Sunday saw England make history, with Gareth Southgate and the national team reaching the Euro 2020 final for the first time ever.
The Wembley match against Italy brought in a record 31 million UK viewers, uniting the country after weeks of excitement.
England’s loss in a nail-biting 3-2 penalty shootout however sparked a wave of racism against three penalty takers: Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.
Prince William, President of the Football Association made an immediate statement, announcing that he was 'sickened'.
'I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match,' Prince William's statement read. 'It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour. It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable. W'
While the public applauded the statement and the speed in which it was published, fans were quick to remind the Duke that his sister-in-law Meghan Markle faced a racist backlash of her own, and no such statement was made.
Yes, soon Twitter was flooded with fans calling out the ‘hypocrisy’ of Prince William’s comments when he didn’t stand up for Meghan.
'Prince William if you had led by being sickened, vocally & visibly against racist abuse at your sister-in-law #MeghanMarkle, for yrs, your words would have legitimate credibility right now. Your silence/complicity fuelled what you condemn today,' posted one Twitter user.
‘Whilst I appreciate Prince William speaking out about racist comments towards football players, where was this support when Meghan Markle was being bullied, even contemplating ending her life due to the comments?’, a Twitter user wrote. Another posted: ‘Hey Prince William! Meghan Markle exists.’
‘Remember when we were told the reason Prince William could not speak out against the racism his sister in law, Meghan Markle, faced was due to their stance on never commenting?’, another posted. ‘That was a lie. They comment when they want to. For Meghan they didn’t want to. Simple.’
The royal family has not yet responded.
