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?

@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.

Absolutely this.

@Silurian "In fairness, that's also exactly what has fuelled so much sneery contempt towards Carole" - oh definitely, but they'd have come for her anyway.

Carole has been the butt of some jokes but overall the Middleton family have been a calm oasis for Kate and William. Kate doesn’t want a Hollywood lifestyle. Meghen does. Hollywood is about having pet projects, pontificating about what you are interested in whilst closeting yourself away with security and vast amounts of money. It’s not about doing very much. It’s very much about picking and choosing. It’s not about going to the back of beyond to open a shopping centre and visit an old persons’ home. It’s all about word soup and getting “their truth” out there. No thought for “the truth”. But when did LA folk worry about that? Certainly Oprah wasn’t interested.

They wanted to be able to blackmail PC I think to keep paying their 'allowance' I think.

That people would have some understanding why they made the decision they made. Every time they tried to earn their own money for security and other reasons, people tear them apart for “leaving the royal family or they are using the royal to make money”

And my sister also think Meghan is trying be a platform for people who feel suicidal and that they are not alone. I agree with her

I thought it was quite unnecessary to have this interview with Oprah. All their grievances should have been talked about within the Royal family,despite them saying that nobody ever listens to their immense problems.

Meghan is friends with Oprah, so she was perhaps used by Meghan to have an open up type USA style of interview, and Oprah had a scoop of an interview with some royal people.

I do believe that she suffered badly in the UK, mainly because of the media, that will crucify anybody, and also within the palace. The general public liked her.

I don't think Harry would have ever given an interview like this before he was married and still in the UK. But is so much in vogue with Meghan now and living a different life, that he will now go along with all the feelings that Meghan has.

Meghan gave a great interview, she is very accomplished at speaking well. and I did feel sorry for her, But all this very personal stuff, should not have been broadcast to everyone around the world.

Meghan gave a great interview, she is very accomplished at speaking well

Of course she is. She’s an actress!

@1forAll74

I thought it was quite unnecessary to have this interview with Oprah. All their grievances should have been talked about within the Royal family,despite them saying that nobody ever listens to their immense problems.

Meghan is friends with Oprah, so she was perhaps used by Meghan to have an open up type USA style of interview, and Oprah had a scoop of an interview with some royal people.

I do believe that she suffered badly in the UK, mainly because of the media, that will crucify anybody, and also within the palace. The general public liked her.

I don't think Harry would have ever given an interview like this before he was married and still in the UK. But is so much in vogue with Meghan now and living a different life, that he will now go along with all the feelings that Meghan has.

Meghan gave a great interview, she is very accomplished at speaking well. and I did feel sorry for her, But all this very personal stuff, should not have been broadcast to everyone around the world.

She is the one broadcasting this "personal stuff" you cant tell me she honestly thought that the camera crew and Oprah were over for coffee and cookies?

They were securing their place in the Spectacle.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Society_of_the_Spectacle

It's all they can sell, when it comes down to it - gossip about the RF. Because neither has done anything else interesting enough to get an Oprah special.

Someone (unspecified) said something (unspecified) racist.

She couldn't get help for her mental health (but could choose her own obstetrician, who presumably had no allegiance to the RF).

Archie won't have the title 'prince' because he is mixed race - under the provisions laid down for the RF in 1917. Not that they want him to have a title, of course...

etc etc

They want 'A Voice' on issues of concern - but have no experience or expertise to back that up. So they use what they have and bulk it out with hints and innuendo. When the fuss dies sown, which it will quite quickly, what can they do next? The value of their exposes goes down each time they get trotted out.

The RF is outdated and bizarre, but both of them still seem to buy into the myth that they are somehow special because H was born into it.

Deliver a veiled threat (knowingly or unknowingly) about how much they know and could let on, so Daddy starts paying the bills again, gives Archie a title, and gets the charities back? He was so upset he got cut off the line of family finances it was sorry to see. So he had to market himself as living a "life of service" still so he can get paid millions and live in an £11m house, have the money to maintain the staff and the grounds which include a luxury chicken's house. In the name of spreading the goodwill (of whom?) It is tough to look at yourself in the mirror without the titles, the recognition and the money, most of which you did not earn outright. To own it takes introspection no doubt tough for anyone, and I can see how he must worry about his mental health.

All this 'tell their side of the story' 'have their voices heard' 'speak their truth' etc etc...

Why? If they've now left, they are now happy, why do they care?
It's such a sign of weakness to seek the validation of millions of strangers who don't know them.
If they know their truth, if their friends and what's left of any family support them and believe them, then get on with enjoying their life.
It shouldn't matter what the population who don't know you think.

It matters though if you want to live your life through a public persona, or if you are unhealthily obsessed with your image in the minds of others, or if you plan to make your living from selling your image.
None of these are the route to peace and happiness though. Any mental health expert would tell you that. It's hardly working well for the Kardashiabs. But Harry and Meghan seem driven to promote themselves and win.
It shows a real weakness of character and underlying instability.

@DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult

I don't blame them. They want to get their side across on their terms.

The relationship with the family seems entirely dependent on them doing as they are told.

Well...yes. Everyone knows that's the score. And in return you get a life of extreme privilege, enough money to buy a small country, free holidays, nannies galore, servants, cooks, private doctors, everything.

Do people actually think any Royals can have their cake and eat it too?

But to answer the OP's question:

• ratings for their Netflix show
• to build a brand with their US audience, the vast majority of whom don't have a clue about the RF and would've believed H&M if they said they were whipped and forced into orgies in a daily basis

So, why did Andrew's daughters get princess titles?

As Anne and Edward's children didn't? I thought I understood the explanation given, and then I remembered that Beatrice and Eugenie are princesses

@Number3BigCupOfTea

So, why did Andrew's daughters get princess titles?

As Anne and Edward's children didn't? I thought I understood the explanation given, and then I remembered that Beatrice and Eugenie are princesses

They are the grandkids of a ruling monarch. Anne and Edward declined them.

Archie is not the grandchild of a ruling monarch, which is why he’d be a prince on Charles’s ascension to the throne,

It’s based on the ruling monarch, or future monarchs lines Ie William will be king, so his kids are princes and princesses, as will George’s kids if he has any, but not Charlotte or Louis kids, until William is on the throne.

Andrew wanted titles for the girls. Z&P could have had titles but Anne refused. S&E accepted the style of children of Earl's kids for theirs, because they are unlikely to work as FT royals so they didn't want them to have the pressure. Grandchildren of the reigning monarch are entitled to HRH GGC are not LPs were issued for C&L because George as heir is entitled now, and W&K didn't want the siblings to have different titles.

@Number3BigCupOfTea Andrews girls got titles because he stamped his feet and demanded they did . Anne chose not to give her children titles.

$ DOLLARS BABY!

@Number3BigCupOfTea

So, why did Andrew's daughters get princess titles?

As Anne and Edward's children didn't? I thought I understood the explanation given, and then I remembered that Beatrice and Eugenie are princesses

I think that Edward's kids are Prince & Princess as he is the son of the Monarch, but the titles aren't used.

Anne isn't a son of the Monarch so her kids aren't Prince & Princess & she didn't want titles for them.

Ah right. So the anomaly is Prince Andrew really. The rules are clear but he demanded they were bent for his DDs

@CovidHalloween

$ DOLLARS BABY!

And they will be less critiqued for doing this for the money than they will be here in the UK. Not to say here they will be more scrutinised too, because it is not about showbiz.

@Number3BigCupOfTea

Ah right. So the anomaly is Prince Andrew really. The rules are clear but he demanded they were bent for his DDs

I dont think so, going by pp's Edward and Andrew's kids were entitled to them, but Edward refused.

Publicity for their brand in the US, plus some blackmail of the royals thrown in, just in case they find themselves short of $$ in the future.