Harry and Meghan: Departing royals stick a sly two-fingers up to the media

Power to them. Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are set to give up their royal duties and titles in order to live a life that’s independent from the monarchy. The couple made the shock announcement on Wednesday evening, outlining their reasons for “taking a step back”.

They have listed a devotion to their charity work and the need for their son (Archie) to experience a life ‘outside of privilege’. And, let’s have it right, Harry and Meghan are sick to the back teeth with the gutter press. They haven’t been subtle about their disdain for hostile media houses. In fact, they’ve made their feelings perfectly clear.

Harry and Meghan explain how they will deal with the media

Part of their new website has a special section dedicated to their new “rules of engagement” with news outlets. Their five-point plan vows to give more interviews to ‘young and ambitious’ journalists, in a bid to distribute coverage of their work more evenly. They also stress that only “credible media outlets” will have access to them – a term they will be using at their own discretion.

• Engage with grassroots media organisations and young, up-and-coming journalists;
• Invite specialist media to specific events / engagements to give greater access to their cause-driven activities, widening the spectrum of news coverage;
• Provide access to credible media outlets focused on objective news reporting to cover key moments and events;
• Continue to share information directly to the wider public via their official communications channels;
• No longer participate in the Royal Rota system, which gives British media representatives the opportunity to exclusively cover an event, on the understanding that they will share factual material obtained with other members of their sector who request it. The current system, they say, predates the dramatic transformation of news reporting in the digital age.

Harry and Meghan slam ‘inaccurate reporting’

We hate to use a young person’s phrase here, but the pair have genuinely SNAPPED. Harry and Meghan’s takedown of the current state of media publications and their “frequent misreporting” is sharp and effective. They have also pleaded for privacy “as a family” – something that was never granted to Princess Diana:

“The misconception that UK ‘Royal Correspondents’ are credible sources of the Royal Family propels coverage that is often carried by other outlets around the world, which amplifies frequent misreporting. Regrettably, stories that may have been filed accurately by Royal Correspondents are, also, often edited or rewritten by media editorial teams to present false impressions.”

“The Duke and Duchess believe in a free, strong and open media industry, which upholds accuracy and fosters inclusivity. They welcome accurate and honest media reporting as well as being held to account – if appropriate. Equally, like every member of society, they also value privacy as individuals and as a family.”

Our brief analysis on “Meghxit”

For too long, too many people have been getting agitated by the actions of a couple that are largely progressive, and keen to make a name for themselves outside of a state-funded monarchy. The vitriol directed towards Meghan in particular has reiked of thinly-veiled racism, and if this is how it must end, so be it.

There are some elements of the British press that won’t rest until they’ve driven the princess into an early grave. The need to generate hate-stories over trivial matters – such as Meghan’s taste for avocados or the relationship between her and her family – shows just how many vampires have been waiting to draw blood.

You’ve got people like Piers Morgan cry-arsing about it on Thursday. Why? Why is it such a matter of importance to him and his gammon-faced buffoonery? Why are Harry and Meghan being held to a higher account (in some circles) than Prince Andrew, an alleged paedophile in the family? The Duke and Duchess have made a bid for freedom, and we should all hope that they find the solitude they’re both craving.