The Times: Harry and Meghan’s escape from the poisonous palace
By Tom Bradby
There was a small twist in the story of Harry and Meghan’s announcement last week that gives an indication of just how poisonous and frankly Machiavellian the modern House of Windsor has become. The young couple, newly returned and refreshed from their six weeks away, wanted to meet other members of their family and officials to discuss their plans to work towards becoming financially independent in a newly slimmed-down monarchy.
Harry was asked to put pen to paper with some ideas for discussion. He was reluctant, on the grounds that such documents normally leak.
He was persuaded and did as he was asked. The document, or its details, was shortly afterwards leaked to The Sun. And then, once he had gone ahead with an announcement anyway, palace officials claimed to have been blindsided by it.
The role of the press is perhaps symbolic (not that anyone is quibbling with The Sun — it was a good scoop), because it lies firmly at the heart of the rift between Harry and Meghan and the rest of his family. The young couple believe themselves to be taking a moral stand against the repeated hypocrisy of the tabloid press. Their argument is that if they, with all the privileges of position, power and fame, don’t do something, then who will?
Some of the rest of the family agree with their analysis, but they part ways entirely with the couple on the solution. They appear united in believing that, while suing one or more newspapers might — at best — result in a famous victory, the royal family as a whole will never win the war and that to try is madness. Better to just take it on the chin.
Harry’s father, in particular, appears keen to make sure the newspapers are on side, which is not surprising, really, given that he may one day soon ascend to the throne and has not been universally popular in the course of his life.
In other circumstances, this division of approach to the media might have been smoothed over, but it is a symptom of a deeper rift within the family itself.
It is quite hard to know who is right and who is wrong in this, and foolish perhaps to even try to decide. Some other members of the family say Harry and — particularly — his wife come across as extremely difficult. They feel they have done their absolute best to create space for the newcomer.
Harry and Meghan, on the other hand, find some other members of the family (with the exception of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh) jealous and, at times, unfriendly.
The fallout began at the time of the wedding in 2018. Really damaging things were said and done. The atmosphere soured hard and early, but few meaningful attempts were made by anyone to heal the wounds.
It is pretty clear to me from conversations with both sides that this exit could suit everyone, at least in terms of narrow self-interest. But there is no doubt Harry and Meghan feel they have been driven out.
Much of this was swirling in the background of the documentary I made with the couple in Africa last October, which contributed to it being among the most psychologically complex few weeks of my working life. Since the couple were accused of having complained about their own lot in the programme, while surrounded by poverty and neglect, I should probably explain that the blame — if that is the right word — lies mainly with me.
The documentary was my idea, and they were consistent from the start in wanting it to be primarily, and preferably entirely, about their work in Africa. I said that, worthy as that was, I thought it would be odd for the public to tune in for an hour and discover nothing of how the past year had been for them personally. It took a great deal of persuasion to get them over the line.
That said, they are far from naive and certainly knew what they were doing. When I look back, I feel they probably got on the plane to Africa without being entirely certain as to what they would or wouldn’t say to me.
Indeed, I think they only finally made up their minds after a long and private heart-to-heart I had with Harry, overlooking a river at the Halo Trust bush camp in Angola. I’d describe the results — his admission that he had not got over his mother’s death; Meghan’s revelation that she was really struggling with the limelight — as qualified honesty.
And I suspect the purpose was twofold: to prepare the ground for exactly the announcement we saw last week, and to act as a pressure release valve, in the hope that this, of itself, might alter the dynamic within the royal family.
Certainly, when I inquired if Meghan was “OK”, I took her reply — “Thanks for asking, as not many people have” — to refer to the family itself, rather than the public or the media.
When I got back, in many conversations, I repeated the same mantra; that I hoped the couple would take some time off and that, in the interim, everyone might take a deep breath and step back from the brink. And I was far from alone in these sentiments. Most people who had known and worked closely with William and Harry over the years felt the same and relayed similar messages.
My understanding is that William did try, but the impression I have, for the moment at least, is that things have gone too far to be retrieved.
So how is this new world going to work, without dragging the entire royal family into a series of controversies? Can you be a bit in and a bit out? As I understand it, they will definitely continue to support their charities — which doesn’t require royal status — and they would like to continue to assist the Queen, particularly in her work with the Commonwealth.
They appear philosophical about the prospect of losing their titles and becoming, in the end, entirely self-funded. They believe the question of their protection is a matter for the British state to decide.
They do not seem particularly clear yet on how they will support themselves. They have told colleagues they will wait to see what comes up, though they both went into the marriage with a fair amount of their own money; quite a lot of it, in Harry’s case (from his mother). If I had to guess (and I’m genuinely only guessing), I’d say Meghan might take on a few big roles as a brand ambassador and do some work in television as an executive producer, perhaps on programmes that promote the causes and charities she has long been interested in (like the series on mental health with Oprah Winfrey on Apple TV that was announced some time ago).
I imagine Harry will probably concentrate on the voluntary work he has done over the years — the Invictus Games, Sentebale — and if he were to step into the commercial space, I suspect it would be an area that already interests him, such as eco-tourism.
The couple tell friends they believe this is a positive step that can pave the way for all future younger royals, including Charlotte and Louis, Prince George’s younger siblings. If Prince Charles and William want a slimmed-down monarchy, Harry clearly believes he and his wife need to make the best of it.
It’s a beguiling idea, but it’s not going to be easy. They are keenly aware of the potential to be accused of abusing their royal, or now quasi-royal, status. The media will, understandably and rightly, be looking at it with a keen eye, and the potential for a string of difficult, controversial stories is obvious.
Yet their departure leaves the royal family with a big and difficult issue all of its own. The plain fact of the matter is that Harry and Meghan appeal to a young, multicultural, progressive demographic that, to put it kindly, is not the family’s strongest suit. It is not just that they might lose this group, but that it could actively turn against them.
To state the blindingly obvious, we just don’t know what comes next. If their co-operation in the ITV documentary was qualified honesty, what would the real deal look like?
I have some idea of what might be aired in a full, no-holds-barred, sit-down interview and I don’t think it would be pretty.
I suspect the royal family would carry British public opinion still — perhaps only just — but its international standing is a key part of its value to the British state. If that were to be tarnished, it could be very damaging indeed.
The days ahead will be challenging. Perhaps one of the few positives is that the entire crisis has pushed Prince Charles and his elder son closer together for the first time in years. Harry might allow himself a wry smile at that. But the family urgently needs a meaningful peace deal with the young breakaway couple, because a protracted war would be very bloody indeed.
Post time 12-1-2020 01:34 PM
Ya ampun, sah bbnu yg tak tau apa2 pun psl BRF selain dpd dok puja heretnmeret
. Kalau mmg heolls kononnya mangsa seperti skippy cakap, okaylah i boleh kesian. Tibah sangat mcm iolls pula yg BRF 
