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Over the last two weeks, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have laid it all out, telling their story in full through their new Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. In the series’ six episodes, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex take viewers from the rosy, beginning stages of their relationship to their ultimate decision to walk away from their roles in the royal family. The show paints a clearer picture of a story many of us vaguely knew: after enduring years of outright and subtle racism, an unflinching round of negative press from the U.K. media, and family members allegedly unwilling to help with any of it, the couple decided they had to leave to save themselves.
And now that the series is out, Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly want to “sit down with the royal family” to discuss the “issues” they’ve detailed. According to The Sunday Times, a source close to Prince Harry and Meghan said they’re hoping to meet with senior members of the family, as the two feel they have yet to receive any sort of recognition or apology about what they endured. (The paper notes that Prince Harry and Meghan are also expected to attend King Charles’ coronation in May, where they will be face-to-face with the family.) However, as a whole, the family has yet to officially comment on Prince Harry and Meghan’s claims. Per The Daily Beast, a senior palace source told the Times: “If they want to get in touch with the King, they know where he lives.” A courtier also told the paper: “We are deliberately keen to send a message by being voiceless. Our duty is to get on with the job. It isn’t to respond.”
Notably, Prince William’s spokesperson recently made a statement that “racism has no place in our society,” in response to an incident between Lady Susan Hussey, William’s godmother, and Ngozi Fulani, the founder of the organization Sistah Space. During a Buckingham Palace reception where Fulani was a guest, Hussy demanded Fulani explain what part of Africa she was “really” from. Afterwards, Hussey formally apologized to Fulani and stepped down from her honorary role. The Sunday Times reports that the source close to Prince Harry and Meghan said this shows the “double standard” the couple has faced. The source continued: “Nothing like that was ever done when Prince Harry and Meghan raised various concerns—no meeting, formal apology or taking responsibility or accountability. That is hard to swallow—100 percent yes they’d like to have a meeting.”
Madison is a senior writer/editor at ELLE.com, covering news, politics, and culture. When she’s not on the internet, you can most likely find her taking a nap or eating banana bread.