Elitism again reared its ugly head when a British journalist attempted to summarize public opinion of Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle in demeaning and classless terms. “I think what has really really upset the British public is that Meghan Markle, who many people, you know, consider only five clicks up from trailer trash has actually tried to disrespect the queen,” Victoria Mather said Saturday in an MSNBC interview, “and the queen is the most respected person, most respected woman in the world.” I beg to differ on both accords, but that’s neither here nor there.
The issue at hand is the contempt with which some people seem to regard Markle for doing little more than marrying a man they’ve deemed to be of higher class. Social media users simply were not having it. "WHUT?! Megan Markle is ;’five steps up from Trailor trash'? This guest should never be brought on again. #EVER," author Malcolm Nance tweeted Saturday. Attorney Jack Epstein tweeted a similar sentiment: "Shame @MSNBC. My professors at @mujschool are shaking their heads. You can’t just sit there and let people spout racist ideas. Megan graduated from private schools and has a double degree from @NorthwesternU. Trailer trash ... huh?"
Mather also used a portion of the interview to make an unfounded claim that Markle gave Prince William’s wife Kate Middleton a knife for Christmas out of jealousy of William’s position in the royal family. She made the claim in response to a question anchor Lindsey Reiser posed about why she thought Prince Harry and his wife decided to step back from their royal duties.
"Don't forget Prince Harry has, you know, he has always been the spare to the heir," Mather said. "So I don't think Meghan Markle wanted to spend the rest of her life looking at Kate Middleton's back as she sat in the second row to the future queen." Reiser ended the interview with this clarifying point: "We should mention NBC News has not confirmed what you had mentioned about a knife gifting, but we thank you for your time."
Prince Harry announced in January he and his wife would be stepping back from royal duties. "Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations but without public funding,” Prince Harry said in a public statement. “Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.” Queen Elizabeth II also released a statement in January accepting her grandson’s decision. “I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life,” she said. “I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family. It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life.” The couple was scheduled to cap a farewell tour Monday with a Commonwealth Day service, but the duke and duchess won't officially step down as working royals until March 31, according to Newsweek.
Their planned departure has prompted even more backlash, with Markle getting the brunt of the blame and inspiring a phenomenon known as "Megxit." Lynda McLaughlin, a radio producer for The Sean Hannity Show, called Markle "uppity" on air for failing to take part in a summit with the queen, Prince Charles, and Prince William. TV host Piers Morgan called both the duke and duchess "spoiled brats." "The Queen must FIRE Their Royal Hustlers: Deluded Meghan and Harry should be stripped of their titles before this pair of grasping, selfish, scheming Kardashian-wannabes bring down the Monarchy," Morgan tweeted in January to promote his op-ed.
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Mather, however, started degrading Markle months before the planned change in the couple’s royal status, according to BuzzFeed News. While employed with Air Mail, which was founded by former Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter, she wrote in September: "Meghan comes from a sadly dysfunctional family, leading to her being unpleasantly trolled as trailer trash." Anyone with any sense can see there’s nothing trashy about Meghan Markle, but there is something quite cowardly about a journalist hiding behind public opinion to attack a mother for ultimately doing what she feels is best for her family.