Twitter users criticized Prince William for defending English soccer players Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho, instead of his sister-in-law, Meghan Markle.
What We Know:
- After England lost the European Championship to Italy 3-2 during an overtime shootout, the three Black English players received an onslaught of racist comments via social media for missing penalty kicks.
- England quickly fought back against the remarks. Police officials began an investigation into the posts, and several British leaders defended the players, such as Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Football Association, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
- Prince William, who is president of the Football Association, and his wife Kate Middleton took to their Twitter account to voice their opinion on the situation. The couple stated they felt disgusted by the comments. They also mentioned that any person harassing Rashford, Saka, and Sancho should be held accountable for their actions.
I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match.
It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour.
It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable. W
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) July 12, 2021
- Although the Duke and Duchess attempted to appeal to the masses, social media users thought their statement was superficial. Some followers raised his behavior towards Meghan Markle and Prince Harry during and after their time in the Royal Family. One user said the tweet “screamed performative”. Another mentioned how William supported the family’s decision to stay quiet after Meghan’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Prince William wasn’t “Sickened” by the racist abuse his sister in law suffered, in fact he supported the family’s non response to defend her, specially after the “Meghan made Kate cry”Meghan was generous in saying “Kate was sweet” when she clarified that RF refused to defend her
— Tinkerbell Fernando (@Tinkerbellfern) July 12, 2021
- Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, appeared on television in March to explain why she and her husband, Prince Harry, left the Royal Family. She claimed she faced severe racist abuse from members of the monarchy for the color of her skin. Meghan additionally stated that some people in the Royal Family worried about her firstborn’s skin color during her pregnancy. The Duchess of Sussex faced criticism and backlash from the British media for the same issue, and the Royal Family did nothing to stop it. Her experiences resulted in her becoming suicidal. The couple’s exit from royalty, and the interview caused a rift between them and the Royal Family.
- The Windsors rapidly denied all of Meghan’s declarations; a day after the interview’s release, Buckingham Palace released a statement in which it announced the whole family felt “saddened” by Meghan’s accusations. Among these members dismissing her emotions was Prince William, who publicly stated his household was not a racist one.
Despite rejecting Meghan’s experiences, Buckingham Palace revealed they would take initiatives to help the Windsors become more inclusive. This would involve them hiring more diverse employees, participating in workshops, and engage with more charities and organizations.
