It would be easy to dismiss the fallout between the royal family and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as nothing more than a soap opera. But the royal family remains – despite its frequent crises and dramas – at the centre of Britain’s idea of itself. The accusations by Meghan and Harry of racism and mistreatment have ignited a global debate and shone a light on the reality of how multicultural modern Britain really is. As the fallout from the Sussexes’ incendiary interview continues, Zoe Williams asks how anyone can stand to be part of the royal circus, while historian David Olusoga wonders why the UK found it so hard to live up to an image of multiculturalism. Finally, Aamna Mohdin talks to black British women about what the treatment of Meghan by the press and the royals means to them.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong, the last vestiges of resistance against Beijing control have been slowly defeated. Last week saw many of the pro-democracy politicians and activists who were rounded up at the end of February charged and facing lengthy jail terms. It marks the culmination of the crackdown against the protests that began in 2019 with the introduction of a bill that would allow extradition to the mainland and signals an end to democracy in the city.
Turning to the pandemic, business reporter Julia Kollewe looks at the various Covid-19 vaccines that have been approved around the world. Some, such as the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab, are being sold at cost, but others are going to make their creators billions. Who is going to see the biggest payday? We also feature a fascinating piece by the science writer Laura Spinney who suggests that the biggest argument at this stage of the crisis remains whether to eradicate the virus completely or to try and manage its spread.
Finally, back to the UK where Samanth Subramanian heads to one of England’s most famous and most exclusive golf clubs, Wentworth in Surrey. The club, home to the BMW PGA Championship, has always been a rarefied sporting institution, but when it was bought by Chinese billionaire Yan Bin in 2014 it ignited a bitter battle between the existing members and the new owners: a fight between the 1% and the 0.01%. A battle that perhaps tells us more about modern Britain than one might think.
