It was “, 'a bit naughty' to imply Archie 'couldn't be a prince because of the possible colour of his skin' when it was due to strict rules,...”

[RickiTarr]

Hugo Vickers made me laugh with his phrasing. So British to say “a bit naughty”.

Also, seriously high lights how many people don’t understand the rules or can’t explain the rules well, and no American has a hope of grasping our quaint & complicated rules and institutions, really.

Sorry, it’s the Daily Fail, but funny.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9340545/Why-Meghan-Markle-bit-naughty-referring-Archies-skin-colour-prince-discussion.html

@Studentmidwife101

Im assuming that they voiced it like this: Family member - to Harry “We have concerns that if you were to have a child together, how dark would the child's skin be”.

Part of this conversation could have been during the dating period, part of it could have been when the family found out that they were going to get married and when she was pregnant. I think it really was a discussion specifically about their totally rude and racist concerns. They definitely meant it that way, to Harry hoping that he might change his mind. They never said it to her. She found out as Harry told her. I don’t think they are exaggerating at all. They definitely meant it how it sounded.

Yes, you are assuming. With literally nothing to base those assumptions on.

It would have been an absolute PR coup for the RF to have a biracial baby on the balcony though. Instantly making them appear relatable, modern, diverse ... but with no (or practically no) chance of said baby ending up on the throne and causing the old guard to choke on their soup.

It would have been very good for the firm, and I think they're savvy enough (advisers and principals) to know it

I’m glad that people are finding alleged discussion of skin colour more relevant than arcane royal protocols

From the independent
Anti-racism campaigners are calling for the royals to lose their exemption under race equality law and be “brought into line with the rest of the public sector” following Meghan and Harry’s racism allegations.

The Equality Act, introduced in 2010, protects people from discrimination within the workplace and across wider society.

Australia are changing tack
Only 51% want the queen as Head of State (don't blame them, nothing personal against the Queen) and they are now saying that when she goes, they want to move on from this

For their sake I hope they do, but time will tell

Then again, if he manages to damage the monarchy's reputation in the UK - and I believe he will - I can quite see the same might happen within the Commonwealth. After all they didn't even confirm him as their next Head until mummy pushed them to

From the independent
Anti-racism campaigners are calling for the royals to lose their exemption under race equality law and be “brought into line with the rest of the public sector” following Meghan and Harry’s racism allegations

As countless posts show I'm no defender of the RF, but a dream that they might be up for a bit of self-flagellation and accountability is just that - a dream

After all this is the institution that's been carefully removed from the reach of even the FoI Act

I don't believe any of this is damaging the monarchy in the slightest! In fact the complete opposite! Until that interview was aired i saw lots of people feeling sorry for M & H and that they had been treated unfairly. Now after that utter shit show of an interview the vast majority of people ive spoken to and comments ive seen online think H&M are utterly disgusting and sympathise with the RF! Obviously you have still got the leftie liberal, eternally offended who will defend the couple no matter what they do but i think H&M have scored a massive own goal this time!

@pabloescobarselasticband

I don't believe any of this is damaging the monarchy in the slightest! In fact the complete opposite! Until that interview was aired i saw lots of people feeling sorry for M & H and that they had been treated unfairly. Now after that utter shit show of an interview the vast majority of people ive spoken to and comments ive seen online think H&M are utterly disgusting and sympathise with the RF! Obviously you have still got the leftie liberal, eternally offended who will defend the couple no matter what they do but i think H&M have scored a massive own goal this time!

Ah see that’s the problem with echo chambers, I’ve only seen people hugely sympathetic to M & H and shocked by how badly the RF comes across.

After the broadcast, the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, cited it as another reason for the country to sever its constitutional ties to the British monarchy.

Malcolm Turnbull is not the Australian Prime Minister.

I don’t think much will come of this regarding the commonwealth either. There is a lot of people wanting to show off their wokeness at the moment but the commonwealth benefits many people and these people would rather put their confidence and trust in the Queen and her decades of dedication then Meghan Markle.

Totally agree with this. I'm in a commonwealth country and we have a lot more important things to occupy our thoughts than that whiny pair. People generally respect and admire the Queen, and she has earned that respect and admiration by her many years of service. I can't imagine anyone feeling the same about H&M.

@Studentmidwife101

Im assuming that they voiced it like this: Family member - to Harry “We have concerns that if you were to have a child together, how dark would the child's skin be”.

Part of this conversation could have been during the dating period, part of it could have been when the family found out that they were going to get married and when she was pregnant. I think it really was a discussion specifically about their totally rude and racist concerns. They definitely meant it that way, to Harry hoping that he might change his mind. They never said it to her. She found out as Harry told her. I don’t think they are exaggerating at all. They definitely meant it how it sounded.

Were you there? Do you have some kind of telepathic connection to the person who spoke? Bloody amazing!

Well I got offended when Oprah asked what sex the baby was! Is she insinuating that one is better than the other? Why does it matter? What kind of sexism is that, I assume she meant that hopefully it’s a boy because boys are so much better than girls, they all masked their disappointment so well! Or alternatively it was just a question.

As for the poster who says, when a person of colour (wasn’t that a racist term knot long ago?) says they suffered racism -believe them. No I won’t, I will use my brain to look at the validity of the claim,otherwise anytime a person of colour didn’t get what they wanted they could blame racism and we would just have to accept it -surely that is very undermining to the very concept of racism. I suggest you read the fable “The boy who cried wolf”

The monarchy is at the most popular in my life time actually. It was more under threat after the 1914 Russian revolution and after Labour came to power after WWII. These days most people are pretty happy with it as am I.

The less the Queen says about the current fuss the better. I am sure there is no problem with Archie's mother's skin colour. The Queen married a Greek and is foreign to an extent herself. They are a pretty international family. There did used to be a rule you had to marry a prince or princess and women had to be a virgin at marriage if direct line to throne but Prince Charles departed from that in marrying Diana as to the princess bit as has William. That requirement essentially meant you had to marry a foreigner. It is kind of etched into the past requirements that you found someone from abroad.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

From the independent Anti-racism campaigners are calling for the royals to lose their exemption under race equality law and be “brought into line with the rest of the public sector” following Meghan and Harry’s racism allegations

As countless posts show I'm no defender of the RF, but a dream that they might be up for a bit of self-flagellation and accountability is just that - a dream

After all this is the institution that's been carefully removed from the reach of even the FoI Act

Oh wow I had no idea they were exempt!

Actually I think things could change. I’m just speculating but the episode with H&M may have given the RF cause to reflect.

• racism does matter. The Queen as Head of State for Britain and the Commonwealth can’t be seen to be endorsing or minimising racism.

• the palace advisors/courtiers are rubbish at their jobs.

@Xenia

The monarchy is at the most popular in my life time actually. It was more under threat after the 1914 Russian revolution and after Labour came to power after WWII. These days most people are pretty happy with it as am I.

The less the Queen says about the current fuss the better. I am sure there is no problem with Archie's mother's skin colour. The Queen married a Greek and is foreign to an extent herself. They are a pretty international family. There did used to be a rule you had to marry a prince or princess and women had to be a virgin at marriage if direct line to throne but Prince Charles departed from that in marrying Diana as to the princess bit as has William. That requirement essentially meant you had to marry a foreigner. It is kind of etched into the past requirements that you found someone from abroad.

Phillip is not Greek, he is of Danish/Russian Descent, his Grandfather George 1st of Greece was invited to become King of Greece by The Greek National Assembly

@Xenia

The monarchy is at the most popular in my life time actually. It was more under threat after the 1914 Russian revolution and after Labour came to power after WWII. These days most people are pretty happy with it as am I.

The less the Queen says about the current fuss the better. I am sure there is no problem with Archie's mother's skin colour. The Queen married a Greek and is foreign to an extent herself. They are a pretty international family. There did used to be a rule you had to marry a prince or princess and women had to be a virgin at marriage if direct line to throne but Prince Charles departed from that in marrying Diana as to the princess bit as has William. That requirement essentially meant you had to marry a foreigner. It is kind of etched into the past requirements that you found someone from abroad.

The “must marry another royal” unspoken rule died out long before Charles married Diana.

Of King George V’s five children who married only one married another royal.

I disagree that ‘most people are happy with the monarchy’.

The silence over Prince Andrew has made a lot of people deeply uncomfortable with the cordon of protection thrown around the RF (when the RF chooses).

Then this, which reprises everything that happened with Diana.

In the next five years we’ll almost certainly have a new King who won’t have the protection afforded to Elizabeth on the basis of her great age and being ‘beyond reproach’.

@Darker

I disagree that ‘most people are happy with the monarchy’.

The silence over Prince Andrew has made a lot of people deeply uncomfortable with the cordon of protection thrown around the RF (when the RF chooses).

Then this, which reprises everything that happened with Diana.

In the next five years we’ll almost certainly have a new King who won’t have the protection afforded to Elizabeth on the basis of her great age and being ‘beyond reproach’.

So Elizabeth is afforded that because of her age? Nothing to do with her years of service and duty?

Elizabeth is shielded and protected so she may be wonderful or despicable. We don't know. Her status underpins the Establishment.

The point is that she will be succeeded by others very soon and change will happen. The monarchy will be under intense scrutiny at that time.

The monarchy is at the most popular in my life time actually.

I would say completely the opposite. They are hugely unpopular at the moment apart from the oldest generation (and I am old meself!) My adult DCs and their peers think they're all a bit irrelevant.

The Queen is afforded the respect she deserves. It will be harder for the next Monarch to ever be at that point. As time goes on, the RF will become less and less appreciated. They need to be more transparent in very many ways.

My family come from a commonwealth country. A country where you respect your elders & don’t denigrate your family in public. The Oprah interview has not gone down well on our cousin WhatsApp group. Interestingly enough the uk cousins comments on the interview have been more measured than the commonwealth ones. Let’s just say they are not fans of H&M. That’s putting it mildly.

@Roussette

The monarchy is at the most popular in my life time actually. I would say completely the opposite. They are hugely unpopular at the moment apart from the oldest generation (and I am old meself!) My adult DCs and their peers think they're all a bit irrelevant.

The Queen is afforded the respect she deserves. It will be harder for the next Monarch to ever be at that point. As time goes on, the RF will become less and less appreciated. They need to be more transparent in very many ways.

You see I think that this really depends on your circles I’m in my mid 40s and I would say 80-90% of the people I know support the monarchy and like having them -in real life and amongst my Facebook friends I’ve not heard a single positive opinion on H&M. Obviously other people do have other opinions so it’s always dangerous to assume the people you mix with (and I have a very very diverse circle of friends) are representative of a the whole.

I hate the Team H&M and Team Palace divisions. It is just not that simple.

The monarchy is at the most popular in my life time actually.

• I would say completely the opposite. They are hugely unpopular at the moment apart from the oldest generation (and I am old meself!) My adult DCs and their peers think they're all a bit irrelevant.

The Queen is afforded the respect she deserves. It will be harder for the next Monarch to ever be at that point. As time goes on, the RF will become less and less appreciated. They need to be more transparent in very many ways.*

I think it depends on how old you are, I'm in my very late 40s and I remember seeing Diana get married and the backlash of the divorce, the interviews and I remember thinking that the royal family would struggle to get past the hatred that was aimed at them. Especially after Diana's death, the queens popularity was at an all time low. The vitriol aimed at her during this time was unbelievable.

It's really only time, the impact Kate and William have had, things like the Olympics and jubilees / royal celebrations that, in my opinion, have had a positive affect on the popularity of the RF. so I tend to agree, the monarchy's popularly is at an all time high. Or at least it was

You see I think that this really depends on your circles I’m in my mid 40s and I would say 80-90% of the people I know support the monarchy and like having them -in real life and amongst my Facebook friends I’ve not heard a single positive opinion on H&M

But... that is two seperate issues. Why lump them together?

The Monarchy
Harry & Meghan