Brian Cox's Brash Thoughts on Meghan Markle and the Royal Family Are Making Waves

By Michael Hein

Succession star Brian Cox spoke bluntly about Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and the British monarchy in general in a recent interview that has fans buzzing. Cox is near the climax of a sensational performance as Logan Roy on HBO's Succession, but he is also a Scotsman with strong opinions on royalty and civic duty. He told an interviewer from Haute Living that he believes the entire system should be dissolved at this point.

Cox had some sympathy for Markle and Prince Harry in the interview published on Thursday, saying that the royal family should have acknowledged their feelings and cared for them. However, he also suggested that it was unrealistic for Prince Harry or even Markle to expect that kind of compassion from people who have been royalty their entire life. He said: "I find that it's really just so sad that we don't acknowledge our own humanity enough. We don't acknowledge what we've been through on behalf of a family – a ruling family."

Still, Cox felt that both Prince Harry and Markle likely had enough information to expect the treatment they got from the royal family. He said: "That's why, when you look at what's happening with Meghan and Harry, you go, 'Well, Harry, there's an innocence about.' And with her, too. But you can't go into a system where somebody's already been trained to behave in a certain kind of way and then just expect them to cut themselves off."

"I mean, she knew what she was getting into, and there's an ambition there clearly as well – the childhood dreams of marrying Prince Charming and all that s- we see as fantasy that could be our lives in our dreams. I'm a Cinderella person, you know," he went on. Overall, Cox said: "In my opinion, we shouldn't have a monarchy. It's not viable; it doesn't make any sense. It's tradition and all that, they say. I say, 'F- it! Move on!'"

Cox's remarks hit the sweet spot to anger traditional royal admirers as well as fierce defenders of Markle and Prince Harry. On top of that, the current craze for Succession ensured that his remarks would be trumpeted around the world. Here's a look at what commenters on social media had to say about Cox's bold take on royalty.

Surprise

The fact that Cox was willing to openly advocate for the abolition of the monarchy was the most surprising part of this interview for many fans. They pointed out his success within that system and wondered if he had any trouble reconciling it.

Blame Prince Harry

Some Markle fans agreed with Cox up to the point where he said that Prince Harry should have known what he was getting into. They did not feel that Markle should have known what her life in England would be like, and some even felt that Prince Harry should have warned her before marrying her.

Unprecedented

On the other hand, many fans thought that it was absurd to blame Markle or Prince Harry because neither could have known exactly what was coming from their marriage. Markle is not only the first woman from the U.S. to marry British royalty but the first Black American woman as well, making their marriage uncharted territory.

Read 'Spare'

Defenders of the Sussex family also felt that Cox's perspective might have changed if he had read Prince Harry's recent memoir, where he tells his side of the story in his own words.

Pro-Monarchy

Many people were surprised by Cox's general anti-monarchy stance and took the chance to explain why they still see value in the system.

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Missing Details

Cox's quotes were taken out of context by many social media users and reports, so some fans were shocked when they read the actual complete quotes. While critics of Markle happily quoted Cox's criticisms of her, many conveniently ignored his assertion that the monarchy shouldn't exist at all.

Inferences

Finally, some fans took issue with Cox's phrasing, which framed some speculations and inferences he made as reliable fact. His assumption that Markle was living out a childhood fantasy by marrying a "prince charming" archetype, for example, did not ring true to everyone.

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