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?

The purpose of the interview was to raise their profile in the US, so they can maximise their earnings.

The purpose of Meghan’s repeated lies during the interview was to embarrass & discredit the monarchy, against which she has grievances caused by her perception of the way she was treated. She knew that Oprah was not going to call her out on those lies, and that American audiences would not have detailed knowledge of U.K marriage laws or how royal titles work, so they wouldn’t spot them.

For republicans like me, it’s great fun watching the monarchy tearing itself apart. Long may it continue.

@Plexie

To build a marketable brand that they can commercialise to create income.

The interview reminded me of those scam emails that contain grammatical errors and typos that are supposed to weed out on-the-ball people and ensnare the gullible. There were so many inconsistencies and contradictions that are obvious to UK viewers or anyone with a decent level of knowledge about the Royal Family, but are being swallowed by the more general American/worldwide audience. That's the audience they are aiming at, to portray an appearance of victimhood to elicit sympathy which they can trade on.

I have some sympathy for them but I think this is at least partly true. Some of what they said was dodgy, though they might believe it themselves. They seem a bit deluded about what they’re entitled to.

Maybe they felt it was time to expose the RF for the outdated, backward institution that it is? Why should people get away with this kind of treatment of others regardless of who they are or what family they are in...

I think after several years for Meghan, and more for Harry,of the press controlling the narrative, twisting facts, or more likely printing lies about them , unfavourably comparing her to Kate, criticising minor actions, they wanted to effectively set the story straight and get their voices heard.
Could they have done it in a different way? Probably
What did rescuing chickens have to do with it? No idea.
But I'm not convinced there would have been a way of airing all that without causing a media storm, and most likely more friction between themselves and the RF
(but that's not to say they shouldnt have done it)

I think using the medium of tv gets their view heard (and thus makes people aware of the continued mis-reporting ) a lot more so than a book. They could (and possibly have?) written a book but it wouldnt immediately reach such a wide audience.

Money. Revenge. Desire to be headline news to kick off their brand. They were sidelined by the pandemic for a year so now is their chance to relaunch on the world stage.

[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 and his wife has been hounded by the UK media since he left. How else can they have an end to it?

They haven't spoken out about anything that has been said or written about them. They have had so much toxic press based on what the media presume they have done. They just want people to understand their reasons for doing what they did while calling out the rhetoric that has been peddled.

@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.

🙌🙌👏👏

Everyone is quick to write LTB when someone on Mumsnet is in a toxic relationship. However, M& H do it and they are derided.

He and his wife has been hounded by the UK media since he left. How else can they have an end to it?

Is doing an interview with Oprah putting an end to it?! That seems like raising their profile even more.

I appreciate that they - particularly Meghan - get grief in the media but equally it's not like it's getting posted through her letterbox or people are throwing fruit at her in the street. They are not actually getting hounded and never were, paps never followed them about even when they were in the UK. They were only allowed to be pictured at official engagements.

There is no need for them to engage with the media in any way now they have stepped back - but it seems they do still want the same level of attention, as long as it's favourable.

Aside from considerations like profile-raising, I would say it's exactly the same impulse that prompts people to post 'their side of the story' about a disputed situation on AIBU -- a desire for public vindication. Greeted, as so often on AIBU, with accusations of inventing stuff, wilful misunderstanding, chinny reckons and musings about what the 'other side of the story' would sound like.

It's missing only the parking diagram and amusing fake names eg 'Let's call the ILS Brenda, the Greek, Waity Charlie, Baldy and Nice Hair.'

They wanted to get their side across and explain why they left. And why not.

I really admire Harry. He did the hard thing and broke up with his family in order to protect his wife & child. I don't think enough praise has been heaped on him for doing that.

It might have been better to have had a more bracing outing with Jeremy Paxman who would have really questioned them. With Oprah, there was a sense of just gently lobbing a ball back and forth, a sense of not being challenged about their worldview or actions.

@OutwiththeOutCrowd

It might have been better to have had a more bracing outing with Jeremy Paxman who would have really questioned them. With Oprah, there was a sense of just gently lobbing a ball back and forth, a sense of not being challenged about their worldview or actions.

Why should they have been questioned by Paxman? Surely his talents would be better spent on Andrew! Why should M&H be grilled like they committed a crime? FFS you people are ridiculous.

@Hoppinggreen and there you go gaslighting. 😆

I had presumed it was for money and to raise their profile. Meghan wasn't a fan of her family selling her out, she 'lost' her father that way so it's strange that she would feel is acceptable the other way around.

There is no way they didn't know this was going to blow up into a huge public spectacle so on some level that must have been what they wanted.

I think it was a terrible idea . History shows that royal interviews don’t end well ( Diana regretted doing hers ) and I am not sure where M and H go from here ?
Now that “ their truth “ is out there what is there left to talk about ?
Building compassion - seems a bit unlikely given that 2 families were trashed !
They may surprise me and produce some excellent Netflix and Spotify stuff but I won’t hold my breath .
I cannot see the RF taking this lying down . I also cannot imagine H returning for the unveiling of Diana’s statue .

Publicity in the US for all their ventures they are launching there - Netflix, spotify, the production/media company. It will work as most Americans love the idea of a princess, love drama, and don't understand the ins-and-outs of how the Royal Family works so are more likely to believe everything H&M claim.

I'd like to think that they wanted to get a chance to tell their version of events. It's good they did it, and I hope that the RF will concentrate on damage control. I mean harry and Meghan are the least of their worries. Prince Andrew's dodgy past, prince Philip's health issues, prince Charles's unpopularity, queens health, the impending change of monarch in the next few years etc.

They wanted to tell their truth , which , I would imagine is slightly different from the truth.

It wasn’t an interview, it seemed like Oprah had been told to ask certain leading questions so that they could say what they wanted to get across.

I think it was a mix of attention seeking, revenge, a love of drama, and an opportunity to set the record straight, tell their side of it, and to position themselves as victims.

I also think it was predominantly driven by Meghan.

@notalwaysalondoner

Publicity in the US for all their ventures they are launching there - Netflix, spotify, the production/media company. It will work as most Americans love the idea of a princess, love drama, and don't understand the ins-and-outs of how the Royal Family works so are more likely to believe everything H&M claim.

This.

[quote Toilenstripes]@Hoppinggreen and there you go gaslighting. 😆[/quote]
Well it is a national past time
Bit like navel gazing in The US

@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.

it's clear that the real root cause of the problems has nothing to do with Meghan being mixed race, or divorced, or an actor. It really came down to the fact that she's American.

We understand perfectly well what American's think "Injustices are meant to be called out" means. We were treated to years of Jerry Springer on TV. All that shit-show with Oprah needed was another couch with Will and Kate, and couple of burly security men to restrain them.

In the next few years (5-10), we're likely to have two 100th birthdays, two funerals, a coronation and an investiture, at least. There will also be several family christening and probably other family occasions like "big birthdays" etc.
I can't see how H and the fam will be able to attend any of those big family events now. It's all so sad.

I haven’t read the full thread.

I imagine anyone wronged wishes to have their say. Especially when the press has led nothing short of a hate campaign against you.

Think of it like a victim impact statement. That’s how I see it