You already knew this movement had the support of the Sussexes. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s “personal” Black Lives Matter investment makes sense, especially given the countless racist attacks by British media against the Duchess, 38, before her royal exit with Harry, 35.
Meghan—who is biracial—has been subject to media commentary filled with “racial undertones,” for years in the U.K., a representative for Prince Harry said in 2016. And it didn’t stop when she had her son, Archie, in 2019. Only three days after he was born, A BBC reporter infamously shared a photo comparing the newborn to a monkey.
One royal exit and a move to California later, the Sussexes have found themselves in the middle of another fight against racism—as we all should be. Following protests over the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the Sussexes are getting involved “at every level” possible to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
A Harper’s Bazaar source says that the couple are learning and supporting as much as they can. “This is something that is incredibly personal to Meghan, especially given everything she has experienced. And as a couple, it is, of course, very important. They are both feeling it, just like the rest of us,” said the source.
“Harry and Meghan have been having private conversations with community leaders and people at every level,” the source added. “By speaking to as many people and organizations as possible, it has been a way for them to feel connected to everything that’s going on and learn more about the issues surrounding it.”
The Duchess took a stand in early June, using her platform as a commencement speaker at her alma mater, Immaculate Heart high school, to touch on George Floyd’s death. She spoke candidly to the graduating speakers, reportedly forgoing “notes,” a source told Newsweek. “I wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous that I wouldn’t, or that it would get picked apart, and I realized the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing,” Meghan shared. “Because George Floyd’s life mattered and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered and Philando Castile’s life mattered and Tamir Rice’s life mattered.”
She went on to recount her own experience of the 1992 L.A. uprisings over the killing of Rodney King. “You are going to have empathy for those who don’t see the world through the same lens that you do, because with as diverse and vibrant and open-minded as I know the teachings at Immaculate Heart are, I know you know that Black lives matter,” she added.