Prior to Oprah's Interview with Harry and Meghan, Royal Charges Are Fluttering
The big fight isn't until Sunday, but the pre-match battles have raged on both sides of the Atlantic for days.
When Prince Harry and his wife Meghan present the sensational side of their royal schism to Oprah Winfrey, it will undoubtedly become one of the most-awaited, and most-played television interviews in recent memory.
In tantalizing quotes herded out by CBS, which broadcast a two-hour prime-time program, and in the scathing accusations about Meghan leaked to a British newspaper, the British royal family and exiled couple maneuvered angrily before the interview aired. try to form the narrative.
Was Meghan the victim of a cold and inhospitable family that cruelly isolated her after she married Harry and is now defaming her? Or is she a Hollywood diva who abuses her staff, throws the House of Windsor into chaos and ignites a split between the family and one of the young princes she loves most?
All of this is played out against the backdrop of a sick family patriarch, Prince Philip; Revered but aging Queen Elizabeth II; and a family that emerges from a year of exile during the pandemic to find wounds fresh from Harry and Meghan's sudden wounds. departure for a new life in California.
The final shot in this public relations battle was fired on Thursday, when CBS released a 30-second teaser clip file from the interview, in which Ms Winfrey asked Meghan how she believed Buckingham Palace would react to her openness about her life afterward. fairy tale wedding to Harry in May 2018.
"I don't know how they can hope that after all this time, we will remain silent if there is an active role that 'the company' plays in perpetuating the lies about us," said Meghan, referring to the monarchy. a family with nicknames often used to evoke the less high-minded qualities of a monarchy.
"If that comes with the risk of losing things," he told Ms. Winfrey, "I mean, a lot is missing."
The clip appears to be calculated in response to an explosion report in The Times of London on Tuesday that Meghan's former royal assistant filed a complaint with the palace in October 2018, accusing her of bullying her staff, making some junior aides cry, and driving. two personal assistants from the royal household.
A spokesman for the couple called the allegations an "assault" on the character of the former American actress - all the more painful because she "has been the target of bullying."
Buckingham Palace, however, said it was "deeply concerned" about the allegations, it would investigate them and invite the couple's former staff members to take part in the investigation "to see if lessons can be learned."
The spectacle of the royal family carrying out the human resources investigation of one of her most famous in-laws leaves long-time observers of the monarchy gawking. They predicted it would lead to even more embarrassing revelations, since the palace did not follow up on the complaint at the time, and other people working in the palace might take it as an invitation to file their own accusations of mistreatment.
"They've opened a wonderful tin of worms," said Peter Hunt, former royal correspondent for the BBC. “Are they really going to find him guilty of bullying? Will it be in the form of a #MeToo investigation? It feels like the anarchists have taken over the institution. "
To some extent, the indictments and indictments represent a clash of cultures: ancient press leaks from the British media - long used by members of the royal family or their allies to solve problems - versus the American television network's publicity machine and one of the country's most powerful media figures.
CBS Company and Ms. Winfrey, Harpo Productions, has sparked expectations for the interview, which will be broadcast in England on Monday by the ITV network, with peep quotes showing him sitting with Harry and Meghan in a relaxed outdoor setting, but offering only a glimpse of what they are. talking about.
Are you silent or are you silenced? Ms Winfrey asked at one point, as Meghan looked at her but said nothing. "You've said some pretty surprising things here," he told others, as the dramatic music unfolded.
Harry, who will join Meghan for the second half of the interview, appears briefly in a quote to say, "My biggest concern is history repeating itself." It refers to the fate of her mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 after a high-speed chase involving a photographer.
The experience left Harry with a strong hostility to the British press. She and Meghan have filed privacy lawsuits against tabloids, and a recent interview with late-night talk-show host James Corden, Harry cited relentless press disruption as the main reason for the couple's decision to move to Montecito, California.
Ms Winfrey, however, promises more than just reading the couple's intimate press complaints. He promises shit.
"I just want to make it clear to everyone that no subject is off limits," he said. Her friend, Gayle King, host of "CBS This Morning," said this week, "I've heard from a reliable source, this is Oprah's talk, that this is the best interview she's ever had."
George F. Schweitzer, former head of CBS Marketing, said he hopes the network will spend a little time promoting the interview, given the combination of the "three magic words:" Oprah. Harry. Meghan. ‘”
Interview time, following CBS News' flagship program "60 Minutes," will boost its ratings, he said, as will the theme, which will attract viewers who yearn for escape after a year of living with the coronavirus.
With such a sensation, Buckingham Palace braced itself for a difficult night. The royal family has a long history of wart-and-all interviews that resonate for years afterward.
In 1994, Prince Charles confessed to betraying Diana. A year later, Diana told the interviewer, "the three of us in this marriage." In 2019, Prince Andrew's mild defense of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, convicted sexual predator, helped isolate Andrew from public life.
This time, however, Meghan's reputation in England had taken a dip before she even said a word. Prospect of interview with Ms. Winfrey, who can reinforce the narrative about her suffering at the hands of the royal family, prompted former members of her staff to speak to The Times of London about their treatment of working for the couple, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.
In October 2018, their communications secretary, Jason Knauf, alerted Prince William's private secretary, Harry's brother, about an incident in which he said the royals had manipulated and humiliated staff members, The Times of London said. The personal secretary, Simon Case, is now cabinet secretary, one of the most powerful posts in the British government.
Staff members were also disappointed, the newspaper said, when Meghan wore a pair of earrings for a formal dinner in Fiji given to her as a wedding gift by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, three weeks after the murder. Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. An American intelligence report released this month concluded that the prince had approved of the assassination.
A spokesman for the couple said Meghan was "very committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma." He did not answer questions about the earrings.
In its statement on claims of bullying, Buckingham Palace said, "The Royal Family has implemented a Dignity at Work policy for several years and does not, and will not, tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace."
For Buckingham Palace to be dragged into a dispute like this is awkward. That casts doubts that the queen or Prince Charles was behind an attempt to discredit Meghan. They are more likely to be preoccupied with Prince Philip, 99, who is recovering from a heart procedure at a London hospital.
But relations between William and Harry continue to be strained, according to those with royal ties. Long-time observers of the royal family say that when a dispute like this erupts, it usually indicates that someone - whether a senior palace official or a family member - is doing nothing to stop it.
