South Park: A Clash with Royals

South Park’s 26th season has started with a bang! Their second episode titled “Worldwide Privacy Tour” aired February 19th and is already facing controversy. Its main storyline follows Meghan and Harry of the royal family (although they’re portrayed as Canadians, since South Park loves to make fun of our neighbors up north) as they complain about their lack of privacy. After leaving the royals in Canada, they travel around the world chanting “Respect our Privacy!” and “Stop looking at Us!”, while carrying signs with the same messages. They go on interviews to promote Meghan’s new shows and Harry’s new book, entitled “Waah”. Finally, they decide to move to South Park because they believe it is the perfect town to give themselves some peace and quiet. They move in across the street from Kyle, who is extremely annoyed by Harry’s incessant drum playing and giant, sparkling signs announcing their need for privacy. Eventually, Harry recognizes his issues and decides to actually lead a quiet life, while Meghan can’t get behind him and sticks to the melodrama. 

Many fans loved this new episode and its ability to capture what we’re all thinking – Why do you keep doing interviews and releasing books if you don’t want anyone to pay attention to you??

South Park also did a great job of pointing out Meghan and Harry’s hypocrisy while avoiding the topic of the royal family’s racism towards Meghan. Her discussion about how the royal family has treated her is important to recognize, and South Park made sure to keep that part out of the satire. 

However, the real couple are less than happy – the two have expressed interest in suing South Park, although a spokesperson for the couple have refuted this. It makes sense that Meghan and Harry would be upset, besides the fact that most celebrities hate being tormented on South Park (Jennifer Lopez was incredibly upset about her season 7 episode, Fat Butt and Pancake Head), because the two have been traumatized by the royal family. Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was infamously killed in a car crash caused by paparazzi; being distressed around paparazzi and demanding to be left alone is likely a trauma response. Meghan has been facing racism since she entered the royal family, from incredibly hurtful, racist articles, as well as constant comparison to Kate Middleton but also comments from the family members themselves (she mentioned on Oprah that the family was worried about how dark her baby’s skin would be). Furthermore, Prince Harry’s recent memoir, Spare, has brought tensions to a boil within the family, revealing sensitive stories and events occurring within the family.

It’s crucial to acknowledge the racism and torment Meghan and Harry have received from the royals and Britain as a whole, however a controversial issue isn’t relevant until Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the creators of the show) have covered it. After all, South Park makes fun of everyone – the royal couple are in good company.