Harry and Meghan aren't 'tearing the royal family apart'

Harry and Meghan at the Invictus Games earlier this year (Image: Us Weekly)

I couldn't help but roll my eyes the other weekend while flicking through The Sunday Times. Traditionally shying away from tabloid-style celebrity gossip, it dedicated more than half a page wondering what happened to Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. Usually, it is a story I would forget quickly after reading, but since then, and bolstered by a certain book, it had suddenly been difficult to ignore the fact she has been forced to the front and centre of the news agenda once more.

The past twelve months has been quite the rollercoaster for the actress-turned-royal-turned-possible-actress-again. The year started with the ripple effects of the hugely successful Netflix documentary series about the recent journey of her and her husband, Prince Harry, and then the publication of Harry's autobiography in January, bought by millions within days of release. Both of which ruffled the feathers of any royal media commentator who never have anything positive to say about the couple. The television show and book didn't change perspectives, but they certainly intrigued. Since then, it has been rather quiet, apart from whispering news surrounding the cancellation of a Spotify podcast series, some other projects not quite materialising, Harry's court dates with the Home Office over security, and public appearances here and there, including an apparent 'car chase' in New York. 

The couple can argue that a 'relatively quiet year' - after spending 2021 and 2022 letting off a lot of steam - is a step in the right direction, in their pursuit for privacy. They are getting closer to getting exactly what they said they wanted. They have a desire to shy away from the paparazzi, making sure that their life is reported on their terms and that their two children aren't in the middle of any frenzy. They have that luxury.

Of course, they cannot prevent gossip. Between the two of them, the spotlight and speculations have consistently been more towards Harry than Meghan. Reporters have been asking if he will ever reconcile with his father, King Charles, after not being around much during the coronation in May and six months later having a reportedly 'warm' phone call on the monarch's 75th birthday. It has also been wondered if he will ever reconcile with his brother, Prince William, despite the revelations shared in Spare? You see, it's easy to fall into this trap of pondering the answers to these questions, isn't it?

Anyway, the most important thing for any respected and respectful journalist is to approach these questions with an open mind and stick to the story in front of them, without coming up with quick and wild conclusions. Sadly, from when Harry and Meghan took the decision to resign from royal duties and move to California in 2020, to now and the future, we aren't likely to see much unbiased reporting on them.

The latest round of erratic reporting on the couple is thanks to a new book by Omid Scobie, 'Endgame'. It should be treated like any other text that offers a range of perspectives of current individual working members of the family. In it, you read stories such as the Princess of Wales is almost 'Stepford wives-like' and only smiles for the cameras, and that the Queen Consort isn't a fan of talking about veganism or gender identity. They're not earth-shattering revelations, but, for a neutral like myself, are quite interesting, in order to help me shape these figures as being more complex and fascinating. 

The only real 'controversy', if you want to call it that, surrounds the Dutch translation of the book name checking the two royal individuals who questioned the skin colour of Harry and Meghan's first child, Archie, prior to his birth, as Meghan shared without naming names to Oprah Winfrey in 2021. Scobie puts it down to a 'printing error' and he never wrote those two names. We neutrals will be wise to take his word for it.

But if you're someone like, say, Piers Morgan of Talk TV, you won't take any of his words for anything. How dare Scobie, according to Morgan et al, even write such a 'biased' book in the first place, which supposedly does everything to slander the royal family and praise the two cry-babies - I'm paraphrasing them, of course. Some believe Morgan is saying this to get on the side of the family, but I argue that he is doing them more of a disservice by keeping this book alive when it could have easily been shrugged off. Scobie doesn't need a publicist when he has Morgan and GB News doing all the public relations.

I can never understand the uproar of releases like what we've heard about 'Endgame'. I am also bewildered by the nature of how these books are interpreted by commentators and so-called experts. If you compare Scobie's latest offering with, say, 'Revenge' by Tom Bower, the contrasting reactions from - yes, I'm mentioning Morgan and GB News again - could not have been more stark. You could be excused for thinking that Scobie had committed treason and Bower the hero, even when actually the latter's book was given less-than-favourable reviews from The Times and Daily Telegraph. In fact, the best approach is to take all these books with a pinch of salt, keep an open mind and enjoy the read. Does it really matter who the sources of the revelations are? Heck, Scobie's sources may also be Bower's. Does it also matter if those royal family members profiled are interpreted differently to the status quo? Books like these are published all the time, they should be treated with equal level-headedness.

The amount of publicity 'Endgame' has been given recently is disproportionate, considering, say, the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine have much more relevant consequences to the daily lives of any Tom, Dick and Harry (no, not that one). I am sure neither the royal family in the UK, nor Harry and Meghan in the United States, will want to see much airtime dedicated to media personalities profiting from their squabbling or cold shoulders. I argue it is those commentators, not Harry and Meghan, that are truly tearing the family apart.

Enough. I want to challenge Piers Morgan, GB News and anyone else who can't help themselves but be irked by Harry and Meghan's very existence, to not utter a word about them for the entire of 2024, unless it is simply to report on a news story rather than perform almighty rants and dedicate hours of blowing every word they utter out of proportion. I appreciate how difficult this might be considering Harry has a big court case against The Sun (though, that may not be until January 2025). 

In terms of royal celebrations, there isn't anything major or out of the ordinary planned which would allow rumours to spread about certain appearances, though I am already proven wrong as fresh news reports surface about the couple not being invited to the Duke of Westminster's wedding. I just hope that next year will see the royals, and Harry and Meghan, do what they need to do in order to live their lives, without judgement and without drowning in the gaslighting spread by those who ought to know better. If there is rekindling, then fantastic. If not, then that is okay too.