Prince Philip’s passing seems like yet another opportunity for the social media and the British tabloids to shift the spotlight on Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who underwent treatment for a pre-existing heart condition and was hospitalised for a month in February, breathed his last on 9 April at the age of 99. His death wasn’t deemed unnatural, but for the detractors who made vile attempts to take Markle down.
Fox News was the first to link the death of Prince Philip to Harry and Meghan’s interview to Oprah Winfrey in early March.
Talking about the interview, TV news presenter Brian Kilmeade on air said, “There are reports that he [Philip] was enraged after the interview and the fallout from the interview with Oprah Winfrey, so here he is trying to recover and then he gets hit with that.”
Kilmeade cited British broadcaster Piers Morgan as his source, who was openly dismissive of Meghan Markle on his show ‘Good Morning Britain’, stating she and Harry lied or exaggerated 17 times during the interview with Oprah.
So dogged is he in his pursuit to take Meghan down that a month after he quit the show and refused to apologise, he claims the Duchess of York backed him in maligning her.
Now, in what he calls a “10-point guide to royal survival” for members of the royal family based on the principles followed by Prince Philip, Piers Morgan says the young members ought to “shun Oprah” and “get on with it” in a veiled attack on Meghan Markle.
Perpetuating his typical anti-Meghan rhetoric, he wrote, “But many of the younger royals that followed them (the Queen and Prince Philip) have behaved very differently – emoting on television, playing the victim, wallowing in self-pity, complaining about their regally gilded lives, and getting themselves into all manner of lurid scrapes that have damaged the family’s reputation.”
This constant dismissal of Meghan, her voice and her struggles echo the British media’s antipathy for her.
Less About the Funeral, More About Meghan
Prior to reports of Meghan Markle not attending the funeral, sources quoted by The Royal Observer said palace officials at the moment were wondering “where to seat them [Meghan and Harry] and how to protect them from the British public who may boo them”.
The Sun, on the other hand, said Meghan’s absence from the funeral may give Harry an opportunity to reconnect with his family, stressing on how quiet moments of ‘reflection’ may just be what he needs.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail, in their latest interview with English writer Gyles Brandreth, pointed out how Prince Philip reckoned that the tell-all interview with Oprah was a “wrong” decision. Further, he was quoted as saying that Prince Philip opined that the interview was “madness” and that “no good would come out of it.”
The timing of these reports are particularly interesting, since they work as sly innuendoes that the Oprah interview is in some way responsible for Prince Philip’s ill health earlier this year – with the Daily Mail claiming how Prince Philip’s last year was particularly “tough” on him.
In another article, they ran a source-based story saying Meghan was missing the funeral to avoid being ‘center of attention’.
The Daily Mail also went to great lengths, soliciting opinion from the public on whether or not Meghan should attend the funeral, with many saying she should attend it for the sake of Queen Elizabeth.
It’s noteworthy that a majority of stories done by these tabloids are also based on dubious sources that continue to build on the negative image of Meghan they have portrayed since she was dating Prince Harry.
Does It Matter That She’s Pregnant?
Once word got out that Meghan Markle would not be attending the funeral because her doctor advised her against travelling, a good number of media publications ran the headline that Meghan won’t be travelling, but Harry would – just that.
What these headlines ignore is that she’s pregnant amid the pandemic which is far from over, and more importantly suffered a miscarriage earlier.
Some on Twitter, however, called out the insensitive headlines.
In a nutshell, the British media wove an alternate storyline around the death of Prince Philip to project how Meghan caused him stress, created a ‘rift’ in the family, and now doesn’t want to turn up for his funeral – all of which is nothing but covert racism.
That a Black woman voiced her concerns and struggles in an interview against the most powerful and revered royals of UK is unacceptable to the press – hence questioning her morality, her choices seems like the best way to keep guarding their own privilege, which tells you how sad the state of the media is.
However, no matter the differences, Prince Harry didn’t shy away from penning a note for ‘grandpa’ Prince Philip soon after his death, which he shared on their website Archewell, remarking that he was “a man of service, honour and great humour.”
He signed it off thus:
“You will be sorely missed, but always remembered – by the nation and the world. Meghan, Archie, and I (as well as your future great-granddaughter) will always hold a special place for you in our hearts.”
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