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?

I have no idea what they were trying to achieve.
But I do know they wanted to achieve privacy because they themselves have previously stated this. I don't think this interview was a good route to privacy.

@HumousWhereTheHeartIs

They aren't naive. They knew this would have enormous implications. So why was it so important to have their say? It could be damaging beyond repair for Harry.

I reckon he knew what he was doing when he threw his whole family under the bus....hopefully he never needs them again.

Maybe they should do an interview on why they did the interview. That should please all those whingeing about it.

@Saoirse7 I don’t believe this is how this ends. They have created a whole new tabloid storm, new opportunities for her family to speak, further drama and lots more upset. If they had used this as a platform to talk about how they survived and came through things and urge everyone to support the mental health of others then I could understand. I believe there was trouble on all sides. Harry should have supported her more. If she was suicidal, why drag her out to the Albert Hall? Why did he not get her help, teach her the national anthem or make sure she knew the royal protocol? He was her husband ffs. He should have fought for her.

@ekidmxcl agree totally

Money. Even though he has millions left by his mother it isn't enough for them to live the life that they are used to and crave.

What I don't understand is why Megan would do this when pregnant. If she has fragile mental health anyway, wouldn't something like cause a huge amount of stress? Could be so harmful for the baby.

It didn’t suit Harry to get any help! He didn’t want his job did he? He thinks Charles snd William are trapped and he had no intention of staying.

It beggars belief that he couldn’t personally have found help for Meghan. He has links to all sorts of MH charities. The RF have private doctors. He could have consulted a myriad of people to help outside the confines of the Royal family.

Meghan said she could not go out. Everyone else seems to drive and use the vast estates of the RF. William and Kate see friends and her family.

Part of Meghan’s issues are no family. There’s two sides to every story but Meghan seems to end up ditching family.

As for not understanding the difference between the RF and some Disney character is truly unbelievable. Kate Middleton waiting and being certain seems very sensible now and what great support from her family. Makes a big difference.

Actually, his parting shot ' there are other forces at play ' made me feel a bit shivery.
It's the kind of thing his mum used to say.

Did I remember correctly that Harry said relations with his father were better and that he was someone that believes in always building bridges? If so it doesn’t make sense doing the interview and trashing those bridges.

Meghan has fallen out with everyone, her family on her father's side, her family on her mother's side, but not her mother......yet. Perceived slights and tantrums over everything she isn't entitled to have.
Harry has gone along with it because he has a child now but I think he looked nervous and tentative during the interview and just wanted to please her.
Personally I think they have an appalling cheek whingeing for 2 hours about this stuff when the entire world is suffering a pandemic and the resulting economic and personal tragedies of everyone who has lost a family member from it.
Also an insult to everyone who has been working so hard everyday during the last year to keep things going.
I think the pair of them live in cloud cuckoo land and I wish they would just bugger off and shut up.

Publicity. If I had to pick a team, it would be team Sussex, because the roya family has been vile about her from the start, using her as a smokescreen to protect William over his affair and then Andrew over his general disgustingness, but equally I think they were MAD to do the interview, especially Harry. He will really struggle to come back from this, whereas it matters less for her, because she has more freedom (i.e. to leave) and more potential financial resources (she's not as stupid as he is and she has transferrable skills).

I think Meghan has been a victim of Harry's dimness here. The things that she says she was thrown by:

Archie's entitlement (or not) to the title of prince
Curtseying to the queen in private
Booking an appointment with a therapist

These are all basic things that she could VERY easily have been advised on (or googled), unless she had a massively unhelpful partner who was utterly unable to offer her practical support.

Literally any royal or royal aide could have easily told her about curtseying in private. Did Harry just brush her off with "it'll be fine babe - Gran's lovely"?

And I absolutely don't understand the mental health thing, unless she had been warned about privacy and asked to be referred to a trusted therapist or something, and nobody handled it for her, which I suppose is possible.

I can easily see Harry as the type to throw an unhelpful strop about people just having to accept her as the love of his life, instead of saying "Okay, my family is mad, but we can't change that. Here's how to make this go more smoothly."

Or maybe he just dimly assumed it would all come naturally together for her because it did for Kate, notwithstanding the fact that Kate has an amazingly supportive family who have supported her through all the royal bullshit and while I'm sure Doria is lovely in her own environment, Meghan was completely unsupported in a foreign country.

Carole is the sort of Mum who would send you off to your first royal shooting party or whatever FULLY briefed with a spreadsheet of all the people you have to curtsey to and what to call them, and be there with a headset and an ipad under some gorse to keep you on track if you forgot what to do. Meghan needed an ally like that, not a resentful and stroppy child of a partner.

vengeance, attention, narcissism, arrogance and control

Well if they wanted their side of the story to be told they've opened a can of worms. Thomas Markle was on the TV this morning basically saying he had no support from MM or Harry when the tabloids in USA were following him so he did the interview with them (which ended his relationship with MM) to get the papers off his back.

MM and Harry haven't spoken to him since apparently. His view was his daughter wanting support for going to the press (Oprah) to explain her side of the story, whilst vilifying him for doing the same is a bit hypocritical. I think there's going to be a huge run on this sort of story on both sides and the Palace back office people will just sit back and watch them stamp all over each other.

Always be careful what you wish for is the moral here I suppose. MM and Harry wanted 'their voice' so they can't complain when others insist on theirs too and it won't be the measured Palace voice that comes at them.

Carole is the sort of Mum who would send you off to your first royal shooting party or whatever FULLY briefed with a spreadsheet of all the people you have to curtsey to and what to call them, and be there with a headset and an ipad under some gorse to keep you on track if you forgot what to do. Meghan needed an ally like that, not a resentful and stroppy child of a partner.

In fairness, that's also exactly what has fuelled so much sneery contempt towards Carole Middleton -- the perception that she is an inveterate social climber who moulded her daughter to marry into the RF and coached her on appropriate behaviour to see that it happened.

Crosspelican You actually made me laugh out loud with your description of Carole under the gorse with a headset and iPad hahaha!! But you’re so right!

I wonder this too. I think that naming the person or people who had 'concerns' about Archie's skin colour, and explicitly repeating the exact conversations, would have been a better move. Declining to name anyone and skirting round what exactly was said is deliberate titillation IMO.

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.

I do love a good generalisation

Or maybe he just dimly assumed it would all come naturally together for her because it did for Kate, notwithstanding the fact that Kate has an amazingly supportive family

He can’t possibly be unaware that Kate was dragged through the press for years. She was only promoted to golden girl when Meghan arrived.

Agree that her family give her rock solid foundations, whilst Meghan had her father and assorted other relatives showing her up from the get go.

Harry shoulders a lot of the blame IMO.

[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]
I think his answers in the interview said it all, it’s about money.

I think they wanted their voices to be heard. The palace leaked so much shite about them when they were in the fold and after they left that they wanted to put across their side.

And they did it well, good luck to them.

Meghan said she could not go out. Everyone else seems to drive and use the vast estates of the RF. William and Kate see friends and her family.

I find this impossible to believe. I used to see Diana in Kensington M&S.

I think it just showed extreme selfishness and weakness of character. I used to be a fan but I’m not now. Both are privileged beyond most of our wildest dreams, they have left the family to do their own thing as they wanted to and could be living their lives happily in America causing no harm to anybody but instead they chose to do this in some misguided attempt at (what?) revenge? Disgusting.

I wonder if they'll attend his grandfather's funeral?

There are just too many contradictions for me. Wanting privacy but doing Oprah. Not being able to reconcile family difficulties in private. Publicly airing grievances but only telling one side of the story. Some of the grievances are reeling of entitlement. They knew Archie wouldn’t be a prince just yet. They knew they wouldn’t get security as non working Royals. They have whinged about money. They got money because they were working. Why should they be supported when they have moved on and moved out?

I can quite see why Charles avoided Harry. I think I might have run for my air raid shelter too. Why could they not just get on with their new work (lecturing us all) and keep the money they make? There isn’t a need to tell all. It’s just so crass and attention seeking.

Which is what this is really about. Attention seeking and money. Oprah didn’t do her research. She didn’t ask any question about their contradictory views. Using private jets when we are told to look after the planet by them. Wanting to be separate from the RF bit wanting titles and security. And the list goes on.

William and Kate must wonder who their DC can marry! Better start training them now!

Fame and money. Definitely not the privacy they claimed they wanted.

According to her, she went into the marriage without a clue.
They left the RF without a clue what the consequences would be

So, true to form, third time, they've jumped in to the fire without a clue what the consequences will be.

This is going to be the pattern for their life together, god help them.