Their royal majesties of music, Queen B and Jay-Z, recently curtsied to Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle in their BRIT Award acceptance video. Receiving Best International Artist (Group) for their album “Everything Is Love”, The Carters appeared with a hanging portrait of the crowned Duchess in the back of their short recording.

Markle has recently encountered widespread gossip rags from the media. Familiar with paparazzi and press drama, The Carters showed their utmost respect to the newest member of the royal family. Who better to support a duchess than a queen and her king?

Beyoncé and Jay-Z have dealt with extensive media attention – good and bad – since Destiny’s Child and Jay-Z’s debut album “Reasonable Doubt” (1996), and are experts on sparking a conversation that sends the message they want to tell. In the BRIT acceptance video, the two recreated a legendary scene from their music video for the song “APESH**T” where they stand in front of a portrait of the “Mona Lisa” at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. This video not only caused an exponential rise in tourists to visit the “Mona Lisa” but also sent a message to all Carter fascinators and music lovers that we should appreciate art in all its forms.

By replacing the “Mona Lisa” with the Markle, who they turned around to face in the video as a way to pay their respects, The Carters exhibit their appreciation of art and of celebrities who have faced media criticism. Seven months pregnant with her and Prince Harry’s first child, Markle has been disrespectfully exploited by the press on various occasions. Thankfully, other stars like George Clooney have defended her through these difficult times. Clooney stood up for the Duchess, publicly expressing his horror at the U.K. press for its actions that “pursued and vilified” Markle.

However, this treatment started long before she announced her pregnancy. In fact, a potential pregnancy has been an obstacle during Prince Harry and Markle’s entire relationship. Because Markle is biracial and her marriage into the royal family has impacted the royal monarchy, she has dealt with situations no duchesses have ever had to deal with. Racial undertones and sexism from the press have influenced numerous stories written about Markle and her relationship with Prince Harry.

Bey and Jay feel very strongly about the treatment of blacks internationally. Through their references to Malcolm X seen on each of their albums, to their personal experiences with racism through lyrics, their powerful messages continue to spread. As music royalty, they encourage countless fans to feel confident in their own skin no matter what race, gender, or class they are. Supporting Markle has sparked a conversation that reflects the scrutiny celebrities deal with daily. Beyoncé and Jay-Z show us through a simple BRIT awards acceptance video that we are all human, we can all appreciate art, and most importantly, we can all appreciate each other.