Which brings me to Markle, the other name dominating headlines about Mulroney’s transgressions. In most of the reporting of this story, Mulroney is referred to as “Meghan Markle’s Friend” like it’s her job title, not a personal detail. Mulroney brought the Duchess of Sussex into this shitstorm when she wrote, “I have lived a very public and personal experience with my closest friend where race was front and centre. It was deeply educational.” Aside from this making no sense, it’s basically Mulroney’s equivalent of I can’t be racist, I have a Black friend. Sure, Markle is the reason this story has garnered international attention and it’s understandable that the association would be mentioned, but by making it the focus, as journalist Ishani Nath pointed out on Twitter , “associating [Markle’s] name with this story makes it seem surprising that white women with Black friends can also be ‘problematic.’” I think that’s exactly what Mulroney was hoping when she invoked her friend’s name. She tried to use her relationship with Markle as a shield from criticism and consequences for her actions. The white privilege that Exeter called out is precisely why Markle is getting blowback online for something her white friend did.