Everything I read via the papers paints him as petulant, stupid, inappropriate, backstabbing, emotional. Then I remember he has a legal dispute against most of these papers.
When I listen to the interviews, or his Netflix doc, he is much more articulate, intelligent and nuanced. His big issues are the press and the way individual members of his family compete to look good by selling dirty stories about other members, particularly his brother and father. It’s a practice that seems to go back to his warring parents. On a personal level he finds it toxic. These newspapers treat many other people, slebs and ordinary folk, the same way. It’s abusive, racist, sexist and weakens our democracy. (Look what they do to mumsnet posts, for a start) For political reasons the RF should not be playing this game with the press.
The racism angle links in with the commonwealth. The commonwealth is a cornerstone of the RF and we all see countries gradually veering away from accepting the queen/king as head of state. The RF has to deal with this. What commonwealth country with a majority black population wants a white racist head of state? This is where H&M thought they could make a difference and this is where they now hold the power to make some change.
Many contradictions and nuances, of course! Harry’s bitterness, their need to earn huge sums of money, his childhood trauma and the fact that the press got to the book first so are picking out all the sections that make H&M look bad. H&M also come across as uncompromising which is an advantage… they won’t give up, but they also might be difficult, not take the professional advice that might iron out some of the mixed messages or emotional baggage, or even fall out with their ghostwriter as seems might have been the case!