Meghan Markle and Prince Harry probably wouldn't have spoken up about Black Lives Matter if they were still part of the royal family, according to experts
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may not have spoken about the Black Lives Matter movement if they were still working members of the royal family, royal experts told Insider.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were the only royals to publicly address the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests.
Some have described the anti-racism and human-rights movement as having a certain political agenda, and the royal family tends to avoid politically controversial topics.
However, as Nesrine Malik wrote in The Guardian, "change is supposed to have an agenda, otherwise it's just a trend."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have publicly addressed the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, but they probably wouldn't have if they were still working members of the royal family, royal experts told Insider.
Inspired by the protests that emerged across the United States, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and the UK — among many other countries — Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have spoken about the topic in a series of video calls over the past few months.
Early in June, Markle told graduating students at one of her former schools, Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, that "the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing."
"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 said.
Markle's speech was followed by a video message from Harry, who described racism as "endemic."
"My wife said recently that our generation and the ones before us haven't done enough to right the wrongs of the past," he said. "I, too, am sorry — sorry that we haven't got the world to a place you deserve it to be."
The couple have continued to speak about racism in recent months, with Harry saying this week that he "had no idea" that unconscious bias existed until he met his wife.
"Unconscious bias, from my understanding, having had the upbringing and education that I had, I had no idea what it was. I had no idea that it existed," Harry said during a virtual conversation with BLM activist Patrick Hutchinson.
While the Queen and the rest of the royal family haven't spoken on the subject, Harry and Markle were criticized for their comments about racism in the Commonwealth.
"There is no turning back now. Everything is coming to a head," Harry said during the couple's joint video call with The Queen's Commonwealth Trust on July 1.
"When you look across the Commonwealth, there is no way that we can move forward unless we acknowledge the past," he added.
However, royal experts said they thought Markle and Harry might not have even addressed the subject if they were still working members of the royal family because of the institution's strict policy on avoiding subjects that could be interpreted as politically controversial.
Working members of the royal family have remained silent on the topic
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Queen have used their social media platforms and video engagements to raise awareness and thank healthcare staff members and volunteers during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as address other various charitable causes and issues affecting the UK.
Prince William even posted a rare tweet expressing his gratitude for the return of soccer in England.
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall celebrated Black History month on Twitter earlier in October, showing support for Black members of society through their patronages.
—The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) October 16, 2020
However, they did not mention the Black Lives Matter movement in the post. According to experts, it's something the royals will never address.
Markle and Harry might not have spoken out if they were still working royals
Joe Little, the managing editor at Majesty magazine, said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wouldn't have been able to comment publicly on the movement if they were still working royals, who are typically supposed to give speeches only on topics and events relating to the UK or the Commonwealth.
"I think it's unlikely that they would have commented on this topic if still based in the UK, but now that they are on the West Coast of the US, the dynamics have changed," Little told Insider.
"And they do, of course, still have roles with the Queen's Commonwealth Trust which they take seriously."
Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator and former editor of "The International Who's Who," added that if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had commented on the topic as working royals, it would have been in a different way.
"The Black Lives Matter movement has become politically controversial," he said. "However, Harry and Meghan have gained their independence and can therefore assume a more activist role, especially in this area, in that of gender equality, and in others which their nonprofit organization, Archewell, will champion once it has been launched."
The royal family would likely consider the Black Lives Matter movement a 'political' issue
While the founders of Black Lives Matter have described it as "a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism," some have described the anti-racism and human-rights movement of having a certain political agenda.
"What I see in the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement is a political agenda of the radical left that would defund the police, that would tear down monuments, that would press a radical left agenda," US Vice President Mike Pence said during a CBS interview in late June.
Some Black Lives Matter supporters have said that making change is supposed to be political.
"Movements such as Black Lives Matter aren't hobbies or social clubs or edgy pop culture moments to be accessorized with. Change is supposed to have an agenda, otherwise it's just a trend," the British-Sudanese political columnist Nesrine Malik wrote in The Guardian back in July.
"When we hear that liberal politicians think the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement are nonsense, or that wearing a badge is political, or that support needs to be scaled back because it looks like there might be other, more nefarious forces at play, what we are really being told is: this is hard — and we are retreating to our comfort zones," she added.
Meanwhile, The Atlantic's Kellie Carter Jackson argued in a column titled "The Double Standard of the American Riot" in June that "rebellion has always been used to defend liberty."
"If violence is a political language, white Americans are native speakers," Jackson wrote.
Jackson added: "Yet the language used to refer to protesters has included looters, thugs, and even claims that they are un-American. The philosophy of force and violence to obtain freedom has long been employed by white people and explicitly denied to Black Americans."
Jackson — among many others — has argued that Black Lives Matter is a human-rights movement that isn't being portrayed as one.
But a rule of the royal family is to stay away from political and controversial issues, or topics that could be interpreted as such.
"Because of the sensitivity of some issues, Buckingham Palace deems it best not to comment publicly, especially if there's a possible overlap with UK or international politics or a perceived interference therein," Little said.
'Their comments would undoubtedly have been far more modulated'
While it's rare for the royals to comment on issues related to racism, some have done so before.
"Prince William's advocacy of the need for diversity at his speech as its president at last year's BAFTAs was uncontroversial and stating the obvious since all the nominees were white," Fitzwilliams said.
But had Markle and Harry "remained as senior working royals," he said, "their comments would undoubtedly have been far more modulated."
Harry and Markle may have found a way to address Floyd's death and racial inequality if they were still working royals, perhaps with a statement distributed on social media or a short video message aimed at people affected by racism in the UK.
It's likely, however, that working royals could have been cautioned against naming the Black Lives Matter movement.
Buckingham Palace did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
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