The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have always been controversial figures. With Meghan Markle being an American, a divorcé, and a woman of color, she was certainly never expected to join the British royal family. However, regardless of what anyone thought, Meghan Markle married her prince, but did not get a happily ever after. 

Last year Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they would be stepping back from their positions as senior royals. After exactly one year, they decided they would not be returning to those roles. According to their interview with Oprah, Meghan and Harry decided to withdraw from their royal titles for many reasons. While the public was left to speculate for a long time, they finally have the answers the community has been looking for.

If you are interested in watching the full interview you may do so on CBS. 

Spoilers to the Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Oprah Interview will be present throughout the rest of the story

Sadly, one of the reasons the couple decided to step back was racism. After Meghan’s official announcement that she was pregnant during the interview, she stated that a member of the royal family kept asking how dark in skin tone baby Archie would be. There were several “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he was born,” said Markle. Following the interview, it was reported by Oprah and confirmed by the couple that the royal(s) in question were neither the Queen nor Prince Phillip. Since the interview, the media has been frantically trying to find out which member(s) of the royal family was asking about Archie’s skin tone.

Another shocking thing we learned from the interview is that it was not the Duke nor the Duchess’ choice for their children to not have a title. While upon his birth Archie was not entitled to become a Prince, he was entitled to become the Earl Of Dumbarton. However, the Queen did not sign letters patent for the children of Prince Harry (to make them all Princes and Princesses), Upon marriage, Prince Harry was given three titles: Duke Of Sussex, Earl Of Dumbarton, and Baron Kilkeel. As the firstborn son or heir to the Dukedom, it is customary for Archie to be the Earl Of Dumbarton, but he is not. This has led to public speculation that this decision was motivated by racism.

One of the final shocking reasons that the Duke and Duchess stepped back was due to not receiving enough support. A lot of the public was bashing Meghan Markle for being a “crown chaser” or  a “gold digger.” However, Meghan had to give up her entire life to join the royal family and was already well off on her own. These are all stipulations that should not exist. Furthermore, for months on end, Meghan Markle would be cooped up at home, as she would be given nothing to do. Lastly, due to not having support, Meghan Markle reported that she was having suicidal thoughts and some suicidal tendencies. She tried reaching out to receive help but was told she was not allowed to. This report was during her pregnancy, and she was told by a senior member that she was not allowed to go get help even though this senior member “felt for her.”

Overall, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the royal family due to not receiving adequate support, dealing with many acts of racism, scorn from the public, and being told to not seek help.

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