Prince William stood up for England’s Black soccer players on the receiving end of racist comments—but some fans noted what they perceived as hypocrisy on his end.
Following the Euro final game on Sunday, July 11, in which England lost 3-2 against Italy, William shared a message on Twitter.
The royal wrote,
” I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match.
It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour.
It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable. W
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) July 12, 2021
However, People online are not happy about Prince William calling out racism against English soccer players for one specific reason: Meghan Markle.
In March, the former duchess came forward in an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry. During the interview, Meghan spoke at length about the alleged racism she endured from the royal family, as well as the British tabloids.
Now many people are taking issue with William’s new message on Twitter, as they wonder why he’s taking a stance now, rather than at the peak of Meghan’s alleged suffering.
“Whilst I appreciate Prince William speaking out about racist comments towards football players, where was this support when Meghan Markle was being bullied, even contemplating ending her life due to the comments,” one fan asked on their account.
Another fan weighed in, “The black community would have welcomed this statement from William had he condemned racism against Meghan as he’s the future king and also released his transformation report and condemned racism in the UK. He loves the football players but not their people and heritage.”
“This shows that it wouldn’t have been hard for William & Kate to make a public statement condoning the blatant racism against Meghan Markle,” a different user speculated. “Perhaps they encouraged it in a fit of jealousy over her wild popularity.”
