Have you ever watched the Disney movie “The Little Mermaid?” Well, for those of us that weren’t once dreaming of marrying a prince one day, a mermaid named Ariel ventures from the city of Atlantis to the human world in order to find her true love. But like most things in life, love came at a cost: The Little Mermaid lost her voice to be with the one she loved.

This is how Duchess Meghan Markle described her first three years in the British Royal Family after marrying Prince Harry in 2018.

On Sunday, March the seventh, the fallout interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, better known as Harry and Meghan, graced prime time television. Though it premiered first in the United States, it sent shockwaves around the world, especially in Great Britain and its commonwealth countries.

In the CBS special, Duchess Meghan Markle was poised, unflinching and certainly did not hold back. This being the first time the couple has spoken out since their departure from the Royal family, this had the world on the edge of its seat and left us anticipating what Markle had to share about her experiences in the royal spotlight.

During the two-hour conversation with Oprah Winfrey, Markle went into detail about her struggles with mental health, the family feud with brother and sister-in-law Prince William and Kate Middleton and several cruel allegations of racism made by members of the Royal Family. Markle felt at a point that she was silenced by the institution

“I did not watch the full interview but I saw some clips from the news and what I saw was very shocking,” junior Julia Bonhote said. “I was appalled at the things that Meghan Markle was saying.”

Many see that it is about time for Markle to speak up, as she has been slammed by the British tabloids since she became a member of the Royal Family. From headlines putting her up against her sister-in-law Kate Middleton to getting trashed as a biracial woman and to even receiving backlash accusing her of causing water shortages, illegal deforestation and environmental devastation just by eating avocados, it’s an understatement to say that Markle has been through a lot. And she confesses that this has damaged her mental health tremendously.

“I’m ready to talk,” Markle told Winfrey, who is a close friend of hers. “I don’t know how [the public] could expect that, after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that [the Royal Family and the British Press] is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us.”

One of the most shocking revelations to come out of the conversation between the Duchess and Winfrey was a conversation concerning the skin color of her and Prince Harry’s son Archie. According to Markle, several members of the Royal family were worried that her soon-to-be-born son’s skin would be too dark.

Critics say that Markle is making these allegations in order to tarnish the legacy of the world’s most famous family. However, many have praised her for speaking her truth.

“ I believe every word of what Meghan said,” sophomore Melanie Sheng said. “I believe her because the royal family has a lot of faults to them and racism is one of them.”

It can also be assumed that other members of the royal family and the British Press aren’t happy with the Duke and Duchess, as these serious allegations are putting them in a bad light. Even Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, has stressed that rumors of racism should not be believed. 

“We’re not a racist family,” William told reporters on March 11. 

“I’m sure they were very scared when they saw the interview as Meghan’s allegations were not light and simple,” Bonhote said. “I am sure that they want very little to do with the couple after the interview as they were barely interested in their well-being during their time as a part of the Royal Family.”

Prince Harry has also spoken out and said he has had conversations with William and his father Charles, yet they weren’t productive.