Harry and Meghan speak out on royal family's "unconscious bias" in Netflix series
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Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Photo: Netflix
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, spoke out about the media frenzy and racism they experienced as a royal couple in the first installment of their new Netflix series, “Harry and Meghan,” released Thursday.
Driving the news: Harry drew comparisons between the frenetic media coverage endured by his mother Princess Diana and by Meghan.
- "I knew that I had to do everything I could to protect my family, especially after what happened to my mum," Harry said.
- Harry recounted that some members of the royal family felt that the couple was merely going through the same sort of press coverage that other royals had gone through as well.
- "I said the difference here is the race element," Harry said.
What they're saying: “In this family sometimes, you know, you’re part of the problem rather than part of the solution,” he added. “There is a huge level of unconscious bias."
- "Truth be told, no matter how I tried, no matter how good I was, no matter what I did, they were still going to find a way to destroy me," Meghan said of the press coverage.
- Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother, said during the program that she remembered telling Meghan that the negative press coverage was "about race."
The big picture: The series' release comes shortly after the British royal family found itself facing another racism controversy, after a longtime royal aide was accused of repeatedly questioning a Black charity head about their origins.
- The royal family also faced accusations of racism from Harry and Meghan last year, when the couple told Oprah during a sit-down interview that an unnamed member of the family had speculated about the skin tone of their child.
What's next: The second half of the series — consisting of a final three episodes — will be released on Dec. 15.
