Prince William is ‘sickened’ by racism yet backed royal family after Meghan interview
Prince William spoke out Monday on Twitter about the violent, racist insults hurled at three Black English soccer players after their team was defeated at the Euro Championship final.
However, Twitter users are pointing out the incongruence, noting that Prince William refrained from publicly defending his sister-in-law, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, after she disclosed the racial abuse she endured as part of the royal family.
On Sunday, England’s national soccer team lost the European Championship to Italy 3-2 in an overtime shootout. Soon after, fans sent an onslaught of abusive messages and slurs to players Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho — who missed their penalty kicks.
British police have opened investigations into the racist abuse of three Black players who missed penalty kicks in England’s Euro Cup loss to Italy.
The harassment spurred a formal police investigation of the comments. After attending the match with his son, Prince George, and wife Kate Middleton, Prince William weighed in.
He tweeted, “I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match. It is totally unacceptable... It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable.”
The prince, who also serves as president of the Football Association in England, signed it with a “W,” signifying that it was a personal statement.
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, chimed in hours later, tweeting an excerpt from Charles’ speech on Windrush Day 2020, which celebrates and memorializes the contributions of British Caribbeans who arrived in Essex in 1948. They wrote, “Recognizing the rich diversity of cultures which make this country so special — and in many ways unique — lies at the heart of what we can be as a nation.”
But that didn’t placate Twitter users, many quick to recall that Prince William staunchly defended the royal family following Meghan’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March. The royal family said the allegations were “concerning” and, unlike Prince William’s recent tweet, would be addressed privately.
One user tweeted, “Prince William wasn’t ‘Sickened’ by the racist abuse his sister in law suffered, in fact, he supported the family’s non response to defend her....”
Another quoted a tweet from ABC showcasing Prince William’s statement, saying, “Dear Prince William, where the f— have you been to defend your sister-in-law, Megan, The Duchess of Sussex against racism in the media & on social media...this screams performative.”
“it’s actually so mad to me that england loses a game and the first thing black people and women have to think about is their safety. this country is a nightmare,” wrote another commenter.
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