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Harry & Meghan in History

Despite my best efforts to not care about the British royal family, I’ve found myself entranced by the Sussexes’ journey of racial awakening, moved by their historical traumas, and transformed by their exile.

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Attend Mountbatten Music Festival
Netflix’s ‘Harry & Meghan’ came out on December 8, 2022. The public response has been decidedly mixed. Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage
Baratunde Thurston
January 22, 2023

For most of my life, I’m proud to say, I successfully avoided caring about the British royal family, but Harry and Meghan have ruined all that. Now I see their experience, their story, our exhaustion with their story, all of it, as an opportunity to usefully blur the line between past and present; to discover uncomfortable connections between various historical dots, and to redraw those connections in new, healthier ways. I know that’s a lot to say about people many of us are tired of hearing about, and who often seem so self-absorbed. And yet I’m still a bit surprised at how much I’ve been drawn in.