Chanel Ambrose was swept up by the sea of excitement around Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. The 33-year-old loved how much Meghan tapped into her culture and heritage for the event: from the choir, the preacher, to her mum, with her natural hair, standing by her side.
She hoped the wedding and what it would symbolise might lead to a greater acceptance of black women across all sectors of society.
Instead, as far as Ambrose is concerned, Meghan has faced a torrent of abuse from the media and apparent hostility from the royal family. “And every time she’s scrutinised, it unfortunately trickles down to all of us,” she says.
In the run-up to Oprah Winfrey’s highly anticipated interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, commentators have noted a demographic divide emerging between those who are critical of Meghan and the many young people – often black women – who have leapt to her defence on social media, seeing in her treatment evidence of how deeply entrenched racism is in every corner of British society.
Ambrose, an influencer and founder of the UK’s first black talent influencer agency Camel London Creatives, said it had been “uncomfortable” for black women to watch the media coverage of Meghan. “Particularly her pregnancy and people getting annoyed at her … I feel that Meghan did handle it well initially, in terms of holding her head up and keep on moving. But there does come a point when you have a bus of people picking at your every move and you clap back.”
The relationship between members of the royal family appeared to descend to new depths on Wednesday when Buckingham Palace announced, in a highly unusual statement, it would investigate allegations of bullying against the Duchess of Sussex by former royal staff.
For Natasha Mulenga, a writer and host of the podcast A Soulful Storm, the allegations seemed to play directly into the “angry, bullying black woman trope”. “It is so lazy that it’s almost comical,” she said.
Mulenga believes the royal family has squandered an opportunity to be seen as a reformed institution. “They really could have used this opportunity to at least present a new leaf and to show a new side of them.”
She dismissed the argument that Meghan’s treatment by the press has nothing to do with her race. “I think a big part of why Meghan is not liked is that she’s not a weak-willed woman. I think she almost embodies the black woman that they fear. The black woman who uses her own voice and the black woman who takes control of her own narrative.”
All three women believe the current controversy is more evidence that the UK has not reckoned with its history and the role it has played in worsening racial inequalities.
Kimberly McIntosh, the author of the upcoming book Black Girl, No Magic, said: “I’m embarrassed to admit, but I will admit it. I did get caught up in [the wedding] a bit. I didn’t follow the royal family, but I was reading everything about this wedding. I’ve never been someone who believes that the royal family was ever going to be a progressive institution, but I did feel something. Even if that’s not very cool thing to say, there was something moving about it.”
She added: “It’s just sad. It’s not new, but speaks to the undercurrent on how the British media functions and how it treats people of colour.”
McIntosh is looking forward to watching the interview. “They’re not willing to just sit around and suffer in the general British, masochistic way. They’ve said no. They’ve made that choice that they’re starting again. They’re having a conversation on their own terms about what they believe they’ve experienced and I’m ready to hear it.”
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