Just weeks after Meghan Markle’s groundbreaking interview with Oprah was aired to the public, a report conducted by the government declared that “no evidence” was found of institutional racism in the UK.

But the result of this so-called inquest feels impossible to believe having heard the anguished words of a mixed race woman describing her life in Britain. Surely Meghan’s experiences are evidence enough of the institutional racism that is deeply ingrained in British society.

Whether we like it or not, the Royal Family are at the core of everything that is considered British. A vast share of our population, particularly the older generations, worship them as ideals of British values, traditions, politics and culture. And yet, these ‘role models’ are the ones portraying discriminatory views against even their own family members. Perhaps most repugnant of all was the allude to a disapproving remark made by an unnamed member of the family, regarding the race of Meghan and Harry’s first child; the colour of an unborn baby’s skin should never be a concern of anyone’s, let alone their own relatives. And the fact that Meghan had the decency not to reveal who made the comment just about summarises the absolute imbalance in respect between herself and the family into which she married.

Outside of the family, and more widely across the UK, the attack on Meghan is rife. Prejudice is not always overt, but it’s undeniable that the mass slander towards her stems from a place of racial injustice. All it takes is a quick scroll through the website of any red-top tabloid to find hundreds of articles picking apart Meghan’s every move. In some cases the more highbrow news outlets are even harsher in their scrutiny, with seemingly every publication from Forbes to The Sun twisting their headlines to tear her down. It becomes even more harrowing when articles on the exact same topics are compared to those about Kate Middleton. Both are young women who married into the third living generation of royalty, but the British press demonstrates a rampant obsession with pitting them against each other, and there’s a shocking double standard. The Daily Mail coos over Kate cradling her baby bump, but labels Meghan vain for daring to lay a hand on hers. Kate’s style and beauty choices are praised and idolised, while in the same breath Meghan is accused of being “fashion royalty”. In fact, it seems that any publicity on Kate is focused on her wholesome lifestyle and family values, whilst Meghan is so illogically demonised that multiple tabloid articles suggested her consumption of avocado is directly fuelling abuse and murder. Ridiculous, right? But perhaps not so much random as blatantly racist, considering that little more sets the two women apart than the colour of their skin.

The media can make it difficult to view Meghan and Harry for what they truly are; are a solitary family unit with young children, just like billions of others all over the world. Their courage to step away from a painful situation put them in a position of vulnerability; having been isolated from their own family, they have had to face attacks from every direction all alone.When it boils down, the situation is nothing but sinister; a woman, subject to such cruel and tireless abuse that she was made to feel suicidal while carrying her firstborn child. If this is how our country treats a light-skinned, cisgender woman of colour in the highest position of socioeconomic privilege, it begs the question: how the hell are we treating our less privileged BIPOC? We need to do better not only for the likes of Meghan, but even more so for our poor people of colour, for those in the LGBT+ community, for our refugees, our non-English-speaking citizens, and all of those who face systematic oppression due to their race.

If you’re white and British, it’s all too easy to play off institutional racism as a foreign concept that only exists in America, not least because it’s often portrayed that way by news sources in the UK. But it’s also because we don’t fall victim to it. Having the option to ignore it is a privilege - and those who choose to remain ignorant are blindly allowing the issue to persist.

So what can we do to help? As white people, we are the ones who started this, so it’s our responsibility to end it. Lend an ear to those whose suffering isn’t as public as Meghan’s. Have those difficult conversations with your older family members, and never stop fighting against acts of injustice. Share your privilege; give power to the people of colour in your life.