First things first: I am no royalist. I am not someone who is in the habit of defending any of the royals. In fact, I don’t really care about them at all. But, despite that, I do find myself repeatedly jumping to the defence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
But their most recent actions have left me in two minds. Last night, the couple issued a statement addressed to the editors of The Sun, Daily Express, Daily Mirror and Daily Mail promising “no corroboration and zero engagement” with their publications, including their Sunday editions and websites
The statement emphasised “this is not in any way a blanket policy for all media,” but the couple will no longer “offer themselves up as currency for an economy of click bait and distortion.”
“Surely the Sussexes could have envisioned their timing would elicit accusations of tone deafness, and navel-gazing?”
I hope their actions will set a precedent for others who are hounded by the tabloids in the UK and I think they are justified in issuing such a statement.
But why now? In a time of global crisis, when the world’s focus is on preservation of life, the statement seems poorly timed and poorly executed.
Andrew Neil tweeted in response: “As the world grapples with Covid-19, do they really think people care what media they deal with? Their solipsism is amazing.”
Meanwhile, Piers Morgan wrote: “Imagine thinking anyone cares about their hurt little me-me-me egos as health workers around the world are dying at work? What a pair of repulsive, deluded narcissistic tools.”
While I don’t agree with either outburst – and, let’s face it, people like Neil and Morgan are never going to be happy with anything Meghan Markle does – surely the Sussexes could have envisioned their timing would elicit accusations of tone deafness, and navel-gazing?
It must be noted that Meghan’s virtual hearing with the Mail on Sunday over its decision to print a letter she sent to her estranged father is taking place on Friday. So perhaps that spurred the announcement.
But even if they felt it important to speak out now, surely a shorter, more concise statement would have been more effective and better received? Perhaps even freezing out the tabloids without dignifying them with a response would have been more fitting still.
Since this Spring, the Sussexes’ communications strategy has been led by Sunshine Sachs, a US PR company whose clients have included Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Natalie Portman.
But it’s misguided to treat the Sussexes like celebrities. Whether in the limelight or not, the public’s perception of the couple won’t have changed already – to most people, they’re still Prince Harry and his wife. And without Harry’s title to rely on, they will need to lean on their standing in the public eye to earn their livelihoods moving forward.
While such a statement issued by someone like Affleck or DiCaprio on their Instagram stories may cause the public to roll their eyes and then move on with their day, the Sussexes still carry a certain weight of expectation with them.
Less than 12 hours after their announcement, Prince Philip issued a public statement of his own – a rare occurrence – in which he thanks key workers fighting coronavirus and scientists working to find a vaccine. This feels like a well-timed PR move on behalf of Buckingham Palace – this is the sort of thing people want to be hearing from the Royals.
It’s a shame that Harry and Meghan chose this moment to shun the tabloid press. It could have been a landmark move against the culture of harassment perpetuated by certain branches of the UK media. Hopefully, it’s not too late for their actions will mark a turning point for the “economy of click bait and distortion.” But I fear this latest statement may have done more harm than good.
Emily Garbutt is a freelance writer.