- The British tabloids have reshared a video of Meghan Markle detailing her experiences with racism, despite accusations that they are part of the problem.
- The Mail Online, The Mirror, The Express, and The Sun shared the video of the Duchess of Sussex speaking for the "I Won't Stand for Racism Campaign" in 2012, as part of their
Black Lives Matter coverage. - These are the same publications that Markle and Prince Harry cut off contact with after many were accused of discriminatory and racist coverage of the duchess.
- Markle and Harry resigned from their royal duties in January, just two months after Markle acknowledged she was "not OK" following the increased media attention.
- Insider spoke with
royals experts, who debated whether the tabloids would ever hold themselves accountable for playing a part in "Megxit ." - The Sun and the Mail Online did not respond when contacted by Insider. Reach Plc — the publisher of The Mirror and The Express — declined to comment.
"Some of the slurs that I've heard, the really offensive jokes, or the names ... it's just hit me in a really strong way,"
"And then, a couple of years ago, I heard someone call my mom the N-word," she said.
The video recently resurfaced after thousands of people across the world took part in Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Many of the British tabloids were quick to reshare the video — six months after they were accused of driving Markle out of the UK.
Just a few of the discriminatory headlines Markle was subjected to over the years included that she was "fueling human rights abuses, drought, and murder" for eating avocados and that her mother's hometown was "(almost) straight outta Compton" and "gang-scarred."
—Pagan Trelawney GCVOIDGAF (@PaganTrelawney) June 2, 2020
Many of the publications that reshared the 2012 video have either been accused of contributing to this type of discriminatory coverage or have refused to acknowledge that racism played a part in "Megxit" in the first place.
Insider spoke with experts, who debated whether the tabloids were finally recognizing the duchess' struggle with racism and whether those publications would ever hold themselves accountable for contributing to it.
Prince Harry called out the press' racism toward Markle back in 2016, but things have only gotten worse since then
The Mail Online, The Mirror, The Express, and The Sun all wrote articles promoting Markle's anti-racism video last week.
These publications were banned by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's press team earlier this year. The couple wrote letters to the publications saying that they would no longer communicate with their journalists and that "there is a real human cost" to the way in which they operated.
"It is gravely concerning that an influential slice of the media, over many years, has sought to insulate themselves from taking accountability for what they say or print — even when they know it to be distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason," the statement said. "When power is enjoyed without responsibility, the trust we all place in this much-needed industry is degraded."
"There is a real human cost to this way of doing business and it affects every corner of society," they added.
While the duke and duchess didn't outwardly cite racism as a reason behind their decision, Prince Harry called out the press' racist coverage of the former actress in 2016.
"His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment," a Kensington Palace representative said in an official statement.
"Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments."
Throughout the four years that followed, the tabloids didn't seem to take precaution when it came to the duchess.
More recently, the press has been criticized for the double standards placed on Markle, in comparison to its portrayal of Kate Middleton.
Insider previously compared the contrasting headlines used to portray Middleton and Markle in articles on the same subject.
"It is rather incongruous that the tabloid media would discuss a video of a younger Meghan talking about the effects of racism in her life," Marlene Koenig, a royal expert for History Extra, told Insider.
"This is not a new video, but in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd and the growing protests in support of Black Lives Matter, it is not a surprise for these newspapers to try and capitalize on the movement — and of course try to tie Meghan to it."
"I think it is a bit much for the tabloids, who have used Meghan as a whipping boy for more than two years, to highlight her messages about racism as the papers have no interest in acknowledging their roles the unfavorable, sometimes racist coverage. It is a bit rich, actually," she added.
The Sun and the Mail Online did not respond when contacted by Insider. Reach Plc — the publisher of The Mirror and The Express — declined to comment.
The press might not ever take responsibility
Piers Morgan — who has arguably become one of Markle's greatest critics over the years — previously said he didn't believe racism was a factor when it came to the couple's move to North America, known as Megxit.
In fact, Morgan argued that the coverage of Markle was mostly positive and became negative only because of her "behavior" in recent months.
"I would argue, as a journalist — I used to run these papers — the coverage after that didn't suddenly get racist," Morgan said during an appearance on "Good Morning Britain" in January.
"The coverage got more negative because of their behavior," he added. "How do you cover someone who is not white, in that circumstance, without people thinking ... there may be racial bias behind it?"
While the TV host hasn't retracted the statement, he did acknowledge four months later that he thought some of his past criticisms of Markle had gone "too far."
Speaking with The Sunday Times, Morgan blamed "boredom" for his unfair coverage of the duchess.
"It's times of relative peace, calm, quiet, and dare I say boredom that might occasionally bring out the worst in me," he said.
Then, last week he went as far as to praise the duchess after she released a new video message about the Black Lives Matter movement to students at her former high school.
The headline of his latest column says: "You're not fit to light Churchill's cigar, Mr President so listen to Meghan Markle and stop dividing and start uniting a country crying out in pain."
If a critic like Morgan is able to recognize his unfair coverage of the duchess, this could be a signal that other journalists could follow suit.
The British tabloids want to 'be on the right side of history,' according to Princess Keisha of Nigeria
Though it's unclear whether Morgan's recent column dedicated to the duchess came from a genuine place, it's apparent that no journalist wants to be on the wrong side of history when it comes to racism.
According to Princess Keisha — a Black American model who married into Nigerian royalty — the reasons behind the tabloids' sudden shift don't matter in the long term.
"I think it's amazing to see how quickly the worldwide outrage spread for #BlackLivesMatter after the video of the horrific murder of George Floyd by the hands of police," Princess Keisha told Insider.
"It seems to have instantly opened the eyes of everyone who prior to the viral video, would have told you the All Lives Matter and racism didn't exist," she said.
Princess Keisha added that if the British press "still feel validated in proclaiming it's not about race and we are not being racist, it doesn't give one hope that they have any interest in changing their behavior or treatment of Meghan Markle."
However, despite this, the royal believes the press resharing Markle's 2012 anti-racist campaign could signal change for the better.
"I think everyone watching what is happening all over the world has no choice but to join the movement and take responsibility for their own part in systematic racism," she said. "If they do not, they will be left behind."
Markle said in the 2012 video: "I hope that by the time I have children, that people are even more open-minded to how things are changing."
"And that having a mixed world is what it's all about," she added.
One of her first interviews as a new mother, however, showed her acknowledging that she was "not OK" following a storm of hateful press stories after Archie's birth.
While it's impossible to erase the press' treatment of the duchess — and her potential reasons for leaving the UK — it's still possible for the tabloids to make changes in their coverage.
"Whether the British tabloids want to take responsibility or not, they will if only for the sole purpose of going down in history for being on the right side of history," Princess Keisha said.
"At this point, people of color are happy that many allies are coming together to go against injustice and racism," she added. "Their reasons behind it is not important. Ending systemic racism is the ultimate goal."
- Read more:
- Racism in the British media may have been a driving force behind Meghan Markle's 'step back' from the royal family
- Meghan Markle is being criticized for doing the same things that Kate Middleton is praised for, and a royal expert says it wouldn't be happening if she were white
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wrote explosive letters to 4 British tabloids cutting off all contact
- Piers Morgan leaked a private message Meghan Markle sent him before she was a royal, where she said she was a 'big fan' of the TV host
- A Norwegian princess says she received death threats for being in an interracial relationship, and it's strikingly similar to the backlash Meghan Markle faced
- Princess Keisha of Nigeria says she didn't know her now-husband was a prince until 2 years into their relationship, when his mom called her 'my princess'