Meghan vs. The Queen: The Battle for PR Champion
Published on April 8, 2021 at 12:03 p.m.
by Mattie Naman.
Unless you literally live under a rock, then you have heard of the showdown between former Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry versus the royal family.
Becoming a royal has been anything but a walk in the park for the American actress, and she recently made that quite clear on a very public stage.
Oprah Winfrey hosted an interview with Meghan and Harry to reveal the truth of what has been going on behind the palace doors.
What went down
As an actress, Meghan knows a thing or two about how to receive good publicity. So, she brought out the big guns.
Meghan took her voice to live TV to speak about the mistreatment from the royal family during her time as a family member.
Meghan’s intent was for the public to know that not everything you hear in the media is true. She spoke of false accusations, such as making the Duchess of Cambridge cry at a dress fitting, when in reality she was the one that ended up in tears that day.
Another hot topic that was the concern coming from members of the royal family was about the color of baby Archie’s skin. Something that also weighed heavy on Meghan was the inability of baby Archie to receive a royal title. Meghan spoke of the racism she faced as a member of the royal family and how that affected her mentally.
Also, on the topic of mental health, Meghan claimed she reached out to senior members of the royal family to get professional help, and she was refused treatment. She described not “[wanting] to be alive anymore.”
It seems quite hypocritical of the royals to refuse treatment for members of their own family when Kate and Prince William just put programs in place to end the mental health stigma in the U.K.
The queen’s response
Whether you are team Meghan or team royal family, you can make your own judgments on whether Queen Elizabeth’s response was sufficient.
She has come under fire for the way she has handled many crisis situations in the past. May we never forget the way she handled the death of Princess Diana; we can only hope she has learned since then.
Although Meghan spoke very highly of the queen, saying she has always had very lovely encounters with her, everyone was waiting for her apology.
The spotlight was on Buckingham Palace for a much-anticipated response, but all that was heard was the sound of crickets.
Finally, in the queen’s short-but-sweet response to the televised interview, she claimed that she takes the racial accusations “very seriously,” and that they will be under a heavy investigation. She also said that “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members.” She expressed true concern over the topic and promised to do better.
So, was the queen’s grand “four-sentence response” good enough, or does she need to invest in a better PR team?
Who wins PR champion? I guess that’s up to the public to decide.
