The consequences of an interview that Oprah Winfrey took from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not only felt in Buckingham Palace and the United Kingdom itself, but also in some Commonwealth countries. In Australia and Jamaica, among others, the usefulness of the monarchy is (again) openly questioned.
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After the interview in which Meghan and Harry open their book about life at the British court, in some Commonwealth countries the question is openly asked whether they still want Queen Elizabeth as (symbolic) head of state.
The Commonwealth of Nations is made up of the countries that used to be part of the British Empire. The voluntary partnership consists of 54 countries that have the Queen as head of state. It is rare for countries to leave the Commonwealth, but it does happen. Ireland and Zimbabwe did this in 1949 and 2003 respectively. It remains to be seen whether more countries will follow that example through the interview.
In any case, the accusation of racism by the British court did not go unnoticed on social media in the Caribbean Commonwealth countries. In Jamaica announces announcer Dione Jackson Miller on Twitter that she expected Meghan ‘would have experienced racism’ at the British court. In another tweet, she notes that Meghan is lighter in complexion than many Jamaicans.
