The Prince William cheating rumors don’t seem to be dying down on social media. Despite not being confirmed by Kensington Palace or the alleged third party, Rose Hanbury, there are reports that his attorneys are sending “warning letters” to publications that came out with articles on the alleged affair. (Are we getting the memo too, Your Highness? Kidding.) This can only mean two things: the rumors are untrue, or the royal family is trying to suppress the truth. Whatever it is, Prince William and Kate Middleton aren’t showing any cracks during their trip to Wales.
However, it’s troubling to see how some publications are still finding ways to pit the blame on Prince William’s sister-in-law, Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle. One glaring example is this Life & Style cover with the headline: “Meghan Taunts Kate Over Affair Scandal: You Forced William to Cheat.”
Let us get this straight: William allegedly cheated on his wife of eight years, but somehow, Meghan is the one who masterminded all of this? Who thought of this? It’s bad enough that people are shaming Rose Hanbury online, and now the media is deflecting in the worst way possible. Sure, the rumors aren’t confirmed, but if it were true, William should carry the blame as well. He’s not exempt in this just because he’s a royal.
This narrative is all too familiar. Ever since Meghan married into the royal family, people have vilified her image. They’ve insisted that she has a rivalry with Kate Middleton. It’s also come to a point where British media has used her non-royal background and her race to frame her as this woman who’ll disrupt the prolific family’s age-old traditions.
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How does this fit in with Prince William’s alleged cheating? Netizens are theorizing that British media are purposely putting Meghan in a negative light, but are mum when it comes to William’s alleged infidelity. Take note that this controversy first came out in March.
The Times also released a similar claim on April 21st, which quoted anonymous sources and royal courtiers. They told the publication that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s modern approach is reportedly creating a rift within the family. William also allegedly reached out to the media to “side with the palace over Meghan and Harry by peddling the most negative coverage of the duchess’s relationship with her father, Thomas Markle.”
If this is true, the stories obviously didn’t stop with Thomas Markle. Before Meghan’s royal wedding, her mom, Doria Ragland, was the focus of some prejudiced stories. Daily Mail played the Black stereotype card and reported on Doria Ragland’s “gang-scarred home,” and how Meghan’s hometown of Crenshaw, Los Angeles is a crime hub.
The Meghan Markle coverage also gave rise to some hilariously annoying critiques of the duchess. There are articles about how she’s breaking royal protocol for shutting a car door. Daily Mail also blamed her for causing drought and murder after she had avocado toast for breakfast. Let’s not forget that one time she was shamed for simply cradling her baby bump.
The Washington Post pointed out that the months-long smear campaign against Meghan, who is half-Black, may be fueled by racism. Great Britain is said to have a racial bias problem, and we’re guessing royal reporters may be embodying it.
Not only is it racist, it’s also sexist. You rarely see negative press about Prince William, Prince Harry, or Prince Charles. Meanwhile, Meghan, and sometimes Kate, is always in the middle of a controversy or a rivalry. You can’t help but feel like this is a cover-up job for the infidelity rumors in the expense of a woman’s integrity—one who’s not even involved in the matter. Why? Because Prince William needs the good publicity as he prepares to be king? Ugh, we hope not.
READ MORE: Stop it with the “Meghan Markle vs Kate Middleton” comparisons
Now we kind of want to see how the media would react if William did cheat on Kate. Are they going to shift the narrative to blame Rose and/or Meghan for what happened, and releasing inane stories for the heck of it? Is Kate going to be pitted against these women, completely forgetting that William is equally at fault (if proven true)? We have so many questions, but tabloids should really leave these women alone. It’s starting to feel eerily similar to how they attacked Princess Diana.
Photo courtesy of @juspeachy_accessories’ Instagram account
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