Prince Andrew and Meghan Markle’s Double Standard

8th March 2021

Prince Andrew and Meghan Markle’s Double Standard

The royal family has not officially investigated allegations against Prince Andrew (Getty Images).

The Claim

Meghan Markle, who is currently being investigated for bullying by the royal family, is receiving much more criticism than Prince Andrew, who has been accused of child sex trafficking.

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Emerging story

Recently, Meghan Markle has been accused of bullying two members of her staff when she was a working royal. The royal family announced that its HR department is investigating her behavior. Her husband, Prince Harry, has also recently been stripped of his titles, including his military titles.

Journalists and social media users have compared this to the royal household’s treatment of Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew was accused of having sex with a minor in 2014, and is known to have had connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Misbar’s Analysis

Consumer research data has shown that there to have been far more negative articles written about Meghan Markle than Prince Andrew. Many social media users and journalists have noted these differences and asserted that there’s a double standard both in the press, and in how the royal household treats its own investigations.

Prince Andrew has a reputation for partying, and in the 1990s was called the “playboy prince” for his promiscuous relationships with women. In 2014, Andrew was one of several prominent figures to have been accused of participating in sexual activities with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who was a minor at the time, and allegedly sex-trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein. After receiving public pressure to explain Andrew’s connection with Epstein, the Buckingham Palace stated that “any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue." They have never officially investigated these allegations.

While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen to no longer participate in ceremonies, Prince Andrew has also stepped down from royal duties, officially by his own accord, but he has kept his military titles. This may simply be because Andrew wanted to keep them rather than break off from the family entirely.

As far as finances are concerned, Prince Harry said that he has been cut off financially. Prince Andrew still lives off of his royal allowance. This may be because Andrew had opted to remain in the UK while Harry had chosen to reside in a Commonwealth.