What about Archie? This is the question being posed after the Dutch translation of Endgame revealed his grandfather, King Charles III, and his aunt, Kate Middleton, made racist comments about how dark his skin tone would be before he was born.
The book caused a worldwide debate about the Royal Family’s behavior. It also put the spotlight on Great Britain’s past involvement in slavery and colonialism.
The skin color scandal created a debate over how King Charles and Kate Middleton should tackle the matter. If they do, the question becomes how.
How do they even begin to attempt to address such a sensitive and painful matter as racism? However, many are also flashing a major flashlight on Meghan Markle and asking, “Did she think about the consequences her revelation would have on her son’s life?”
Before saying these words to Oprah Winfrey, “…and that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born,” did Markle pause and wonder what the lasting effects of her words would be on the life of her baby boy?
Archie is a prince, and he is royalty, but he is also a little boy who will grow up being associated with the race row that is currently taking place between London and Montecito.
Currently, he is 4 years old, and therefore, he is thankfully protected by the media circus surrounding this subject.
However, what happens when he grows up and discovers the truth online or one of his friends mentions it?
In her documentary Renaissance, Beyoncé explained that despite her best efforts to shield her 11-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, she found a way to read the painful comments about her stage performance.
It seems that no matter how hard a parent may try, children end up exploring what is online. The race drama also begs the question of what kind of relationship Archie will have with his grandfather after he learns of these remarks.
The royal racist headline puts any kind of interaction with the Prince and Princess of Wales in permanent limbo.
It is hard to imagine Archie or Lilibet having any contact with Middleton and Prince William.
That also implies that the cousins — Archie, Lilibet, George, Charlotte, and Louis — will grow up more or less estranged from one another.
Was Markle’s decision to lay it bare with Oprah really necessary? Some believe that Markle, a biracial woman, was protecting her baby boy, but others ask if she could have handled the situation differently, perhaps in a more private manner.
Was it possible for Markle and Prince Harry to send a letter to King Charles explaining that she was troubled and hurt by the comments before talking about them in an interview?
In her effort to share her truth, Markle might have created a long-term and problematic situation for Archie and Lilibet.
However, at this point, it is what it is, this race scandal will outlive all parties involved and cause migraines for the next generation of innocent royals.
