Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, garnered international attention after deciding to step down as senior members of the royal family on Jan. 8.
The decision to step down from their royal duties may have seemed sudden to some, but to others it did not come as much of a surprise. Markle has made public statements about how the coverage has impacted their mental health.
Cassandra Kaba, a junior political science major, said, “To be honest, I wasn’t surprised by the decision because there has been tension since Meghan and Harry got married.”
Kaba, who proclaims to be a Markle and Harry fan, said many people were against Markle and Harry’s engagement and marriage. She added that there was already a sour taste in the mouth of many of the British citizens when Harry announced Markle as his fiancé.
“There were many people who did not want to see Meghan and Harry get married,” Kaba said. “They did not like the fact that she was American or that she came from a non-royal title and supported herself as an actress.”
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Students shared their mixed opinions on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down as seniors of the royal family earlier this month.
Alyssa Giarrusso, a junior social work major, said, “At first I didn’t have an initial reaction because I didn’t know about it, but I looked into it more and gained more of an opinion.”
Giarrusso explained that she initially did not understand why she should care about the subject since it did not affect her but became more interested in the story after seeing a discussion about it on Twitter.
“I felt like it was a good decision because it allowed Meghan and Harry to give their family a normal life,” Giarrusso said. “I also thought the independence they gained was powerful as they decided to get rid of their royal titles and wanted to stop being reliant on the crown’s money.”
This was not the first time that Markle and Harry made headlines, as their wedding and engagement was highly viewed in the United States. Many Americans were shocked that a United States citizen and an African American woman were being married into the royal family of England.
Isis Deskins, a junior social and behavioral science major, said, “I was surprised a black girl was about to be a princess in England.”
Deskins also heard of the mistreatment that Markle had been facing in the media and the split did not come as a surprise to her. She also recalled the mistreatment of Markle leading up to her wedding with Harry.
“I heard that she wasn’t treated well because she had been previously divorced and that did not sit well with many of the traditionalists in England,” Deskins said.
Taylor Newkirk, a senior psychology major, said, “It made me more hopeful because I see people in power starting to take actions and make decisions for reasons beyond financial and selfish gain.”
Newkirk emphasized the fact that Meghan and Harry’s decision was an important break in societal tradition and said she understood the importance of their decision.
She said, “Seeing them leave the royal family for the sake of their marriage and possibly for differences in political views might influence people growing up to make decisions for the sake of others and based on more than just money.”
Andrew Byrd can be reached at andrew.byrd@student.shu.edu.
