Royal Family 'has fallen victim to the culture wars'
Royal experts have accused the House of Windsor of falling victim to the "culture wars" amid the fallout from the Sussexes' departure from the UK.
In a panel discussion on the 'Future of the Monarchy' hosted by Yahoo News UK's royal executive editor Omid Scobie, journalist and broadcaster Afua Hagen said the monarchy had become more divisive than in previous times - citing the Firm's treatment of Meghan Markle and subsequent family split as reflecting a more polarised society.
"The royal family have fallen victim to the culture wars - it's presumed if you like Meghan then you're a lefty, if you like Kate then you're right, you vote this way, you vote that way," Hagan said, addressing the panel.
Joining Omid were author and co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party, Catherine Mayer; King Charles’ biographer and royal editor at The Evening Standard Robert Jobson; and journalist and broadcaster Afua Hagan.
Watch the full clip above
Video transcript
- Let's be honest. There's-- there's so much briefing. And I absolutely agree with you. It's that the Royal Family have fallen victim to the culture wars. It's presumed. If you like Meghan, then you're a lefty. If you like Kate, then you're right. You vote this way. You vote that way. It's so polarized, so polarized.
And you're absolutely right in saying that is not the role of the monarch at all. It's to unify people. And they've absolutely done the opposite. And I think, also, let's--
- Well, they haven't been enough. I don't-- I don't think they've necessarily done the opposite.
- I think they have done the opposite--
- I don't think they have. I don't think they have.
- --in the treatment of Meghan.
- I think they're just too complacent.
- And I think we should also remember that when you talked about people that come in to Planet Windsor, let's not forget the way that Kate Middleton was treated when she joined the family as well. But let's also not forget how the Royal Family shut that down. It took a while, but they did shut it down. They did--
- Well, no, they did attack Carole as a working class.
- And they--
- --who chewed gum.
- Absolutely. That's exactly what--
- They didn't shut it down at all. It went on for years.
- But that moment that they got married--
- But that's what I'm saying married.
- --the Westminster Abbey was the moment that it ended.
- Yeah, but before that--
- Exactly.
- For every single Middleton Family member--
- When they split up-- But before that--
- --and for Kate herself.
- Let me finish because I do think it's important, because it's easy to misunderstand if you can't finish. But the fact is, she had 10 years of this.
- But that's exactly what I said, Robert.
- All right, oh, let me finish.
- But actually, if you'd let me finish--
- Well--
- That's exactly what I said. But that's exactly what I said is that she had it for a long time. But like you so rightly said, when they got married, they shut it down. But when Meghan and Harry got married, the Royal Family didn't shut it down. And that was a massive mistake.
