25 November 2020

‘Loss and pain’ has plagued us during 2020 – Meghan

25 November 2020

The Duchess of Sussex has spoken about the state of society in the US where individuals are at odds over “whether an election has been won or lost”.

In an article for the New York Times, Meghan highlighted issues which have come to prominence this year, from Covid-19 to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and the outcome of the US presidential election.

And in the essay, where she reveals she suffered a miscarriage and lost her second child in July, she writes: “Loss and pain have plagued every one of us in 2020, in moments both fraught and debilitating.”

Meghan wrote in her article (PA Wire)

Meghan and Harry have made Santa Barbara in California their home after stepping down as senior royals for personal and financial freedom in March and quickly began contributing to the national debate in the US.

The duchess spoke about her “absolute devastation” at racial divisions in a speech to her old high school following the death of George Floyd, an African American who died after being detained by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25, sparking days of protest in the US and around the world.

And ahead of the US presidential election, won by President-elect Joe Biden but disputed by President Donald Trump, Meghan said: “…this is the most important election of our lifetime”.

In her newspaper essay Meghan wrote: “George Floyd leaves a convenience store, not realising he will take his last breath under the weight of someone’s knee, and in his final moments, calls out for his mom.

“Peaceful protests become violent. Health rapidly shifts to sickness.

“In places where there was once community, there is now division.

“On top of all of this, it seems we no longer agree on what is true.

“We aren’t just fighting over our opinions of facts; we are polarised over whether the fact is, in fact, a fact.

“We are at odds over whether science is real.

“We are at odds over whether an election has been won or lost.

“We are at odds over the value of compromise.”

Ahead of Thanksgiving in America, when families traditionally gather together, the duchess called on people to “commit” to ask each other “Are you OK”, as by sharing pain everyone could take the first steps towards healing.

The duchess wrote: “As much as we may disagree, as physically distanced as we may be, the truth is that we are more connected than ever because of all we have individually and collectively endured this year.”

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