THE interview of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry has been the talking point of the week, sparking many important conversations about racism, mental health, and the role of the monarchy.

According to ITV, more than 11 million people tuned in to watch it air on Monday evening.

The Gazette previously spoke to prominent community leaders in Basingstoke, to gauge their views on the royal couple’s TV appearance with Oprah, and what it means for the fight against racism in this country

Now that they have had an opportunity to watch the interview in full, we spoke to them again, about what it means for the institution this country generally holds in high regard.

Jen Campbell, part of the Black History Month South team and organiser of last year’s peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in War Memorial Park, said she is ‘ambivalent’ towards the Royal family, and while she views any allegation of racism as important, she is sceptical about any wider positive impact on change.

“There has been no advancement in the realisation around racism. All it’s done is polarise people more, down to a personal thing that they do not like Meghan,” she said.

When asked whether she supports calls for Buckingham Palace to investigate the allegations, she said: “Instinctively, yes, But then there is that piece of me that makes me feel they will be looking at the context. I do not think we will ever know who it was, and even if they speak to that person, what effect is that necessarily going to have on the much bigger picture.

“I am very ambivalent about the Royal Family. There are those who will side with Meghan and Harry and say it’s horrible and it’s an archaic institution and needs to modernise, and those who hold that institution in their hearts and dislike any suggestion of change.”

Jen said history does not bode well in terms of modernisation of the monarchy, but that it is clear that if it is to happen it’s ‘must come from within’.

“We don’t know the truth or what goes on behind closed doors and we’ve not heard the institution's version of events. But there is no doubt Meghan and Harry were made to feel. There’s that saying ‘You who feels it knows it’. Unless you are walking in that person’s shoes, you don’t know. Something had to have happened to get us to the point of where we are.

“We thought we were getting [modernisation of the monarchy] when Harry met Meghan and they fell in love and had the Royal Wedding. That was how it was positioned, and it didn’t come to fruition. Until they live a life that is less cloistered, how is it going to change? The change has got come from within, but how you instigate it I don’t know.”

Looking to the future, she added: “It would be nice to have a different story now. Yesterday the trial began of the police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for eight minutes, but one interview has taken over the whole news agenda.”

Meanwhile, Effie Grant, a Basingstoke businesswoman and co-founder of Basingstoke Unite Against Racism, admits she has a ‘soft spot’ for the Royals and ‘admires’ the institution. She has a more optimistic outlook on change, but agrees with Jen that it must come from within the monarchy itself.

Speaking about her reaction to the high-profile interview, Effie said: “It was uncomfortable. I like to be fair, really, in everything and in a sense this is their story, and what is the story from the institution? There’s a difference between the Queen, and the machinery that is around all of that.

“But at the same time, we have not seen a lot of action or reasons from their side as well. It will be interesting to hear what they come up with.”

Effie believes Meghan’s brave revelations will resonate with many: “It’s by no means an easy thing to do. I could see how deep it was and it was coming from a very painful place.

“She made reference to how most people have now had the experience of lockdown and what it can do. But to be in a place four months and only be out twice is difficult, and I think a lot of people will relate.”

When asked whether she would support calls for Buckingham Palace to investigate allegations of racism, she added: “Any form of racism should be questioned or investigated. That is, no matter where it comes from.

“I am a bit of a softie when it comes to the royals, I respect tradition and how things are done, but I have always had a problem with it not being changeable.”

Effie spoke about growing up in Ghana, where she came from two royal houses, and then attended private boarding school, and how this experience has shaped her outlook on tradition.

“Human beings made those traditions and they were made for a period, and the whole idea of not moving forward would be an error. You can’t just keep saying this is how it has always been. I do not agree with that.

“With my background, I understand the difficulty of changing, and having to be the one who makes a change. It’s whether or not you are willing for that to be attached to your legacy. Having been through some of these things that they are talking about, if you have not been there you will never understand it. People need to exercise their ability to empathise and have a sense of ‘if it were me’.

“From my side you see a lot of this unconscious bias every day. The British do it so well - you are not saying it, but you are implying it. Having it so blatantly shown to him obviously gives Harry a rude awakening and now it’s at his front door, he can’t ignore. But they have to be willing. It’s a sacrifice, and they have to be willing to make it.”

As a business owner, she says it is not only the family but the firm that must accept a need for change, adding: “This HR failed, basically. If my employee comes to me and says they are really struggling, I am not going to say to them well you are on furlough now so it’s not my problem! If that is the case there is something really wrong there.”

Effie suggested that it will take sacrifice from the younger members of the institution, to open up “intergenerational talks” if change is to occur.

“Who goes through something like this and there is no change? People wonder why we still have so much racism in this country. It comes from the top. Is there room to clean it up? Yes, absolutely. Do they have the willingness to clean it up? We will live to see.”