Monday - will you watch....and why?

I used to like Harry & Meghan - after last night they come across as a pair of whining children. No loss to the royal family.

If you go to your employer because your mental health is suffering, do you expect them to find, fund and facilitate treatment? 'The Firm' couldn't comply, not wouldn't because it's focus and function is the consistent 'running' of the Crown as a public institution. It's role isn't to conform to the individual needs of the RF as people, but as public figures. I cannot and do not believe for one minute that they would have or could have prevented H or M accessing private support that didn't include an in patient stay that would have adversely affected both the couple and the institution of the RF. How would Meghan have benefitted from "going somewhere" if that very action would have brought the press baying?

Equally, if you choose to leave you employer would you expect the benefits you gained from your position to follow you to your next job?

It looked to me that Meghan couldn't and cannot get her head around the fact that marrying a Prince gives you no power but a ton of obligations within an institution that doesn't know how to bend even if it could.

What they hoped to achieve from that interview is beyond me. I don't feel that I can argue with their reasons for leaving, but I am disturbed by their possible reasons for dishing the dirt. It was a calculated 'lashing out' with no other function than to inflict damage. What I watched was two young people who expected the world to bend to them and who kick back when it doesn't. Naive, undignified, spiteful, pointless and of zero benefit to their mental health unless playing tit for tat is now somehow a therapy.

Diana refused royal protection. So many forget how she played the press, when she was having the relationship with
Hasnat Khan she was photographed attending an operation,
full make up, face mask and diamond earrings, how did the press get in there ?

She has become a saint.

I may be wrong but didn't Diana decline royal protection in the end ?I seem to remember at the time of her death the opinion that if she had accepted it and not been covered by the Fayeds security she most probably would still be alive.

I do have some sympathy for them and hope they do manage to live the life they want. Agree it would have been a good solution if they could have lived in the commonwealth as minor royals. The firm did them an injustice there.
But think unrealistic of them to think the Uk taxpayer should pay for their security when they made the decision to live abroad. Also think Archie can only be made a Prince on death of the Queen not before. Nothing to do with race. Also I am sure Meghan had the money and time to consult a counsellor privately over her mental health issues. Think Oprah gave them an easy time because she is a friend.

Well I think some of you watched something different to me. I thought she was very clear not to blame the family - instead aiming her criticism at the institution (same as Diana). The only family criticism I saw came from Harry towards Charles & a little bit towards William. I think most of us in here must remember Charles’ response to Diana’s eating disorder. He doesn’t appear to be a man that really manages to cope with mental illness in others. Not unusual in a man his age but his lack of understanding of how much Harry was going to protect her may have caused some problems.

She was honest about how desperate she was & how that was met with no help (complete echoes of Diana - no wonder Harry felt his choices were limited). Add the security issues - the same thing happened to Diana. After her divorce she was not afforded the same security - and that was always said to be part of how she ended up in a tunnel with a drunk driver. I can see why Harry would feel history was repeating itself. I saw a comment on Twitter last night that Harry was the husband Diana needed and thought that really hit the nail on the head.

Interesting that they were refused the option of becoming minor royalty based in the commonwealth. Think the palace may have misjudged that one in the long run.

And it rather looked as if meeting her led Harry to recognise his own privilege. Not sure why that’s a bad thing. My son being born disabled opened my eyes to a world & prejudices I had no idea existed and in the early years it did feel important that our family understood the reality. Not all did & not all wanted to. At the time the lack of interest was hurtful - now I don’t care but the relationship with those people certainly suffered.

Some of you must be furious she didn’t get paid for the interview.

Glad they eventually managed to get out. Rather sad they couldn’t have become minor royals based in the commonwealth - think that would have been a major asset to the RF but wish them well.

It was quite bizarre. Meghan made it sound like she was locked in the tower or something with no passport etc. I was actually wondering how she managed to get to Canada and the US seeing as how they kept it from her. Perhaps she travelled illegally.

When Harry acknowledged that Meghan was feeling suicidal and he made no attempt to seek professional help for her Oprah barely reacted. They weren’t locked up in the Tower of London with no access to the outside world. They were living in Frogmore cottage and could have phoned directly to the best care available. She could have received private counselling without even leaving the house. To say she was denied help because “the firm” blocked it just sounds like utter bull.

If I remember correctly Harry also said he felt ashamed that Meghan said she needed help, which I thought was very strange.

Funny isn't it. Some who appear to thoroughly dislike M and H just couldn't resist watching - and then moaning about the time they had wasted doing so.

I am not particularly interested in the machinations of the royal family and never bothered to watch Diana and Charles's or Harry and Meghan's wedding. I think such events are a hugely expensive embarrassment, particularly when they are frequently followed by affairs and divorces. Not quite the fairytale scenario that the general public seems to fall for every time. This interview certainly seems to have shone a light on the absurdity of this artificially induced devotion to a group of people who demonstrate no particular intellectual or moral qualities but who continue to be richly rewarded by the British public.

I tend to believe Meghan's report on what happened during her brief time with the family. The nickname "The Firm" appears to be wholly appropriate. Meghan should have thought more carefully about whether being part of an institution that is the very personification of inequality and unearned privilege would really be a comfortable place to live in but I think she and Harry were right to expose the insidious racism that they experienced.

If they were concerned with the lack of security why didn’t they put their hands in their very deep pockets and pay for it themselves ? Or perhaps no one would want to work for them?

I find it hard to believe that it wasn’t rehearsed and the list of questions hadn’t been discussed and approved in advance.

Oprah gave them a very easy ride. When Harry acknowledged that Meghan was feeling suicidal and he made no attempt to seek professional help for her Oprah barely reacted. They weren’t locked up in the Tower of London with no access to the outside world. They were living in Frogmore cottage and could have phoned directly to the best care available. She could have received private counselling without even leaving the house. To say she was denied help because “the firm” blocked it just sounds like utter bull.

I recall reading that when harry first met meghan and told his brother, william advised him not to rush into anything and harry took offense. I think that that was when the skin colour of any children was raised NOT when meghan was pregnant with archie as we are lead to believe........doesn't make it right maybe but they weren't married at that point

I wonder what their objective was in trashing the firm to a massive audience? Seems pointless or is it about trying to
punish or destroy the RF do you think? Or trying to gain sympathy but to what end? Or just for publicity? Seems to me the couple have shot themself in the foot.

Meghan seemed to be confused as to who gets the title Prince.
Apparently protocol states that Archie will only become a Prince when Charles becomes King; but Megan (and Harry one presumes) wanted him to have that title from birth. She was really bothered about it and seemed to take it personally and gave the impression that she thought Archie had been singled out and the title was purposely being withheld. She said she was upset because if Archie wasn't a Prince, it meant he wouldn't have security provided for him. In contrast Princess Anne (and I think Prince Edward) whose children can be Princesses/Princes have declined the title for their children, despite the security advantage.

Gosh it went on a bit
However, come on, no one should be complict in racism
For someone in 'the family 'to ask what colour their child's skin would be is appalling
How sad that a woman asking for help with mental health struggles was denied it
An unnamed member of the royal family, casually pondering about the colour of the skin of their unborn child
Not one person, whoever they are, should put up with this kind of shizz

Anniebach yes, I heard that and thought 'untrue!'

I immediately thought of another thread called Daughter's Astonishing Comment that relates to misremembered childhoods.

MayBee70

From what I’ve heard so far it seems to be more of a problem with the gutter press not the royal family. And, from memory, they don’t comment on untrue stories in them. And other royals don’t have titles etc.

Other Royals have had to put up with dreadful stories in the press for years.
It's very wrong but Meghan was just the latest in a long line. They both seemed to think the Palace can control the press, very naive of them.
The others have just had to learn to ignore it all and get on with the job.

What a damn lie, I stopped watching them, put on BBC news,
a reporter quoted Harry, when he was a child he didn’t go out into the countryside on a bike etc, I saw those two boys, playing in fields, fishing, even abseiling a bridge and often ,

Well, that was an hour and a half of my life I won't get back

Harry gave a salutary lesson in how not to build bridges with your family in case anyone needed to know.

It was all me me me, as to be expected. Nothing was their fault of course.I think the uk is most definitely better off without them.

I gave in and watched. Ugh! Feel rather grubby now.

Why are we surprised he wanted to educate his very sheltered, privileged white family about race?

If I told my husband that I wanted to take my own life he would move heaven and earth to get help.

So glad I didn’t bother

Two hours of my life I won’t get back.
That arrogant, entitled twit did say he would try to educate his father and his brother. Unbelievable.