
29 Apr Meghan and Harry’s Battle Against the Press is Official
Meghan and Harry's Battle Against the Press is Official
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, include not engaging with certain news outlets in their recent rebrand. The couple posted to their website the “new media relations policy” and their intentions toward the press moving forward, including not participating in the Royal Rota system anymore. This is the 40-year old practice of giving exclusive access to royals for a select group of traditional U.K. media outlets, including: The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror, The Evening Standard, The Telegraph, The Times, and The Sun. This move will exclude publications from photographs and access to the couple, as they settle into their new home in Los Angeles and moving forward.
The Sun’s, now defunct News of the World was sued by Prince Harry’s older brother Prince William in a phone hacking scandal. Now Prince Harry has charged The Sun and News of the World with using private information for sensationalistic headlines. Prince Harry is also suing another member of the Royal Rota, Daily Mirror, for unlawful reporting activities and he may need to take the stand for that case, which would be unprecedented for British courts.
Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan, is fighting her own case against Associated Newspapers Ltd., alleging breach of copyright and data protection, along with misuse of private information. A paper owned by the company, Mail on Sunday, published a letter from Meghan to her father, Thomas Markle. Not only have private letters between Meghan and her father come out in the press, but private text messages between the couple and Markle have leaked as well. The duchess’ legal team are attempting to prove that the newspaper attacked and intimidated her, “while harassing and manipulating Mr. Markle, contributing to a rift between” father and daughter. The duchess’ case has just begun in court, conducted via video call.
Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, died when he was only 12-years old, in a car crash while fleeing aggressive paparazzi photographers. His battle against the press runs deep and the couple may be motivated more than ever to protect their newborn son from media pressure. In addition to ditching the Royal Rota system, the couple will employ their own media team, working out of Los Angeles, to manage what and how they communicate with the public. On their website they state that they have chosen to, “Revise their media policy to reflect both their forthcoming change as members of the Royal Family with financial independence, and their wish to reshape and broaden access to their work.”
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