Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, take more anti-aircraft defenses Friday morning for their interview with Oprah Winfrey, airing Sunday on CBS
The couple said the press was one of the driving forces behind their decision to move to the US, but the UK’s royal family has relied on the media for generations to bolster support.
British tabloids seem to have their knives for Meghan on the explosive interview, and with Buckingham Palace investigating allegations of bullying against the Duchess, CBS News reports Holly Williams’ that all-out war seems to be coming – Harry and Meghan on one side, the palace on the other.
Amid allegations that the Sussex sit-down is tone deaf, a “Good Morning Britain” presenter said the timing of their upcoming interview was described as “unfortunate”.
Screen personality Piers Morgan called it “unimaginably rude”.
“I don’t understand what they want or what they think they will win,” said another commenter.
With Harry’s grandfather Prince Philip in the hospital and a deadly pandemic rages, the couple reveals all about leaving royal life behind.
In a soundbite from the interview, Winfrey asks, “How do you feel about the palace hearing you speak your truth today?”
“I don’t know how they could expect that after all this time we would still be silent if there is an active role ‘The Firm’ is playing in perpetuating untruths about us,” Meghan said in the preview.
British comedian Gina Yashere, who lives in Los Angeles, told CBS News that the criticism from across the pond is yet another example of British racism – which she described as more subtle than the American variety.
“She wouldn’t be doing this interview with Oprah, they wouldn’t be in California were it not for the way they were reported, the way they were harassed and harassed while performing their royal duties,” Yashere said.
While there was joy in the country when Harry married his beautiful and charismatic bride, a recent poll found that only 32% of the British public found her positive.
An ambitious, confident and outspoken American has horrified the British establishment, journalist Ayesha Hazarika said.
“British culture is still incredibly socially conservative,” she said. “And the British tabloids and British polite society – they prefer to see but not hear women in the royal family.”
That’s a game the Duchess clearly doesn’t want to play.
Meghan’s supporters have pointed out that while the palace is investigating her behavior, it has never publicly announced an investigation into the allegations against Prince Andrew, a former friend of Jeffrey Epstein.