Meghan and Harry: 'Their experiences are not shocking to us'

Astrid and Mike said back in 2017 that Prince Harry and Meghan represented true British society

It was a crisp day in November 2017 when the cameras got rolling in the garden at Kensington Palace. They were there to film the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who had just announced their engagement to the world.

At the time, we asked inter-racial couples what they thought about Meghan Markle becoming the first mixed-race member of the British Royal Family - and about their personal experiences of being in mixed relationships. Some of them described Harry and Meghan's marriage as "exciting" and hoped it would "set a great example".

Since then, three turbulent years have seen the duke and duchess step down from royal duties and start a new life with their son, Archie, in California. After claims they made this week about racism Meghan experienced as part of the Royal Family, we went back to some of the people we spoke to in 2017 to hear what they think now.

'A clear bias'

French national Astrid Guillabeau, 31, lives in Birmingham with her partner Mike Munyao, also 31, who is Kenyan and Rwandan. The couple have two children together.

Back in 2017, Astrid said she thought Harry marrying Meghan showed "how diverse and modern the Royal Family are". But now, reflecting back on the past few years, she says that "from the beginning [Meghan's] race was always mentioned" in public discourse.

Speaking about Harry's claim that he was asked by an unnamed Royal Family member "how dark" their son Archie's skin might be, Astrid said such a remark would be "very racist" and would demonstrate that the royals "are detached from the world".

"Hearing the claims is shocking but it's not shocking. Racism is out there. I have people touching my kids, touching their hair, touching their face - strangers," she says. "And ignorance is no excuse for racism."

Astrid said back in 2017 that she had worried unnecessarily about how some of her family would act around Mike

She says there was "a clear bias" against the couple that reflected inequality in society more broadly.

"I can see it, every day. I don't know if the fact I have a mixed daughter influences me more, or because most of my friends are black or because I'm French living in the UK," she says. "It's hard to watch the way she was treated, the hardest thing to watch was nobody defending her."

Astrid adds that she has "no problem" with the royals themselves, saying she thinks - as Harry suggested in the interview - that "they have no freedom".

But she thinks Harry and Meghan should be supported for "the good they've done and the hope they've brought to our generation".

'Disappointing'

Sara and Adam, who were in a relationship when the royal engagement was announced, think it was "sad to see the way [Meghan] was treated

Sara Khoo, 26, who is of mixed Icelandic and Chinese heritage, and Adam D'hill, 31, who is Portuguese and African American, thought Meghan joining the Royal Family was a "great thing" when we spoke to them back in 2017.

They are no longer in a relationship, but are still in contact and spoke to us together over the phone.

Adam says their engagement was "exciting" at the time.

"It was good to see the Royal Family - who usually only had pale-skinned white people come in - have a person of colour marry into it," he says.

• Urgent Palace talks over Harry and Meghan claims

• 'A real representation of British society'

But he adds that tabloid newspapers "started painting narratives" about Meghan. He refers to two stories highlighted by Oprah Winfrey in the TV interview. For example, one report claimed that the Duchess of Cambridge ate avocados while pregnant to help with morning sickness, while another report about Meghan eating them linked the fruit to drought and drug cartels.

Sara says it was "really, really sad to see the way she was treated" and people have been "in denial" about the couple's claim that there were discussions about Archie's skin colour.

"She specifically said they spoke about his complexion yet [people in the media] are trying to change the narrative," she says.

Adam adds: "Meghan is mixed race and Harry is white... A lot of times when you're quarter black you're more likely to look white, so why would they even need to discuss this?"

He says "no-one is shocked" by the claims and it has confirmed the way he felt about the Royal Family.

Overall, he finds Harry and Meghan's departure as senior royals "really disappointing".

"It's really sad when you see someone you want to root for, because there's a lot of relatability there," he says. "Meghan was very down to earth."