Prince Harry has been privileged all his life. He grew up in a royal household, and while others wanted to enjoy the same benefits he had, his mom struggled to give him and Prince William a normal upbringing.
Unconscious bias happens when people instinctively favor those who share their values or look like them. It retains social stereotypes about groups of people who are different from them.
Prince Harry spoke with activist Patrick Hutchinson and admitted that he had no idea about unconscious bias until he met Meghan Markle. The Duke of Sussex attributed his ignorance to his environment he grew up in and in his upbringing.
“And unconscious bias, from my understanding, having the upbringing and the education that I had, I had no idea what it was,” Prince Harry said per Express.
“I had no idea it existed. And then, sad as it is to say, it took me many, many years to realise it, especially then living a day or a week in my wife’s shoes.”
During the conversation, Prince Harry added that he doesn’t judge people for holding unconscious bias because in the first place, they are unaware of it. However, once one is already aware of it, that would be a different story.
“You can’t really point fingers, especially when it comes to unconscious bias,” Prince Harry continued.
“But once you realise or you feel a little bit uncomfortable, then the onus is on you to go out and educate yourself, because ignorance is no longer an excuse.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined TIME100 Talks where they shared some ideas on what kept them busy. Prince Harry also spoke about their new job.
According to the duke, they are campaigning for a safe and healthy environment in the online community because there is so much hate online and it is already affecting the real world.
Meghan Markle has the same concern. The duchess said the negative things online could affect one’s mental health and wellbeing.
“The good outweighs the bad, but my goodness the bad can be so loud,” Markle said.
“This is a human problem. And what’s happening to all of us online is affecting us deeply offline,” she added.
Prince Harry and Markle have no social media account after they decided to stop using the Sussex Royal Instagram account when they stepped back from their royal duties. Markle said it was her choice for her well-being.