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?

@PolkadotsAndMoonbeams

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.

It's bullshit like a lot of the hot air the pair of them blow.

What were Harry and Meghan hoping to achieve?

Cash and increased profile. Otherwise why would a couple who allegedly crave privacy air their laundry so publicly.

All press is good press. The more they are in the public eye the more earning opportunities they will have. They have a story, some true some not, to spin that the world is currently interested in.

They are desperate to carve out a celebrity place, but once this "scandle" is over what do they really have left, I expect there will be a drip feed of other revelations over the next year or so before it all dies down and they disappear into the ether until the next big story when they separate.

@Kikitheparot

Publicity and revenge.

All real and imagined grievances against the royals aired.

Very tight lipped about her own family circus.

I agree and the queen’s response about “some recollections may vary” gives some indication that she knows it’s a croc of shit.

It’s a shame they weren’t interviewed by Emily Maitlis. Oprah’s acting was marginally better than Meghan’s. No drilling down for any detail.
It was all so wholly in detail.

Harry seems to have forgotten about calling another recruit at Sandhurst a pki and a rghead. That kind of racism obviously doesn’t count.

A large part of the blame has to lie with Harry who clearly made no effort whatsoever to school or warn her what royal life would be like. He was probably frightened he’d put her off. Not that there was any chance of that.

@Flyingdr
To all those who are in camp M&H, are you comfortable with a proportion of your salary to fund a princeling in the US?

I have to fund the toxic parasitic institution AKA The British Royal Family no matter where the individuals live. I'm glad Harry and Meghan have removed themselves from the epicentre.

@Bettercallsaul1

I think it’s obvious why they did it. For the two years MM was part of the royal family, she was subjected to relentless abuse from the tabloids which finally resulted in her feeling suicidal. There was no way that she could have been “prepared” for this treatment and it took a terrible toll on her, and Harry. Some of the press coverage was untrue in a very damaging way - for example the notorious story, constantly repeated, of her “leaving Kate in tears”, which made her sound bullying and aggressive. These untrue stories were not countered by the Palace despite their willingness to object very swiftly when other royals were attacked in the press. (for example, denying that Kate Middleton had had Botox and challenging the unfavourable article about her in Tatler - Catherine the Great.)

The sad fact is that people do believe what is written in the papers and MM’s popularity in the UK plummeted in the two years she was there as a result. The purpose of the interview was to finally allow them to speak out and defend themselves - after not being able to as part of the royal family. Meghan Markle’s reputation was trashed in public - she wanted to reach as large an audience as possible to reclaim it.

Agree with this... I think MM had lots to gain since public opinion of her has been so much reduced by the negative press. PH however, has potentially irreparably damaged his relationship with his family, and came across as whiney and entitled moaning about the lack of tax payers money for security and having to spend his own millions for his big mansion. Perhaps in his mind it is unfair when he feels there should be more parity with his brother, but from the POV of a regular Brit in the middle of a pandemic/recession, these comments are extremely tone deaf.

I did think his “I didn’t ask to be born royal but because I am, I’m inherently at risk and need security” argument is interesting, although he’s not living a modest lifestyle with security is he? This secure life needs to at least have a swimming pool and 16 bathrooms.

I felt very sympathetic for Meghan particularly watching the interview, she’s obviously been through a terrible time and the suicide rate amongst celebrities goes to show that wealth does not cushion a person from abuse, bullying and mental distress. I do believe the palace may well be a gilded cage. However, a lot of the detail of the basis of their complaints specifically about titles, security and private garden weddings may suggest an emotional interpretation of events that isn’t strictly factual.

Unfortunately, I wonder if the objective idea of a slimmed-down monarchy, less costly to the tax payer with emphasis on the line of succession, coincided with their subjective experience of feeling unsupported and racist undertones within the family, and these two things became a persecution in their mind. It’s just very difficult when these experiences as real as they felt for them, are reported as fact when the other side doesn’t want to get into a bun fight trying to clarify the detail.

@cansu

Isolated from friends and FAMILY

OK, let's park the family because as far as MM is concerned that's just 1 person now after all and it's known that Doria visited more than once and was welcomed by the RF. Being in the UK and RF actually conveniently distanced her from the "troublesome" element of her family.

Isolated from friends ? Given how many of her friends posted on social media about their visits with Meghan and how good she was at keeping touch despite her busy new life/status etc etc ? Plus all the virtual connection possibilities available to her. Her NY baby shower, visit to watch friend play tennis, and these are just the events which became known.

Not being able to seek medical help ?

Not buying into their version of events. No siree !

To answer the original question, the purpose of the interview was obviously to garner sympathy for themselves.
As I understand it, the essence of their complaint is that they had a lot of bad media coverage, which in their view the 'palace' (by which I mean the institution of the Royal Family, such as the persoanl asistants, PR, etc), did nothing to contradict.
Within this, they had some additonal comlaints, such as who made who cry at the dress fitiing was incorrect, that the family are racist by referring to Archie's skin colour, that Archie does not have a title, that Prince Charles stopped funding them, that Meghan suffered mental health issues and was suicidal.
They did not cover the issue of how positive the media was when they got married, and it seemed to be, the media turned after they started preaching about climate change, etc while taking several flights by private plane - to New York for a baby shower, etc

I think they will end up divorced too.

She'll bounce off onto another big name with more money. He'll end up a mess unless his family stand by him.

Sometimes with mental health you need to get how you are feeling out there... Megan tried to do it in house but they wouldn't allow it....

I used to be a gambling addict and was a complete mess and begged borrowed and stole to feed my habit...it all temmed from mental health and me keeping everything inside... on the outside I was a happy go lucky person who always seems to enjoy life. However I was dying on the inside...

The day I got everything out in the open was the day my life changed for the better... 7 years later and I have never touched gambling again and am genuinely happy now.... had I not had the courage to speak out about my struggles I wouldn't not be here right now for sure!

twitter.com/CBSThisMorning/status/1368912068187947011?s=20

Interesting extra material from CBS

I am unsure why she was unable to seek help for her mental issues, while Harry stated he had had years of therapy.
The so-called 'weeding' 3 days before the wedding at WIndsor was obviously not real. The Real wedding is when you sign the register.
They DID receive a lot of negative media coverage, but mostly it was comments below the line rather than the article itself that was the problem.

They are allowed to go NC/LC with their family for any reason they want as much as the next person. So many people put up with so much bullshit due to it being “family”, respect your elders bollocks. You are a free will adult and owe your family nothing.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at their place after the interview.

When people get married, they usually do so because they are compatible with the person they are marrying. Whether they are compatible with their in-laws etc is a far, far distant second consideration. 99% compared to 1%.

I’m glad Harry married for love rather than narrowing his pool by 99%
to only those with the “right upbringing” who could acceptably “fit in” to a ridiculously outdated, toxic institution. That showed real maturity. And I’m sure he’ll be happier than if he’d married Chelsea Keswick Bouquet VI or one of his other early flings.

I’m glad he and Meghan gave their version of being on the receiving end of the toxic British gutter press and some of the racism they encountered while trying their best, unsuccessfully, to adapt to family life as part of the toxic institution. Must have been good to get it off their chests. Now they can all move on.

How does M get on with her own family? I think that’s a red flag.

Regarding the Mental health issues. One of the main problems we have in the U.K. is accessing help. All the nhs services are under funded and under resourced. Yet they have the resources to go private which 95% of the population do not have. They can pay for help, private hospitals etc. Why didn’t the fo this?

I think Harry did it because he’s understandably never fully got over everything that happened with his Mum, and was reacting out of a combination of that and all Meghan was telling him.

I think she did it because she’s furious at not having been able to wrap centuries of royal tradition round her little finger after all.

And now the 16 bedroom mansion, swimming pool and associated security detail won’t pay for itself.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at their place after the interview

Also, series 6 of The Crown is going to be dynamite.

@Coffeeandcocopops

Regarding the Mental health issues. One of the main problems we have in the U.K. is accessing help. All the nhs services are under funded and under resourced. Yet they have the resources to go private which 95% of the population do not have. They can pay for help, private hospitals etc. Why didn’t the fo this?

Exactly I don't believe the MH claims. Harry would have supported her to get MH support. And it could have been done discretely if theyd wanted it.

I'm a firm believer that the truth of all this is somewhere down the middle, though I have no doubt that Meghan's mental health suffered badly.

Reasons to believe that they are not outright, deliberately lying about everything: 1) The knowledge that the royal family could hit back and counter. 2) Their own fondness for legal proceedings.

You know. I was thinking about the " too embarrassed" to get mental health help.

Wasn't him and his brother the founders of Heads Together???

I can't see how they've been campaigning for so long and being open about their own MH issues that he was stop embarassed...

To my knowledge Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew (when he was in the fold and worked for the Queen) now only get protection when they are working. Their personal protection was taken away in a cost cutting exercise I believe.

So even if Archie was given a Prince title, he still may only have protection paid for when he works on Royal Family duties.

The issue for Meghan and Harry is that they believe Archie and his soon to be sister will probably have more potential threats than others because of their mixed race. And the royal family haven't really addressed that concern. Possibly because they haven't even thought of it as a bigger problem than Zara Tindell getting kidnapped by terrorists or Princess Eugenie being attacked. From the royal's point of view Anne Lawrence is OK to run her farm without protection, whereas she'll get it when she's Princess Anne opening a factory so what's the problem? They've not thought of the added race issue (or have chosen not to because it opens up discussions about Eugenie, Zara, Peter et al)

But, going to Oprah and making out that the Prince title was dismissed because of his colour based on a conversation that Harry reported back to Meghan shows how little Meghan did in the way of research. Surely Harry should have explained the succession to her? Stopped her making a fool of herself with that comment? But then this is a man who apparently heard a conversation about his future child's colour, didn't call the person out and went straight off to tittle tattle to his mental fragile wife. But, apparently that's OK in Meghan's eyes - it's the fault of the person who said it (definitely agree) and not of the man she married who wants to share every conversation with her (not what a normal person does).

Harry is also the man who didn't call up friends to sit with Meghan on that gala night when Meghan had told him she felt suicidal. If my DH had had to work (i.e. attend the gala) I'd have expected him to come up with an excuse about why I couldn't be there and ask a friend to sit with me on the pretext that I wasn't feeling well (being pregnant) - not expect me to get dressed up and attend. To then bleat that she had to go and not have a word of admonishment for the lack of support from her husband in the first place is astonishing. But that wouldn't meet her and Harry's agenda of the two of them against the world - poor souls.

And the issue with the national anthem and the 'institution' not allowing for Meghan struggling with it being from a different country? Again Harry didn't seem to help her with that. It's not hard. Neither is learning these 30 hymns she mentioned as part of that 'nobody helped me' scene she played out. She's an actress used to learning lines with very short notice. If Harry had briefed her it wouldn't take her long to get 30 hymns under her belt. But it seems he didn't take her to one side, sit her down and go through these things with her.

Also Meghan mentions that Harry asked her if she knew how to curtsey when she first met the Queen. She knew she'd have to do so in public but didn't realise it was done in private. Despite me knowing that from Hello interviews done with Kate and documentaries showing Princess Anne doing exactly that. But there you go. Maybe she expected a few folders and videos to be given to her as an engagement present. But Harry is supposed to be her loving husband. He shouldn't have just thrown that comment into the mix minutes before Meghan was due to meet grannie. Again, Meghan has forgiven him and turned the blame on 'the institution' rather than where it belongs. With the lump sitting to her right in the interview. What sort of man does that? If he can't think of Meghan's needs then why would an extended family? I don't expect my uncle to brief my husband about what to say to whom at a family party. I do it. He's lived with this parade all his life but can't think his way around what his wife would need to know to settle in quickly? Seriously?

Personally I think Meghan needed to look very closely at the 'man' with her in that interview. He may have been able to brief a battalion of men in battle but he's got precious little idea about helping his wife and guiding her other than to run away.

All they've managed to do, I think, is give the signal that the gloves are off. The Queen etc may be constrained in what they can say but friends, Meghan's family et al aren't. Thomas Markle is already starting the rounds and Meghan can't complain when more stuff comes their way. She and Harry have shown that the way to get your point across is to speak to the media.

Could be a case of be careful what's contained in the can of worms you've just opened.

Harry is envious of his brother who will be king, Meghan thought there was a gap from Diana's death. But Diana was married to the heir not the spare. It is also being overlooked that when Diana entered the RF she was half the age of Meghan, with far less experience of life. I am almost the same age that Diana would have been and I remember the whole fairy tale, its crumbling and her tragic death. And I didn't need to watch 'The Crown'. The washing of any family's dirty linen in public is despicable, manipulative and vindictive.

I think they were hoping to provoke change, honestly. In the tabloid media - to force them to confront their racial bias and its consequences. but also in the royal family and aristocracy more generally - to get them to modernise.
I hope it works!!