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ROYALS

Oprah interview exposes Prince Harry's hypocrisy over racism, expert claims

4 minutes to read
CBS had promised Oprah's interview with Harry and Meghan would be a "bombshell", and they did not disappoint. Video / CBS

CBS had promised Oprah's interview with Harry and Meghan would be a "bombshell", and they did not disappoint. Video / CBS

news.com.au
By Natalie Brown

Perhaps the most damning of the allegations made by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, in their chat with Oprah Winfrey were those regarding the blatant racism – and micro-aggressions – that Meghan faced from the moment the pair began dating.

During the candid interview, the couple revealed several shocking instances – including that concerns were raised before their son Archie's birth about how dark his skin would be – involving other members of the royal family, and the British tabloids.

"When the couple began dating, some hoped it would usher in a period of royal renewal," Central Queensland University history lecturer, Benjamin T. Jones, wrote for The Conversation last week.

"Meghan, who has an African-American mother and a white father, was presented as a symbol of the modern, inclusive monarchy. These hopes were gradually dashed with consistently negative media coverage, including unfavourable comparisons with Meghan's sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.

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A tragic story at an individual level, he added, "it also points to a history of structural racism within the monarchy. Harry noted that the press attacks on his wife had 'colonial undertones', which the royal family refused to address. These are part of a longer history of colonialism and racism in which the Windsors are entangled".

While many have commended the couple for shedding light on the issue, one expert has claimed Harry readily aired pieces of his family's dirty laundry without properly acknowledging his own.

Oprah Winfrey interviews Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photo / Getty Images
Oprah Winfrey interviews Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photo / Getty Images

The allegations made by the Sussexes, said British broadcaster and social commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti, who focuses on race relations and British society, "are serious, so they need to be interrogated and investigated seriously".

But, he said, "Oprah Winfrey didn't manage to get any firm or specific allegation out of the couple, and barely challenged their accusations against the royal family".

"She didn't question the couple on Prince Harry's own well-documented racism in the past, and how he might defend or contextualise that today," Sacerdoti added.

"Let's not forget that he dressed as a Nazi for a party, and referred to an army colleague as a 'P*ki'. Any proper discussion of racism in his family would surely have to include these incidents as well."

NAZI COSTUME PARTY SCANDAL

The better known of the two incidents mentioned by Sacerdoti is the moment in January 2005 when images of a then-20-year-old Harry emerged dressed in a uniform with a Nazi armband.

Criticism from Jewish groups and politicians was swift, with the leader of Britain's main opposition Conservative Party at the time, Michael Howard, saying that "a lot of people will be disappointed to see that photograph and it will cause a lot of offence".

"I think it might be appropriate for him to tell us himself just how contrite he is," Howard, who is Jewish, told the New York Times days after the scandal.

A pedestrian passes newspapers on display with front pages featuring images of members of the royal family, outside a shop in London. Photo / AP
A pedestrian passes newspapers on display with front pages featuring images of members of the royal family, outside a shop in London. Photo / AP

Founder of Los Angeles' Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Rabbi Marvin Hier, urged the Prince to travel to Poland and visit the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he would "see the results of the hated symbol he so foolishly and brazenly chose to wear".

Harry swiftly apologised in a statement, saying he was "very sorry if I caused any offence or embarrassment to anyone".

"It was a poor choice of costume and I apologise."

CALLING FELLOW SOLDIER 'OUR LITTLE P*KI FRIEND'

In 2009, footage recorded by Harry himself at the age of 21 emerged of him making a racist comment about an Asian soldier, calling him "our little P*ki friend".

Another video showed him describing another officer cadet as a "raghead".

At the time, controversy erupted over his use of the term, with critics pointing out that other soldiers would be asked to resign immediately, while Harry simply had to apologise and was allowed to keep his post.

A St James' Palace spokesman said that "Prince Harry fully understands how offensive this term can be and is extremely sorry for any offence his words might cause".

"However, on this occasion three years ago, Prince Harry used the term without any malice and as a nickname about a highly popular member of his platoon," the spokesman added.

"There is no question that Prince Harry was in any way seeking to insult his friend. Prince Harry used the term 'raghead' to mean Taliban or Iraqi insurgent."