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?

@Lindy2

I think Meghan lives her life like she's part of a tv drama series and this was just the next episode. Harry just gets sucked along into it (at least until he is no longer needed, which will be a future Meghan "episode")

Yep, that

I genuinely don’t see how it was supposed to help Harry heal the rift with his family, which is apparently very important to him...

@Saoirse7 I think anyone should have their say about whatever they want. I just meant that the bulk of the interview was from Meghan and can see few negative implications for her. This could have an enormous impact on Harry, and I'm not sure what he gains at all.

Just brand - making money in America and more celebrity bashes etc wish they would disappear!

I do laugh at all these comments about how dare they air it out in public. Do you know how many meb and women I've listened to at work, drinks after work etc who moaned and complain about their wives, husbands, families, friends etc and air their dirty laundry in public to people they know on a superficial level.

Their public airing might not be on the scale of a big interview televised but they still air their dirty laundry out in public.

O mean this forum itself is a platform of people airing their dirty laundry out to the public (albeit more anonymously) but its still what they are doing.

Its hypocritical to say they should of dealt with privately ir botnsaid anything when you have people doing the same thing on a public forum day in day out

Lol what a joke.

I just find the whole thing very sad, on many levels and for everyone concerned.

Money making and fame.

And just to add we knownsome threads have been picked up and repeated in news papers too. So moments saying its not the same isn't really an excuse

They way they've been treated? A chance to defend themselves. And hopefully, start to clear up the mess of the royal family. Which has serious, serious issues.

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

It's sunk Harry's chances of healing the rift with his family.

My theory is this.

The press, and to some extent the internet in general, functions the same as a narcissist. Building you up with knocking you down already in mind, especially for women. Spreading untruths, picking you apart

The natural reaction is to want to defend yourself, dispel the lies, set the record straight, say no, this is not what happened, to right the injustice

When learning about narcissists we are taught to respond rather than react. Responding is very dry and emotionless whereas reacting is emotional. The emotion and upset is what the narcissist (the press) wants

We are also taught that often the best thing to do is just to let them say what they want, know within yourself that it is untrue and don't get caught up the spiral, the web that they want, especially not emotionally.

While there were a few moments of emotion in that interview, an overarching amount of it is response rather than reaction, and they have done such a dreadful, despicable number on Meghan that I don't blame her and Harry at all for wanting to respond.

I think all they wanted was to simply put their side forward, calmly, which is what they have done - and with clear affection for the actual queen and family, the hurt clearly came mostly from the outdated dinosaur of an institution and protocols, the advisors surrounding the family, and the absolutely vile nature of the press

They come across as very fair and even. They were not paid. I think that fact paired with their conduct during the interview and careful responding rather than reacting speaks volumes

I personally would be hoping Phil survives for at least another year because any funeral soon is going to be awkward as hell. Or that Covid/Travel restrictions/pregnancy-birth allows them to duck out gracefully. I just cannot see any family reconciliation or UK visit ending well right now and suspect Harry and his Dad/brother are low-contact and this will cause them to go non-contact apart from the odd Queen wants to know what to send for the birth type telegram- you will see a congratulations notice on the baby girl's birth but behind the scenes, God knows...

Just money grabbing. They've got to get as much cash as they can whilst they're still "relevant". In a few years time it'll be "Meghan and Harry who?" No one will be interested in them and they'll be forgotten into obscurity.

@cyclingmad

I do laugh at all these comments about how dare they air it out in public. Do you know how many meb and women I've listened to at work, drinks after work etc who moaned and complain about their wives, husbands, families, friends etc and air their dirty laundry in public to people they know on a superficial level.

Their public airing might not be on the scale of a big interview televised but they still air their dirty laundry out in public.

O mean this forum itself is a platform of people airing their dirty laundry out to the public (albeit more anonymously) but its still what they are doing.

Its hypocritical to say they should of dealt with privately ir botnsaid anything when you have people doing the same thing on a public forum day in day out

Lol what a joke.

We all know how hard done by they felt, they made that clear before they left ! They got what they wanted. They wanted privacy but yet she can’t help but do an Oprah tell all 😖 why not just get on with their lives and stop raking it all up? Oh - they don’t need privacy after all - they (Meghan) wants to be a superstar in America is all, without the rules and conditions which come with being in the royal family.

I am stunned Harry did the interview tbh and I can't see how he can come back from it when it comes to his family. He shared some things which needed to remain private if he did want to reconcile.

I think Meghan was probably the driving force behind giving the interview as she is used to the public eye but in a much more favourable light. I think she was too independent ever to marry into the royal family and that has caused the situation they are now in - she was never going to be happy with that life.

So I think the interview - not that it was much of an 'interview' as they weren't properly questioned - was given just to air their own grievances and lay into Harry's family.

[quote HumousWhereTheHeartIs]@Saoirse7 I think anyone should have their say about whatever they want. I just meant that the bulk of the interview was from Meghan and can see few negative implications for her. This could have an enormous impact on Harry, and I'm not sure what he gains at all.[/quote]
He said he was trapped in the Royal Family and I completely believe that. Members of the Royal Family, especially senior ones can not dictate their own lives. There were clips released during the week and he spoke about how he wanted to get away from it and this was when he was in his 20s.

He has escaped the cult of the Monarchy.

They were trying to negotiate in good faith initially with the RF but didn’t get anywhere because of the “Rules”- they didn’t get anywhere because they had no power in those negotiations. This is their only way of exerting power by using their voice. They have a lot of cards that they can play to gain sympathy with the public - race, misogyny, mental health, grief, trauma, pregnancy, feeling unsafe etc. I think they will try and be the Royal Family of the United States. Why stick around following antiquated rules when you are only ever going to be 6th in line to the throne and diminishing from there. I do not necessarily think this harms the RF- people love the drama, just as they did with Princess Diana. I do feel for William though and I hope his children and Harry’s children will have a good cousin relationship. When you are in the public eye you need your family even more.

To move in Oprah/Clooney (or even Obama) circles you need to be rich. Not just very wealthy - seriously mega rich. These people have jets/extensive households/huge security teams. If H and M are going to be players on their scale they need a massive income stream.

Money, it’s all about money

@cyclingmad

I do laugh at all these comments about how dare they air it out in public. Do you know how many meb and women I've listened to at work, drinks after work etc who moaned and complain about their wives, husbands, families, friends etc and air their dirty laundry in public to people they know on a superficial level.

Their public airing might not be on the scale of a big interview televised but they still air their dirty laundry out in public.

O mean this forum itself is a platform of people airing their dirty laundry out to the public (albeit more anonymously) but its still what they are doing.

Its hypocritical to say they should of dealt with privately ir botnsaid anything when you have people doing the same thing on a public forum day in day out

Lol what a joke.

Umm in fairness, even most celebs don't hold interviews on TV just to publicly slate one side of their own family?! It's pretty bizarre.

No one is saying they should never even speak to their own circle about their issues - as you said, everyone does that.

@Saoirse7 But he had already escaped and I understand what he gains from leaving the UK/his life as a working royal. I just can't see what he gains from the interview.

I assumed it was for monetary purposes and brand building. Given the circumstances I kind of understand it.

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.

[quote HumousWhereTheHeartIs]@Saoirse7 But he had already escaped and I understand what he gains from leaving the UK/his life as a working royal. I just can't see what he gains from the interview.[/quote]
He’s got sympathy in America e.g whitehouse etc and that’s their next meal ticket £££ or should that be $$$

@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.

And money grabbing self promotion is so common in America