Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should have had the “common courtesy” to tell the queen about their next “nuclear” TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, said a royal expert.
The couple did not inform His Majesty in advance that they planned to participate in the 90-minute special, where they will discuss why they stepped down as royalty last year.
Appearing at Lorraine today, royal editor Russel Myers said that while the couple has no obligation to tell the Firm about their plans, it would have been the right thing to do.
“If you’re going to detonate a nuclear bomb like this, giving a big interview that will undoubtedly get the attention of global networks, the decent thing to do would be to tell the Queen, tell your grandmother what you’re going to do,” he said.
He predicted that the royal family would be “horrified” by his plans to attract global media attention and called the choice of a “funny change of tact” for a couple who “complained about privacy and intense media scrutiny”.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not tell His Majesty about their revealing interview. In the photo, Meghan, Harry and the Queen at an awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 26, 2018
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will likely discuss why they dramatically stepped down as senior royalty during the 90-minute special. In the photo, Oprah Winfrey is photographed at the wedding of Harry and Meghan at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018
“We know that they went it alone and set this path for themselves, the fact is that they are separated from the royal family now,” said Myers.
“The palace aides said, look, you didn’t have to tell us if you didn’t want to, but someone would think it’s a common courtesy.”
Sources close to the Sussex told the London Evening Standard yesterday that the couple still had a good relationship with the queen, the duke’s grandmother.
Appearing in Lorraine today, royal editor Russel Myers (pictured) stated that the ‘decent thing to do’ would have been to inform His Majesty about his interview plans
He told host Ranvir Singh that the choice was a ‘funny change of tact’ for a couple who ‘complained about privacy and intense media scrutiny’
Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey, photographed together on CBS in April 2019, are best friends. Gayle told CBS This Morning yesterday: ‘I was told that nothing is off limits. She can ask whatever she wants’
A real source said that since the couple no longer works as royalty, any decisions made regarding ‘media engagements are matters for them’.
The source added that Sussex “have no obligation” to inform Casa Real of the interview, which was announced by CBS in a press release.
Oprah’s best friend, Gayle King, told the host that she has complete freedom over the topics she discusses with the couple – that Myers predicts they will have “disastrous consequences” for the firm.
‘The story is there to be seen,’ said Myers, ‘Whenever royalty does these grand interviews, they have disastrous consequences. See Prince Andrew recently, further back in the 90s with Diana and Charles, we are still talking about them now. ‘
A photograph of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was released on Sunday, when a spokesman for the couple announced: ‘We can confirm that Archie will be an older brother’
He added: ‘It was reported this week that they met Oprah only once before the wedding, so the fact that she is a trusted friend, I think, is doubtful.’
CBS described the interview as an ‘intimate conversation’, including ‘an extensive interview’ with Meghan, about ‘everything from entering life as a real, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is dealing with life under intense public pressure’.
Myers predicted that the news of the ‘explosive’ interview would have been ‘horrible’ for the royal family, adding that the conversation is a ‘funny change of tact’ for a couple who emphasized their desire for privacy.
He said: ‘It is absolutely horrible news, I would say, for the royal family. The fact that Gail King is training Oprah’s big interview so strongly, saying that they really wanted to get it, and it will be absolutely explosive indeed.
“The very fact that Oprah was given carte blanche to ask anything will already make the royal family very, very nervous.”
Myers added: ‘It’s a funny change of tact when you complain about privacy and intense media scrutiny, to sign up as the queen of the world’s chat show, to be broadcast to millions and millions of people.’
It was recently revealed by The Daily Mail that Harry and Meghan are destined to lose all of their remaining royal sponsorships after the Queen asked the couple to abandon their ties to any organizations passed by the Royal Family.
Harry, 36, would lose his three remaining honorary military titles and, potentially, his sponsorships with the Rugby Football Union, Rugby Football League and the London Marathon.
Meghan, 38, would have to step down as the patron of the National Theater, unless she could negotiate another position with them.
When she received the position in 2019, it was seen as a great gesture of support and affection because the Queen was a patron of the London institution for 45 years.
Speaking about the decision, Myers said: ‘I think it was always coming, and reading between the lines, the Queen said “You can’t have one foot in and one foot out”.
‘Harry will be stripped of his military titles, the honorary titles he loves so much, and with Meghan she has been named Patron of the National Theater, which the Queen has held for over 45 years.
‘There will be many people within these associations who will be sad to see you go, because they really depend on this association with royalty.’