In an explosive television interview recently, Prince Harry’s wife Meghan Markle said she contemplated taking her own life after joining the British royal family, and accused the monarchy of subjecting her to racist attacks.
Shedding light on the couple’s dramatic exit from the royal life, Meghan said she was refused help during her mental health crisis, was targeted by falsehoods, and that there was official concern regarding the skin colour of her unborn son.
Meghan was speaking to Oprah Winfrey when when she confessed to rampant racial discrimination exercised by the British royalty.
“In those months when I was pregnant… we have in tandem the conversation of ‘he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title’ and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born,” Meghan told Winfrey.
Prince Harry tenders an apology for using “Paki” to describe an Asian colleague in the Army
While Meghan has levelled serious allegations of racism against the British royal family, it is pertinent to revisit the time when her husband, Prince Harry, had to apologise after being caught on video — obtained by the News of the World — using the term Paki about an Asian colleague in the Army.
More than a decade ago, a video had surfaced in which Prince Harry was seen passing racist slurs. In the video, Prince Harry called an officer from the Pakistani army, who was on the course with him, “our little Paki friend” and, when another officer cadet wearing a camouflage veil joined them, he exclaimed: “F… me, you look like a raghead.”
The word “Paki” is considered a derogatory slang for an immigrant or descendant of an immigrant from Pakistan. Being called “Paki” is also considered as an affront by people belonging to other central Asian countries, presumably because of Pakistan’s involvement in promoting terrorism. The term “raghead”, on the other hand, is an offensive slur for Arabs.
The video sparked a massive controversy and Prince Harry was at the receiving end of criticism using racist slangs in the clip. Subsequently, he issued a statement through a spokesman for Britain’s royal family, stating that there had been no racist intent in his words.
“Prince Harry fully understands how offensive this term (Paki) can be, and is extremely sorry for any offence his words might cause,” the spokesman said.
