Can you believe it’s been five whole years since that bombshell announcement that shook the monarchy to its core? Let me take you back to January 8th, 2020. There we all were, going about our normal lives when suddenly, Harry and Meghan dropped the massive news about stepping back from their royal duties. And one of their big reasons? Their supposed issues with the media. That same media they can’t seem to live without now.
Rebecca English, the royal editor at The Daily Mail, just called them out on something that’s been bothering me for years. These two claimed they wanted to be more open and put things on the record. But isn’t that just the biggest joke of the century? What have they actually done since leaving? Exactly what they claimed they were against—selective leaking, strategic briefings, and manipulating the media narrative through friendly outlets. It’s like watching a masterclass in hypocrisy, and guess who’s the teacher? Our favorite former cable TV actress turned self-proclaimed royal reformer.
Let’s break this down, shall we? Remember all those times they complained about the "evil media," all those speeches about privacy, and all those legal battles? Well, apparently, that only applies to media outlets that don’t sing their praises. Because when it comes to friendly media outlets, suddenly they’re all about sharing—or should I say, strategically leaking. And here's the kicker: they’re not even subtle about it anymore. Take this recent court case information that mysteriously found its way to a newspaper that just happens to be friendly to them. Coincidence? Please, I was born last night, but not last night!
What’s fascinating is the complete transformation of Prince Harry. Remember the old Harry? The one who used to be so straightforward and had a natural, easy relationship with the press? That Harry seems to have disappeared somewhere between Windsor and Montecito. Now, we have this new version who seems to read from a very carefully scripted playbook.
Let’s talk about their media strategy. It’s absolutely brilliant, in a completely hypocritical way. They claim they want privacy and control over their narrative, but what they really want is control over which media outlets get to profit from their stories. It’s not about privacy—it’s about power and profit. Think about it: every major move they’ve made since leaving the royal family has been carefully orchestrated through media channels. The Oprah interview? Strategic. The Netflix documentary? Strategic. The leaked court documents? Oh, you better believe that was strategic. They’re not avoiding the media—they’re just choosing which media gets to play ball.
Meanwhile, look at how William and Catherine handle the press. They’re transparent, professional, and consistent. They work with all media outlets fairly, understanding that it’s part of their role as working royals. They don’t play favorites, they don’t leak stories, and they certainly don’t wage war against the press while simultaneously using it for their own gain. The contrast couldn’t be more stark.
While William and Catherine are out there doing real work, making real change, and handling the media with grace and professionalism, what are Harry and Meghan doing? Orchestrating leaks, planning strategic media hits, and then having the audacity to complain about press intrusion.
What really makes me laugh is when they talk about wanting to tell their own story. "Their own story," they say. They’ve told it through Oprah, through Netflix, through Spotify (rest in peace to that deal), through Harry’s book, through friendly journalists, and through leaked court documents. How many times do they need to tell their story? And more importantly, why does the story keep changing?
Let’s talk about their supposed desire for privacy. They moved to Montecito for privacy, right? Yet somehow, we know more about their private lives now than we ever did when they were working royals. We know about their house, their chicken coop, their children’s milestones—all carefully released through their preferred media channels, of course.
And here's where it gets really interesting: their relationship with these friendly media outlets. It’s like they’ve created their own little press corps, hasn’t it? A select group of journalists and outlets who get the exclusive scoops, the strategic leaks, the inside sources, and the quotes—all while maintaining their stance that they’re victims of media intrusion. The mental gymnastics required to maintain this position must be exhausting.
But what’s really sad about all this is the damage it’s doing to Harry’s relationship with his family. Every leaked story, every strategic briefing, every friendly media piece, drives another wedge between him and his relatives. And for what? For control over a narrative that keeps shifting, depending on what sells best at the moment.
Let’s contrast this with how the working royals handle their media relations. King Charles, Queen Camilla, William, and Catherine all understand that dealing with the media is part of their role. They don’t complain about it, they don’t try to control it, and they don’t play favorites. They just get on with their jobs, maintaining their dignity and demonstrating what true royal behavior looks like.
Speaking of true royal behavior, have you noticed how William and Catherine have handled all this drama? Pure class. No strategic leaks, no friendly journalists getting inside scoops, no carefully orchestrated media campaigns—just dignity, professionalism, and a focus on their work and family.
The irony in all this is just delicious, isn’t it? Harry and Meghan left the royal family partly because they wanted more control over their media narrative. And what’s happened? They’ve become more dependent on media attention than ever before. They’ve just switched from being covered by all media to being covered by their chosen few. And somehow, they think this makes them more authentic and truthful.
What really shows the difference between the couples is how they announce things. When William and Catherine have something to announce, they do it through official channels, transparently and professionally. When Harry and Meghan have something to say, it mysteriously appears in friendly media outlets, often through sources close to the couple. See the difference?
And let’s talk about their supposed desire for accuracy in reporting. They claim they want the truth out there, right? But whose truth? The truth they told Oprah? The truth they told Netflix? The truth in Harry’s book? The truth leaked to journalists? These truths don’t always match up.
What’s really fascinating is watching how their media strategy has evolved over these five years. They’ve gone from claiming they want nothing to do with the media to becoming master manipulators of it. They’ve developed this sophisticated system of leaks, exclusives, and strategic placements that would make any Hollywood PR firm proud. Actually, it probably does make their Hollywood PR firm proud.
And here’s something else to consider: the impact this is having on journalism itself. They’re essentially creating a two-tier system, where some media outlets get access and others don’t. How is that promoting truth and transparency? How is that better than the system they claimed they were trying to escape?
The timing of these leaks and strategic media placements is always so interesting, isn’t it? Notice how there’s always something new when attention starts to wane. When people start focusing on William and Catherine’s work or when the king makes an important announcement, it’s like clockwork.
Let’s talk about their complaints about privacy invasion. They seem to have a very flexible definition of privacy, don’t they? Private moments are sacred and off-limits unless they’re being shared through their preferred media channels or Netflix documentaries. Then, suddenly, these private moments become part of their truth-telling mission.
What really gets me is how they’ve weaponized certain media outlets against their own family. They complain about the toxicity of the press, but they’re perfectly happy to use friendly media outlets to attack the institution they left—the same institution that gave them their platform in the first place.
And let’s not forget their social media strategy—or should I say, their lack of one. They closed down their royal social media accounts for privacy but now they’re happy to have their every move documented by friendly media outlets. Make it make sense.
The impact on royal reporting has been fascinating to watch. We’ve essentially got two camps now: those who are approved by Team Sussex and those who aren’t. And guess what? The ones who aren’t approved are the ones who tend to ask the difficult questions—the ones who don’t just accept every statement at face value.
Remember when Harry used to have such a great relationship with the press? When he could joke with reporters and understood it was part of the job? Now, he seems to view all media through a lens of suspicion and hostility—unless, of course, they’re on his approved list.
What happened to that Harry and Meghan? Well, let’s remember, she came from a world where media attention was currency. She understood how to play the game, and now we’re seeing that expertise in action, aren’t we? Every leak, every exclusive, every strategic placement—it’s all very Hollywood, very calculated, very unroyal.
The saddest part is watching Harry become exactly what he claimed he didn’t want to be: a player in the media game. But instead of playing it with the transparency and dignity of his royal role, he’s playing it Hollywood style—with all the strategic leaks and manufactured drama that entails.
You know what’s really telling? The way other royals react to all this. They just keep calm and carry on, focusing on their work, their duties, their responsibilities. They don’t engage in media games, they don’t play favorites with journalists, and they don’t leak strategic information. They just do their jobs.
And that’s really what it comes down to, isn’t it? The difference between doing the job and playing the game. William and Catherine do the job. They understand their role, they fulfill their duties, and they work with the media professionally and fairly. Harry and Meghan? They’re playing a game—a very sophisticated, very calculated media game.
But you know what? The public isn’t stupid. They can see through all this. They can see the hypocrisy of complaining about media intrusion while simultaneously feeding friendly media outlets. They can see the contradiction in claiming to want privacy while constantly keeping themselves in the headlines.
So here we are, five years after that bombshell announcement, and what’s changed? Harry and Meghan have gone from being working royals who complained about the media to non-working royals who manipulate the media. Is that progress? You tell me.
That’s what makes Rebecca English’s observations so spot-on. She’s calling out exactly what many of us have been seeing for years: the sheer hypocrisy of their media strategy. They haven’t escaped the media circus—they’ve just become its ringmasters.
What do I think? I think they’ve created exactly what they claimed they were trying to escape: a toxic relationship with the media. Only now, instead of being participants in the royal media system, they’re architects of their own media manipulation machine.
