7 Famous Interracial Couples And How They Made History
The Interracial Couple Who Shook Up The British Monarchy: Meghan Markle And Prince Harry
Jane Barlow – WPA Pool/Getty ImagesMeghan Markle, who is half-Black, married Prince Harry, who is currently sixth in line to the British throne, in 2018.
One of the most famous interracial couples in recent history is Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The British royal and the American actress made headlines from the very beginning of their relationship in 2016.
When news first broke that Prince Harry, who is now the sixth in line to the British throne, was dating an American television star, the media went absolutely wild. His new love interest was soon identified as Meghan Markle, a biracial starlet best known for her role in the TV series Suits.
According to the BBC, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle first met on a blind date set up by a mutual friend in July 2016. They went on a trip together to Botswana just a few weeks later. By November, the couple’s relationship was confirmed by Kensington Palace and they were engaged within a year.
“She was this extremely glamorous woman who had a lot to say for herself and had an interesting past as a campaigner for women’s rights,” explained Camilla Tominey, a British journalist who currently works as an editor for The Daily Telegraph. “She was a woman who meant business, and it looked like she would be an instant asset to the royal family.”
The famous pair married on May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. It was the event of the year — the guest list was packed with nobles from all over Europe as well as celebrities like Serena Williams and George Clooney. Six hundred guests attended the wedding ceremony.
The following year, the couple welcomed a son, Archie. (They would later welcome a second child, a daughter named Lilibet.)
As one of the world’s most famous interracial couples, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship has been a subject of interest all over the globe. The U.S. press remarked on the “bicultural Blackness” of their royal wedding. Their mixed-race children are in line to inherit the throne — an incredible fact given Britain’s history as a colonial slave-holding empire.
Samir Hussein/WireImageIn January 2020, the couple announced they were stepping down as senior members of the royal family.
The famous interracial couple’s marriage also underscored some old-fashioned viewpoints in Britain — particularly at Buckingham Palace.
“Mixed-race relationships are neither new nor rare in Britain,” argued Gary Younge, a former columnist for The Guardian (who is Black), “So it shows how far behind the royal family is, if anything.”
Indeed, the royals seemed to struggle to adapt to the wave of change brought by Meghan’s addition to the family. Rumors abounded of unhappiness in the “Firm” — the late Prince Philip’s term for the royal family.
During Meghan and Harry’s engagement, one of Harry’s relatives, Princess Michael of Kent, wore a blackamoor brooch to a family lunch — a style of art that can depict Black individuals as subservient. The princess later apologized for wearing the brooch, according to NBC News.
Racialized scrutiny also came from the British press. Headlines mused about Meghan Markle’s “exotic DNA” and suggested that she came from “(almost) straight outta Compton.” Still, some critics insisted that they only went after the couple because of what they saw as their “hypocrisy” — such as taking private jets while talking about issues like climate change.
In January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they were relinquishing their roles as senior members of the royal family.
The move, dubbed “Megxit,” shocked the public and the British royal family, who were reportedly left in the dark about the decision.
The couple’s decision drew comparisons to a somewhat similar instance decades before when King Edward III abdicated the throne so that he could marry an American divorcée named Wallis Simpson.
The couple has been living in Santa Barbara, California, and is in the midst of transitioning from their full-time jobs as royals. They’ve made deals with Spotify and Netflix, and they’ve also set up a non-profit foundation. It’s unclear what their next steps will be. But what seems certain is that even famous interracial couples today can still face problems.
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