Meghan Markle

Essays on Monarchy, Race, and Colonialism

Duchess Harris, Julie Schwietert Collazo

• Publisher: University of Arizona Press
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9780816557394
• eBook ISBN:
  9780816557400
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Colonialism & Post-Colonialism
• Index: Social Sciences

This bold and timely anthology interrogates the British monarchy through the lens of race, gender, and postcolonial critique. The contributors of ten original essays use Meghan Markle's public life and identity as a nexus for understanding the enduring legacies of empire, white supremacy, and institutional exclusion.

Each chapter blends academic analysis with the authors' own lived experiences and identities, creating a deeply engaging and multifaceted narrative. Essays cover media representation, mental health, motherhood, and the politics of belonging. 

Written in an accessible and engaging style, this volume speaks to readers interested in the intersections of monarchy, race, feminism, and celebrity culture. Through its interdisciplinary approach and critical insight, these essays reveal how one woman's experience within the royal family brings into focus broader social and historical processes of racial identity making and colonial power. This is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the cultural and political significance of Meghan Markle's story—and what it tells us about the world we live in.

Contributors
Lucca Ramone Carlson
Duchess Harris
Marissa Kessenich
Jasmine Mitchell
Sarah Olutola
Portia Owusu
Therí Pickens
Amelia Ryan
Julie Schwietert Collazo
Lily Talmont
Ariane Tulloch
Elwood Watson
Stephanie L. Williams
Sharon D. Wright Austin

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Under the Gaze: Meghan Markle, Media Representation, and Blackness
• 2. Are You OK?
• 3. Meghan Markle, Race, and Feminism in Post-Brexit Britain
• 4. Journey to the Center of the Empire: Meghan Markle and the Threat to the British Royal Family
• 5. Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss: The Postfeminist American Dreams of Meghan Markle and Kim Kardashian
• 6. Mother of the Realms: Dueling Narratives of Womanhood in Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral
• 7. When the Monarchy Doesn’t “Paper Over the Cracks”: Placing the Marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the Context of Great Britain’s Racialized Politics
• 8. Meghan Markle’s Motherhood and the Boundaries of Racial Mixture and Anti-Blackness
• 9. You’re In, but You’re Out: The Exile of Meghan Markle in the Age of the British Tabloids
• 10. Black Mammy Savior, Uppity Black Woman, or Subjugated Sister-in-Law: Hyper-Partisan Media Treatment of Meghan Markle Reinvigorates Outdated Racial, Monarchical, and Colonial Beliefs
• Conclusion
• Contributors
• Index