Meghan Markle: contempt for the person
The former actress, wife of Prince Harry, has come under attack on every pretext in the popular British press, which accuses her of lacking etiquette. Critics that often suggest a racist background.
Not distinguished enough, not humble enough, not royal enough, not English enough or, frankly, not white enough? Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has it all wrong. She smiles too much, or not enough. Shows off too much, or not enough. Play it too much, or not enough. The former American actress, who became a member of the British royal family after her marriage to Prince Harry, has been the subject of a hostile campaign by the British popular press for several months. A campaign with strong racist overtones.
The honeymoon is already over, just over a year after Meghan and Harry’s fairytale-like wedding and three months after the birth of baby Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. In question ? The supposed claim of Meghan, firmly determined to protect her privacy and to act as she sees fit.
Perfect Kate
The couple’s decision to leave Kensington Palace, in the middle of London, to move to a mansion (misleadingly named Frogmore Cottage) in Windsor had already been heavily criticized. Notably because the premises had to be renovated at great expense, much of which was paid for by the British taxpayer. Why did the couple choose to go into exile at least 25 kilometers from the other hot royal couple of the moment, Prince William, number 2 in the line of accession to the throne and older brother of Harry, and his wife, Catherine? For the popular press, it does not make a fold. The move was obviously orchestrated by Meghan Markle, necessarily jealous of her sister-in-law. The perfect Kate with impeccable curls and smiles is indeed all good. She proved herself royal as it should be: wise, discreet, so well behaved and so English, delighted to cut ribbons here and there.
The couple's choice not to allow television cameras at the baptism of their son, not to communicate the names of the godfathers and godmothers, also made them cringe on the theme: "How dare they, these privileged, claim a minimum privacy? " And then, the coup de grace arrived this month. Meghan Markle had the audacity to be the guest editor of the September issue of upscale Vogue magazine. The 37-year-old, star actress of the American series Suits and convinced activist before joining the royal family, chose the cover of the issue. And posted there the photos of 15 women from the world of the arts, politics or sport, all activists for one cause or another, photographed by the famous Peter Lindbergh. These women represent "forces for change," Meghan explains in an editorial. There are personalities as diverse as the young Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, the New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, and the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. And a sixteenth space left free, to "encourage you, the reader, to use your own platform to change the world", writes the Duchess.
Unlike Princess Kate, who had agreed to pose wisely in Vogue a few years ago, Meghan Markle preferred to abstain. "But who does she think she is?" roughly summed up a lot of the usual popular media gripes. They noted a fatal error: the Duchess almost committed a crime of lese-majesté by not offering the photo of Queen Elizabeth II in a Vogue cover. It is true that as a "force for change", the sovereign arises there ...
Murderous stands
Critics go further: they are coupled with dubious references to his African-American origins. Journalist Sarah Vine, wife of Brexit supporter Michael Gove and now number 2 in Boris Johnson's government, has slipped through a series of murderous columns in the Daily Mail (her specialty). The latest, titled 'My advice to Meghan Markle: We Brits prefer true royals over fashion royals' is an avalanche of sour and condescending advice tinged with stark venom and racism. “As a preeminent member of the Royal Family [capitalize], you are also going to have to learn how to live with the 'great' British public [re-capitalize]. And that, my dear Meghan, is undoubtedly your most difficult task. "
Since the revelation of his relationship with Meghan, Prince Harry has warned the British press against any racist attack against his companion. Since the tragic death twenty-two years ago of his mother, Princess Diana, in a car crash in Paris while being chased by paparazzi, the young man has had a strained relationship with journalists. In the issue of Vogue edited by his wife, Harry, very involved in environmental issues, interviews the famous ethologist Jane Goodall. In the course of his questions, he underlines the racist “unconscious prejudice” often present in people's minds. "The way you were brought up, the environment you grew up in, suggests that you have a point of view - an unconscious point of view - that naturally makes you look at someone in a different way," he says. , before adding: "This is when you need to ask yourself questions about your attitude."
