ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 examines how the British ruling elite operates within the white-racist, male-sexist, and capitalist-class subsystems of an all-encompassing elite-white-male dominance system. These specific concepts go beyond vague descriptions of this centuries-old inegalitarian society and call out more specific oppressive realities, their foundational depth, their specific operations and several inequalities, and their occasional structural changes. They also offer numerous critical insights into why a great many white Britons, elite and non-elite, have often responded unfavorably to the Duchess of Sussex, and why she is seen as a serious threat to the overall British governing system, as well as to powerful white individuals. The many negative reactions to the duchess are understood through two or more of the three major subsystems of the elite-white-male dominance system, most especially at the intersection of systemic racism and systemic sexism. Through this intersectional lens (i.e., gendered racism), the rawness and authenticity of her experiences as a woman of color inhabiting historically white spaces are made excruciatingly visible. Through this lens, one can most effectively understand why many white Britons (especially older and more conservative ones) tend to fear Markle and see her as sullying their royal family.
