Britain not fazed by mixed-race fiance for Prince Harry
LONDON — Meghan Markle is the first person who identifies as mixed race to marry a senior member of the British royal family — but that caused barely a ripple in Britain on Monday amid speculation about her engagement ring and the site of the spring nuptials.
The lack of focus on Markle’s heritage — her father is white and her mother is African-American — reflects Britain’s increasingly open attitudes toward race.
Former Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind said Markle’s mixed-race background would have been a huge story decades ago, but goes virtually unnoticed now.
“It’s the least interesting aspect of the day’s news,” he said. “It’s not an issue. There is no controversy. The world has moved on.”