, but that it is simply not true for everyone.

However I am specifically being called a racist because I said that my interest in genetics and how combinations of genes result in physical characteristics is fascinating and that when I think about those things there is no difference if I am wondering about eye colour, male pattern baldness or amounts of melanin in someone's skin.
I was called a racist ass for that post.

Therefore if the criteria for racism is simply an interest in genetics then every profession where people deal with genetic issues must therefore be racist as well.

And people need to stop acting as if these conversations were had in front of Meghan while she was pregnant, Harry said "it was right at the start (of them dating)" and it was "what will the kids look like" I'm not defending that statement on it's own...but I am saying that people are acting as if these conversations were being had in front of Meghan while she was pregnant with Archie, and that's just not the case. Meghan only knows that Harry told her...his version, which may or may not be different from that was actually said.

I agree that having a conversation like that in front of a pregnant woman in a work situation in most cases would be highly inappropriate - but it did not happen.
On the other side of this I have read multiple posts on SM from people in mixed race relationships who have said their families did openly discuss this and in none of the ones I read did those people feel those comments were racist. All the Karen's here screaming racist at everyone need to get a grip and realize that they do not represent every person of colour.

As for the rest of us, thinking about genetics and wondering how someone's baby will look (sex, eye colour, hair colour etc) in the privacy of our own homes - is a different scenario and for many of us, that interest in genes is not based in racism, and I will not be made to feel guilty about it.

Sure. Conversely, if they don’t want to be judged, perhaps they shouldn’t be giving interviews with Oprah watched by millions while they partially detail intimate details of their lives and complain very publicly about their families. Someone earlier posted The Firm is their own worst enemy, but H&M seem to also be their own worst enemies.

Because there are no resources for security in the USA?🙄

Who in the USA do you expect to be intimately privy to classified British intelligence regarding threats to the royal family that wouldn’t be a US government funded agency?

The Oprah interview reduced their level of public scrutiny how exactly? I highly doubt Meghan’s father would be doing another round on the media circus right now if they hadn’t dragged it all out in public again. It doesn’t take a PR professional to realize how hard it is to try and control a narrative in the public sphere. Heck one can’t even control a thread on two peas; how often does the most seemingly benign post go off the rails?

Edited to add: the tabloid media isn’t likely to rest until they identify who the overtly racist royal is.