By Heather L. Lawton
Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., was recently arrested for possession of child pornography. I can see it now—smiles on the royals’ faces, waiting for their next meet to deliver a smug, “We told you so.” Markle, the “uppity, Black bitch,” needs to be “put in her place,” like so many others. And her father’s arrest is the racist whiskey in the uppity version of the Downtown Dulce, which gave more “uppity” than downtown than expected, winning over audiences, but sending judges into a frenzy. It isn’t just Markle who faces this kind of winy, bigoted, privileged scrutiny. Outstanding Black women are told to dumb it down every day. But most don’t have a shitty father with an alleged penchant for children to aid their nemesis in their destruction.
The breakdown of Markle is almost finalized, and just like Kanye West and Nick Cannon, who issued apologies to a community that threatened their future projects and livelihood (JP Morgan Chase ordered Ye to get his money out of their bank in 2022, and Cannon was dropped from his shows in 2020), Markle, more than her husband Prince Harry, may have to bend the knee and kiss the ring; be put through a different humiliation ritual than the men mentioned.
The fury over the Duchess has always been about the few gifts God chose to anoint her with—elegance, glamour, sophistication, eloquence, and beauty. Don’t believe me? Sit in the ignorance and the racism of the royals’ words (according to Oprah Winfrey) for a moment: “It would be best if [you] could be 50% less than [who you are].”
A quote the media never dissected, whether because Winfrey quoted Markle instead of them hearing the Duchess’ recount, or it turned a mirror onto themselves, revealing their sentiment on Black women who possess “too much, “ I’m uncertain which. Nonetheless, this advice is quietly slipped to Black women with a pittance of Markle’s characteristics as they’re targeted at their jobs, in their families, relationships, and everywhere else, where their critics instantly become invisible when entering a crowded room or their sheen fades in the glare of a Black woman’s burnish. The loss seems particularly felt among white women when they’re juxtaposed with Black women in the spotlight.
Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is more than problematic for Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton. She is the antithesis of the black, asexual “best-friend-assistant” with no life. Markle is the friend with everything, the star instead of the supporting role. How dare this Black woman outshine her white sister-in-law, who was cast as the lead? This Black woman’s public appearances weren’t supposed to make clothing items sell out, dominate headlines, or garner attention for her beauty and style. She was supposed to wither and feed her remaining energy into Kate, while shedding her petals. The Black woman should never be polished, and if she is, there will be consequences, backlash, even from her own race— “Sellout,” “You’re acting white,” “She’s phony,”—are some of the weapons Black people famously unload to shame Black women into presenting their worst instead of their best.
Since Markle Sr.’s arrest, whispers have settled, and the decision has been made that this is the moment of Markle’s demise. Will Prince Andrew, after his sex abuse allegations, be Prince Harry’s downfall? I doubt it. Hair-splitting excuses might wallpaper social media chatrooms: “Andrew is only Harry’s uncle. Markle Sr. is Meghan’s father.
And her father’s perilous missteps will probably take Markle down, because she doesn’t appear to have a strong support system, someone championing for her; a Black mother with a big mouth, if you will. Perhaps her circle doesn’t want to embarrass her. So, the royals will likely get their way. Eventually, Markle will be tossed aside like other famous Black women who’ve been blessed with natural regality.
The subtlety of this topic isn’t so subtle: Zendaya mysteriously exited Taylor Swift’s “Girl Squad,” and Kayla Nicole pulled a not-so-faint disappearing act from Brittany Mahome’s camp (a breakup with a boy caused Nicole’s departure), ironically replacing Nicole with Swift. It may be acceptable for Swifties to crown white, blonde Blake Lively for “She Wore It Best,” while standing next to Swift, but when too much internet chatter hailed Zendaya as the winner, she may have needed to find new friends.
