What were Harry and Meghan hoping to achieve?

[HumousWhereTheHeartIs]

This is an honest question not a chance to bash anyone. I'm curious about why Harry and Meghan would do this and what the consequences could be. They must have realised the massive fall-out this would cause. This could be the end of Harry's relationship with his family. But for what? Sympathy? Increased profiles? Honesty?

Harry hasn't got the brain to think that far ahead and Meghan just wanted a 'voice' forgetting that as a D-list actress the only voice she had was on her lifestyle blog.
And Oprah had her own agenda too!

They, particularly M, want to put their side of the story. Don't we all? However there was no probing into their professed eco friendly private plane trips and similar issues, and plenty of fuzzing over the details.... Archie won't have a title because the rules were updated, not because of his skin colour, and the same was mentioned before the marriage not during the pregnancy. I think M wanted all the glamour and none of the boring work, which is stressful in itself. The couple made some fair points, but it was self serving and one sided. Hopefully thats the end of it from both sides, and we don't hear anymore from them about private matters.

I think also the disparity between the attention given by the media to Prince Andrew after that awful interview with Emily Maitlis and an alleged racist remark in a conversation with a journalist also shows how the institution can protect individuals if it wishes to keep media attention away from them.

I mean just watch some excerpts from Prince Andrew's interview. The palace also managed to repudiate the claim about Prince Andrew's alleged remark, but left Harry to make his own statement in defence of Meghan. (amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/nov/18/prince-andrew-used-n-word-former-no-10-aide-claims).

How the heck has this just all gone quiet when negative media articles about Meghan have been ongoing since their relationship became public (Harry released his statement about racism in the media and online in 2016 and it is 2021, still the same focus, it has not gone away).

@Pixxie7 That's it exactly - Meghan got the shock of her life when she realised that Harry isn't even the spare any more!
And she gave up Suits to marry the irrelevant equivalent of Andrew/Edward.

Bit of a curve ball but how is Oprah still a thing?

She funnelled young actresses to Harvey Wienstein for years and knew exactly what he was like, how has she not been cancelled yet?

I think it achieved a bullseye in terms of revenge and profile raising and thereby money-making opportunities.

I'm afraid I think this too. I can't see how any of their behaviour is helpful to maintaining contact with family and life in the UK. For instance, why not just say, "To set the record straight, Catherine and I had a disagreement about the flower girls' dresses at the wedding. It was a very busy and emotional time, we were both upset but we made up and moved on, as families do"?

I am gobsmacked at how people can screw up so badly. The Phillipses, the Wessexes, the Cambridges - they all manage to work as Royals, keep their children protected from the press and otherwise live a life of extraordinary privilege.

@ VintageDiamonds.
No I don’t understand otherwise I wouldn’t have asked !!
HM issued Letters Patent before George was born so that if he had been a girl , she would not be superseded by future brothers .
Regardless of that why on earth would H and M want their DC to be HRH when they despise the institution so much ?

I don't have much sympathy as they are massively wealthy and privileged. But I think marrying into a family where people basically do fuck all outside their own relatives and longstanding hangers on is asking for trouble for someone who has her own life and career. Being told where she can go and who with or whether she should or shouldn't see a doctor is not going to be acceptable to someone like MM. She was also isolated from her friends and family.

I think the issue is that without the title Prince, Archie would not get protection.

But that's what I was asking up the thread -- is this in fact true? Is there any correlation between the title of Prince/Princess and automatic entitlement to funded protection? Beatrice and Eugenie are both princesses and don't, so I don't think that who has protection provided (other than at their own cost) is title-dependent, but dependent on multiple other factors, like proximity to the throne/and if adult, working/non-working royal status etc.

If William and Kate's younger children hadn't been given the titles they have as I gather was possible surely they wouldn't have been omitted from the protection Prince George has?

Whatever they intended, they have successfully yanked the RF back to the awful days of media feeding frenzy and Diana/Sarah Ferguson, and thereby a grandson has successfully destroyed the last few years of his elderly grandmother for Netflix.

Revolted by them both.

As with previous “ spares “ eg Margaret and Andrew, as the Cambridge DC grow and have their own families , H will move so far down the list as to be almost irrelevant like the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester.

The Dukes of Kent and Gloucester did 105 engagements each in 2019 (I used 2019 because it's more 'typical' than a covid year).

For 210 charities/interest groups (and it's much higher if you include the Duchesses and Princess Alexandra) they weren't irrelevant, even if they are further down the line of succession. Bear in mind that one is in his seventies, and the other in his eighties. Most people would have retired by then!

Why is everyone assuming that H & M are being truthful ? Every zeleb that has jumped on the bandwagon has automatically believed every word they have said. The could not have been married a few days before, that is an out and out lie yet everyone is happy to take her word as gospel.

@LowlandLucky

Why is everyone assuming that H & M are being truthful ? Every zeleb that has jumped on the bandwagon has automatically believed every word they have said. The could not have been married a few days before, that is an out and out lie yet everyone is happy to take her word as gospel.

It's astounding how many have bought their drivel hook, line and sinker.

Money, all driven by money and fame.

MM wanted the Hollywood lifestyle and she wasn't going to get that as an Actress in Suits.
So she went after her Prince. I think she loved bombed Harry. Who is in a difficult position and possibly quite vulnerable from a MH point.
MM didn't really take time to understand what a Working Royal actually means. It's not all diamonds and tirars. Its lots of getting up travelling the country opening not very glamorous stuff and playing a roll in various Charities that you have chosen to support.

She is trying to build a brand in the US. And make money on the back of Harry's titles. Except if you want freedom from the RF you aren't taking titles with you. Jumped without fully understanding what they were doing.

Harry will wake up one morning, and think WTF have I done. I've abandoned my family, dragged them through the muck. The money is starting to run low I can't get a big money job and nor can I get my old job back.

I think the security issue is rubbish they gave up their right to security being paid for by the British tax payers when they gave up the roles in the royal family. Additionally didn’t Canada also refuse to pay?

@Blueberries0112

“Of course it wasn't a true wedding, but a mere rehearsal”

How do you know it wasn’t done with bishop Michael Curry. American have different idea what it take to be married.

Maybe, but I'm assuming that Harry was there as well??? He would know full well, and surely would keep her right if she was under such a bizarre misapprehension

There has been so many lies and assumptions written about them in the press. Why shouldn't they be allowed to tell their side

Yep. Anyone saying "revenge" etc - that says more about your thought processes than them.

@LowlandLucky

Why is everyone assuming that H & M are being truthful ? Every zeleb that has jumped on the bandwagon has automatically believed every word they have said. The could not have been married a few days before, that is an out and out lie yet everyone is happy to take her word as gospel.

Exactly!

I can't help thinking that, despite this interview, none of us really know what's gone on. What's more, we never will.

Something clearly isn't right but quite what, who knows?

@Vegeetas

Bit of a curve ball but how is Oprah still a thing?

She funnelled young actresses to Harvey Wienstein for years and knew exactly what he was like, how has she not been cancelled yet?

That's a good point.

Regarding the "first wedding", surely banns would have been read, witnesses would be there, they'd sign a register etc?

I can understand wanting a little private ceremony (and maybe even considering yourself married after it if you wanted to), but it wouldn't actually count as a legal marriage.

Harry does not learn much at all though, does he?

I think it unfair to say that Kate's mother is pushy and that is wrong. All of us want the best for our DC. Including her. She did not orchestrate Kate meeting William. In fact it is probably a good thing the Middletons are in William's life. Harry needed similar.

I do not approve of Andrew. However he is protected by the RF and Harry absolutely had that when he called a fellow soldier his Pakki mate and dressed up as a Nazi. All conveniently forgotten beacuse it was Harry. What does Meghan think? She obviously does not care that her husband did this. So are Pakisrtani people worth less than she is? One has to wonder about her motives which appear wholly one-sided.

Meghan was wrong about it being a marriage. It was not. Just a lie. Why would anyone say this? Utterly bizarre. Shame they needed another one at £500,000 for two wedding dresses then.

@Toilenstripes

For Meghan, as an American, it’s incomprehensible that she would have stayed silent. We don’t do that. Injustices are meant to be called out, and that’s what she has done. I don’t expect most British people to understand because bullying and gaslighting is so common here, and largely to blame for the mental health crisis in society.

This. Precisely this.

So many people ask why victims of abuse and gaslighting don't speak out. When they do, they're pilloried. "Don't wash your dirty laundry in public." "You should have kept it to yourself." Or worse, "Liar!" or "Now you've gone and burned your bridges. What did you hope to achieve?"

"Unfairly treated? Abused? Call it out. Tell someone."

Speaks out and tells people*

"Not like that!"

No bloody wonder there's a mental health crisis.

Another toxic thread calling them liars, calling her every name under the sun, and of course denying racism which seemingly isn't a problem in the UK according to the experts on MN (but not 85% of British BAME people, who consider it a big problem). Put this mentality together with the gutter press and I'm shocked they wanted to leave. Totally shocked.