London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Harry and Meghan's retreat is 'missed opportunity' for UK race relations

Harry and Meghan's retreat is 'missed opportunity' for UK race relations

Hopes that duchess’s biracial heritage would fix monarchy’s relationship with modern Britain dashed

The decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to step back from senior roles in the royal family and split their time between North America and Britain has dashed hopes that their marriage marked a watershed in UK race relations.

The couple’s relationship and the birth of their son were heralded by some as hugely symbolic moments, given Meghan’s biracial heritage, which would help foster greater interest in the monarchy among black Britons.

But with Prince Harry and Meghan having announced plans to operate as “hybrid royals” after protracted run-ins with the press, including accusations of reporting with “racial overtones”, it appears the wider significance of their coupling may have been overplayed.

Sunder Katwala, the director of the thinktank British Future, said: “It’s a missed opportunity. It was putting a lot of pressure on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: their relationship has to sort out race relations in the UK and fix the monarchy’s relationship with the public. But it was an opportunity for the royal family, it symbolised something different and it’s failed [to achieve what was hoped for].”

Polling by British Future before Harry and Meghan’s wedding suggested her biracial heritage would barely register with the majority of Britons but that it had more meaning for black and minority ethnic Britons, who were more likely to invest the marriage with significance than their white counterparts.

At the time the Labour MP David Lammy called it “a great new symbol of all that is still possible and hopeful in modern Britain”, while Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen was murdered by racists in 1983, said it was “amazing” that someone like Markle could join the royal family.

Katwala said black and minority ethnic Britons who saw it as a positive thing would now have questions to ask about the media treatment of Meghan as “someone who’s stolen away Prince Harry” and whether that treatment, consciously or not, was racist.


The joint winner of the 2019 Booker prize, Bernardine Evaristo, is one of a number of public figures who has blamed racism for the royal couple’s retreat. In the aftermath of the announcement, she tweeted: “Dear Meghan, my sister, do your thing with your family and get away from the race hate you’ve been subjected to in my country.”

Kehinde Andrews, a professor of black studies at Birmingham City University, was a sceptic from the start and said he had been proved correct. “It was never going to end well. The only surprise is that it’s happened this quickly.

“The speed of it just shows how incompatible blackness is with the royal family. I don’t think they specifically mentioned racism [in their announcement] but it’s pretty clear that they’ve been hounded by the press, even after she had a baby,” he said.

“A lot of the anti-Meghan stuff isn’t directly racist but that’s not how racism works these days. It’s clearly about racism, what else can it be about?

“This was never the change we thought it was – it was just symbolic.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×