A Royal Cousin Has Harsh Words About Meghan Markle's Treatment
Lifestyle - News
By HALEY VAN HORN
Meghan Markle, the American-born Duchess of Sussex, suffered serious scrutiny from the British press before she even married her husband, Prince Harry. After the couple stepped down from the royal family, they gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey and alleged that Meghan was bullied and even faced casual racism from the royal family.
While Meghan and Harry are still being iced out by the majority of the royal family, the Duchess has the support of some relatives, including Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Now, Christina Oxenberg, a descendent of Serbian royalty and King Charles III's third cousin, has spoken to Page Six about the hardships Meghan has gone through.
Oxenberg stated, "To Meghan Markle, I say, 'What you are going through is a hellish kind of hazing.' If she can just hang in there, someone else will come along who can take the heat." She emphasized that no woman who marries into the royal family gets a pass, and also tells Meghan, "It's not about your skin color, it's about being a foreigner."
Oxenberg says this "hazing" has been going on for decades, recalling the treatment of Prince Michael's wife, Marie Christine von Reibnitz, a foreigner of Czech-German descent: "She was treated the same way Meghan [has been] treated — with this mocking and lack of respect." However, Oxenberg also claims that this treatment is not overtly malicious.
"[The hazing] was all done out of habit and not full of hatred and violent plotting," Oxenberg says, adding that detractors "meant no disrespect" when they criticized various women over the years. However, she admits Meghan has gotten the worst of it, and social media is currently busy accusing the Duchess of faking tears at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.