Understanding the Royal departure

During the endless debate over the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union a friend suggested to me that the average Brit could be dressed in rags and standing in line at a soup kitchen — and would still feel himself superior to the coloured woman doling out the soup.

Despite my distaste at some of the ‘arguments’ and actions emanating from parts of the Brexit camp, I thought this a somewhat sweeping opinion — but then came the news that the Queen’s grandson and his American mixed-race wife have had enough. They were getting out.  

Revelations that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — are to live at least part of the time in Canada; step back from Royal duties and work to become financially independent has been treated with predictable rage by the UK’s red-top media.

“Petulant” screamed the Mirror… “and good riddance”; “the most spoilt brats in history”, said commentator Piers Morgan; “nothing matters to this couple apart from immediate happiness and gratification,” wrote Sarah Vine in the Daily Mail.

Then came the Twitter tirade from the great British proletariat many voicing comments and opinions of Markle that will not be repeated here, but sadly can be guessed at.

It had me thinking. All this adds up.

In the 1960s a Conservative candidate won his constituency at a General Election with the slogan ‘if you want a nigger for a neighbour vote Labour’; not long afterwards a senior Conservative Shadow Minister was talking about “rivers of blood” if coloured immigration was not halted.

Then there were the remarks that could be heard in pubs and clubs around the land about “wogs beginning at Calais”; the mixed-race guy at the bar having “a touch of the tar brush”.

The Italians were oversexed Mafiosi; the Dutch ‘clog-wogs’ and of course there were the Frogs, the Krauts and the Dagos.

Black players in visiting football teams can often expect to be greeted with monkey noises and have banana skins thrown at them. In the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referendum third generation Britons with historic origins in the Sub-continent and the West Indies were abused and told they would soon have to “go back to where you came from”.

Author Afua Hirsch has reminded us about Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s reference to Commonwealth “flag-waving piccaninnies”. She describes Brexit as fuelled by native nationalism and a desire to rid Britain of large numbers of immigrants, “with an ever- thickening loom of Imperial nostalgia”. 

Those who thought the marriage of Harry and Meghan might be one Royal step towards a more inclusive society have learnt that it matters little if you are beautiful, glamorous, philanthropic or hard-working, nothing has changed.

In Britain today if your colouring is too dark, your accent is wrong or your clothing does not conform, you will run the risk of racist abuse or worse.

Though no particular fan of the Royal Family, I am sorry that Harry and Meghan feel the need to get out — but I can quite understand their reasons.