Meghan Markle condemns Royal Rota rules that William and Kate have to ‘play’ with Cambridge children

Meghan Markle has condemned the Royal Rota 'structure' that Prince William and Kate Middleton follow, explaining why she refused to 'play' its 'game' when it came to her own family in a new interview.

• Meghan Markle has called out the Royal Rota system in a new interview, revealing she refused to 'play' its 'game' with her own children. 
• If senior members of the Royal Family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, want to release photos of their children, they must also grant access to the British press pool.
• In other royal news, fans are excited for adorable new pictures of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's rescue dog Momma Mia.
  

Meghan Markle has taken shots at the Royal Rota in her latest interview, revealing the heartbreaking reason she refused to 'play' its 'game' with her own children. 

Speaking to The Cut, the Duchess of Sussex expressed frustration over being expected to give photos of Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, to the British press pool, only for those same images to fuel racist coverage. 

The bombshell comments come shortly after the release of Meghan Markle's podcast, Archetypes, a Spotify series in which she seeks to break down language that holds women back by interviewing celebrity guests and experts. 

The core members of the Royal Rota, which was formed over 40 years ago, currently include The Telegraph, the Daily Mirror, the Evening Standard, The Times, and the Daily Express. The Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, and The Sun, three publications the Sussexes have previously sued, also belong to the media group. 

Journalists and photographers from smaller UK print and broadcast outlets can participate in the Royal Rota too, so long as they have received an official press pass from the News Media Association. 

By withdrawing from the Royal Family in January 2020, Meghan and Prince Harry automatically removed themselves from the Royal Rota system and finally became free to control their relationship with the press. Prince William and Kate Middleton, on the other hand, must continue to adhere to its rules. 

"There’s literally a structure by which if you want to release photos of your child, as a member of the family, you first have to give them to the Royal Rota," the 41-year-old explained, before revealing just how terribly her children were treated by the British press. 

"Why would I give the very people that are calling my children the N-word a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child?" she said. "You tell me how that makes sense and then I’ll play that game." 

This isn't the first time Meghan has claimed that her children were subject to bigotry in Britain. The Duchess of Sussex also made allegations of racism against Buckingham Palace during her CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, in which she said that an unnamed family member had raised concerns over Archie's skin color before he was born.