CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) – In countries with historic ties to Britain, Prince Harry and Meghan’s allegations that an unidentified member of the royal family was “concerned” about how dark their skin was. baby could have raised a thorny question: Do these nations really want to remain so closely linked to Britain and its royal family?
The interview was expected to expose more loopholes in the royal family. Now it appears to be risking divisions within the Commonwealth “family” – an association of 54 countries, most of them former British colonies, held together by historical ties. For decades, Queen Elizabeth II was the driving force behind the Commonwealth.
After the TV interview, aired in the United States on the eve of Community Day, former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull cited it as another reason for the country to break its constitutional ties with the British monarchy.
“After the end of the queen’s reign, it’s time to say: OK, we have passed that watershed,” Turnbull told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “Do we really want to have whoever the head of state, king or queen of the United Kingdom is, automatically our head of state? “
The value of the Community has been debated before, with critics questioning whether countries and people once colonized – and even oppressed – should remain in such an association with a former colonizer. Its stated aim is to improve international relations, but Britain’s relationship with members has been overshadowed by diplomatic errors and the empire’s legacy. In a speech to mark Community Day on Monday, the queen spoke about “the spirit of unity”.
Charismatic royalty members like Harry and Meghan have been sent in the past to events related to the British Commonwealth with young people, companies and groups of volunteers.
But this week’s interview “opens our eyes even more” on the merits of the Commonwealth, wrote Nicholas Sengoba, a newspaper columnist for the former Ugandan colony.
He cited “unresolved issues” in his country related to abuses of colonialism and questioned whether the heads of Commonwealth countries should still be “proud to dine” with members of the British royal family, considering the accusations.
Meghan, who is biracial, had said in the interview that an unidentified member of the royal family raised “concerns” about her baby’s color with Harry when she was pregnant with their son, Archie, and that the palace failed to help her when she had thoughts of suicide. Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday that Harry and Meghan’s allegations of racism were “worrying” and would be handled privately by the royal family.
Reaction to the interview it was especially fierce in Africa. It was encapsulated by a Twitter user in South Africa who wrote: “It’s Britain and the royal family. What did you expect? They oppressed us for years. “
Meghan and Harry traveled to South Africa in 2019, where their impending separation from the royal family became clearer and they even talked about the possibility of living in Cape Town.
Mohammed Groenewald, who showed them at a mosque in Cape Town, was still digesting the interview, which was only shown in South Africa on Monday. But he said that, more than anything, it sparked memories of “British colonial racism”.
“It’s very clear,” he said.
In Kenya, a former colony where a young princess Elizabeth was visiting in 1952 when she learned of her father’s death and, therefore, that she would become queen, news of the interview also began to appear in the country’s newspapers.
“We are very angry to see our African sister being harassed for being black,” said Sylvia Wangari, a Nairobi resident, referring to Meghan. She added that Kenyans in 1952 showed Elizabeth “no racism, and she stayed here without us showing any discrimination”.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to comment on the interview. He said that many institutions in Canada are built around colonialism and systematic racism, including Parliament, and said the answer is to listen to Canadians who face discrimination so that the institutions can be repaired.
“The answer is not to throw away all the institutions suddenly and start over,” said Trudeau.
“I wish all the members of the royal family all the best, but my focus is on overcoming this pandemic. If people want to talk later about constitutional change and change in our system of government, that’s fine, and they can have these conversations, but now I’m not having these conversations. “
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the opposition New Democratic Party, said the monarchy “is by no means beneficial to Canadians in terms of their daily lives”.
“And with the systematic racism that we’ve seen, it seems to be in that institution too,” he said.
The interview was not shown on TV in India, the Commonwealth’s most populous member country, with 1.3 billion people, but it was still covered by the media and drew negative public reactions towards royalty.
“Behind all this elegant facade are thoughts that are not so elegant.” said fashion writer Meenakshi Singh.
Lawyer Sunaina Phul said the Community “is relevant to the royal family, of course, because it shows that they have ruled many places. I don’t know why we’re still part of it. “
Meghan and Harry’s complaints about racism show that it is time for their country to end its relationship with the royal family, said a retired professor in Kingston, Jamaica.
“What it must mean to us is that we must jump and get rid of the queen as head of state,” said Carolyn Cooper. “It is a disreputable institution. It is responsible for the slavery of millions of us who came here to work on the plantations. It is part of the entire legacy of colonialism and we need to get rid of it. “
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Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.
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