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By Jack Royston
Chief Royal Correspondent
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U.K. tabloid the Daily Mail "weaponized race" with an article praising Kate Middleton's ancestor for playing "a key role in abolishing slavery," an author told Newsweek.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been locked in a years-long battle with the British press. It has been fought not only in the court of public opinion, through outspoken comments in their Netflix documentary and the duke's book Spare, but also in the High Court in London.
The couple have also sued the Daily Mail and its sister title The Mail on Sunday four times, more than any other publication.
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The couple may now have a new reason to take issue with the Mail after an article used Kate Middleton's family history to refute Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, author of This Is Why I Resist, told Newsweek: "The Daily Mail's article is just more demonstration of bias and particularly how they have weaponized race."
What the 'Daily Mail' Article Said About Kate Middleton's Ancestry and Slavery
The publication ran an online story on Friday, April 14, with the headline: "How Kate's ancestor played a key role in abolishing slavery... after the Sussexes' barbs about Royals and racism."
The Mail described comments by Prince William in March 2022, where he called slavery "abhorrent", as "a public act of self-flagellation" made "following Prince Harry's notorious interview with Oprah Winfrey."
During the March 2021 CBS tell-all, Meghan told Oprah that an unnamed royal had expressed "concern" about how dark her unborn child's skin might be.
The Daily Mail article added: "We can all agree that the slave trade was 'abhorrent' but, as the historian Lord (Andrew) Roberts has pointed out: 'There is no justification for blaming Charles III for the actions of Charles II.'
"In fact, the Daily Mail can reveal that the ancestor of at least one senior Royal played a key role in the movement that led to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1837 and the United States in 1865," said the newspaper.
"For the Princess of Wales's great-great-great-great-great-aunt, Norfolk-born Harriet Martineau, became known as 'the greatest American abolitionist' after fighting a lifelong battle to abolish slavery and racism in the U.S.
"And, in a fascinating twist of history, it was her lobbying of U.S. Presidents James Madison and Andrew Jackson that ultimately set in motion Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation—the declaration that freed the Duchess of Sussex's great-great-great-great-grandfather Stephen Ragland from servitude."
Backlash Against the 'Daily Mail'
Some compared the Mail's coverage of Kate's family history with a November 2017 article headlined: "Now that's upwardly mobile! How in 150 years, Meghan Markle's family went from cotton slaves to royalty via freedom in the U.S. Civil War... while her dad's ancestors included a maid at Windsor Castle."
Mos-Shogbamimu said: "I think the bottom line here is the article about Catherine is weaponizing race against Meghan Markle. Whether or not Catherine's ancestor was an abolitionist is neither here nor there.
"At the end of the day, the question should be what exactly is Catherine doing today. It just seems like more rubbish. I have nothing against Catherine's ancestor. I don't even know if it's true.
"This is really not about Catherine. This is trying to paint Catherine as coming from good stock and paint Meghan Markle as coming from bad stock. That's what this is," added Mos-Shogbamimu.
She said Kate's family history did not change the royal family's historic links to slavery, adding: "They did not just benefit from it. They were the ones that instigated it. They made it official."
"If Catherine had legitimacy and credibility on the issue of race then we'd say, 'Oh, actually she comes from stock that has clearly demonstrated a particular stand on racism,'" said Mos-Shogbamimu.
"But she's never done anything for people to say, 'We know where Catherine Middleton stands on this issue.'"
Omid Scobie, co-author of Harry and Meghan biography Finding Freedom, highlighted the article with a tweet that read: "We're not going to do this today."
And former professional British professional boxer Ashley Theophane wrote on Twitter: "So Kate's family member fought against the same family she married into?"
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek*, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on* Newsweek*'s* The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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