https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/09/opinion/meghan-markle-prince-harry.html

By Afua Hirsch
Ms. Hirsch is the author of “Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging.”

Jan. 9, 2020

The British press has succeeded in its apparent project of hounding Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, out of Britain. The part it perhaps didn’t bargain for, however, is the loss of Prince Harry — a much loved royal and a key part of the family’s global brand — along with her.

In a statement released this week, the couple said they wanted to “carve out a progressive new role” within the royal family and would “step back as ‘senior’ members, and work to become financially independent.”

The British press reacted with surprise at the “shock move abroad,” described variously as “seismic,” “selfish,” “rogue” and “an atrocious lapse of judgment.”

If the media paid more attention to Britain’s communities of color, perhaps it would find the announcement far less surprising. With a new prime minister whose track record includes overtly racist statements, some of which would make even Donald Trump blush, a Brexit project linked to native nationalism and a desire to rid Britain of large numbers of immigrants, and an ever thickening loom of imperial nostalgia, many of us are also thinking about moving.

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