According to Meghan Markle, the British Press was cruel after the news of her romance with Prince Harry became public. In fact, when Princess Diana’s second born put a ring on it, all bets were off.
Headlines surrounding the soon-to-be Dutchess of Sussex were nasty, and the now liberated Markle is getting candid about just how nasty it had actually gotten. The mom of two told New York magazine’s The Cut in her most revealing interview yet that the British press didn’t just come for her, they came for her children too.
“I’m getting back … on Instagram,” Markle enthusiastically shared with the article’s author, Allison P. Davis.
It may not be a big deal to the masses, but for Markle, who for years was stifled by Queen Elizabeth and “The Firm” (a term used to refer to the royal family and its “associated institutions,” Time reports), she was not allowed to have her own Instagram account (or her own voice). Markle was only allowed to be on social media by way of a preexisting Instagram account, @KensingtonRoyal, which Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and Prince William were part of. She had no control over the account or what was put out.
Markle explained in the article that everything put out by The Firm was carefully curated and highly regulated — especially images of new royal children.
“There’s literally a structure by which if you want to release photos of your child, as a member of the family, you first have to give them to the Royal Rota,” she told The Cut.
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It was baffling to the Dutchess of Sussex, considering the press were vicious to her children by the time their oldest, Archie, was in utero.
“Why would I give the very people that are calling my children the N-word a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child?” she asked. “You tell me how that makes sense and then I’ll play that game.”
The former actress also opened up about the racially charged hate she faced at the hands of the British tabloids, who introduced her to her future subjects as “Harry’s girl is [almost] straight outta Compton.”
As Blavity previously reported, she discussed this during the first episode of her new podcast, “Archetypes,” saying that the British press confused her with her pal, Serena Williams.
“I’m like, ‘I’m not from Compton, I’ve never lived in Compton, my mum’s never lived in Compton but by the way what’s wrong with Compton? My girl Serena’s from there,’” Markle said in the episode where she interviews the tennis star.
Now, free of royal duties and enjoying a new life in Montecito, California, Markle is reclaiming her voice and her story. Princess Diana, whose struggle with the press was mirrored by Markle’s in many ways, would be proud.
