What The Tabloids Surrounding The Royal Exit Say About Today’s Media Bedlam

This month, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their decision to step away from the Royal Family. Social media has been flooded with headlines like “Harry, Meghan, and a right royal battle for control” and “Meghan Markle, spotted happy for the first time since MEGXIT.”

Of course, tabloids have attempted with all their might to produce articles that condemn them, scandalise them and demonise them. It is as if they have failed to acknowledge, or simply failed to care that the Royals’ decision to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family” is a result of “intense scrutiny over the last two years.”

Two weeks ago, on the 9th of January, a statement was released by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex explaining that:

“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.”

“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family, and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty, The Queen.”

This “will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”

This means that Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle will “no longer formally represent the Queen” but “will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty.” It has been reported that together, with their son Archie, they will move to Canada and attempt to maintain “geographic balance” so that they can “carve out a progressive new role” as a family.

The Queen also released a statement remarking “I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family.” She also acknowledged “the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.”

In a recent Instagram post, Prince Harry noted that after “so many months of talk, after so many years of challenges” their decision to leave “really was no other option.”

 

Tabloid Bedlam

Describing the media as “a powerful force” that was “so much bigger than” them illuminates the “intense scrutiny” The Queen references in her above statement. It is no secret that Meghan Markle has been subjected to horrific, racist coverage. Media headlines about Kate Middleton, Meghan’s white counterpart, starkly reveals the binary treatment the two have received.

In October, 2019, Prince Harry declared that they were “taking legal action” after “the contents of a private letter were published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner.” He continued to say that “unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences.” Reminding us that “there is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious.” Heartbreakingly, he commented “I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been…my deepest fear is history repeating itself.”

As a society, I feel like we should be ashamed of ourselves for allowing headlines like these to bait us into demonising a woman who hasn’t given us any reason to.

The Daily Mail also released this article when Harry and Meghan announced their relationship:

The images below compare Middleton and Markle’s binary treatment in the media:

 

So, why is Meghan condemned for the things Kate is praised for? Good old fashioned racism is the first thing that comes to mind. Looking at the tabloids, the poisonous headlines about Meghan centre on her first husband, her family, her background and, well, everything else, from eating avocados to  wanting air fresheners at her wedding (yes, air fresheners were the cause of her being labelled a “dictatorial bride”).

In fact, their decision to step away from the Royal Family has been dubbed “MEGXIT.” That’s right: “MEGXIT!” At the risk of divulging another thousand words on the absolute mockery and blatant sexism behind that term, I will leave it here for you to painfully swirl around your mouth like a bad wine.

Not nice, is it?

I do not wish to suggest that only Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle are victims of hateful tabloids, or that media snowstorms are merely trivial. I believe that this is a call for more respectful and responsible journalism. We seem to have created a culture that feeds on its subjects like a succubus, draining them of all their blood and all their life until their dehumanisation results in the waif thin figures that plaster our covers.

Workplace bullying, playground bullying, political bullying and family bullying are all acts we condemn. In fact, we have laws in place to try and stamp it out. Yet, as a society, we consume media that does all the things we know are wrong and illegal, purely for fabricated entertainment. It’s as if we forget that figures in the public eye have hearts that work diligently to pump blood through their veins and brains that control cortisol and serotonin levels.

Harry’s alarming reminder that his “deepest fear is history repeating itself” suggests that his own mother’s death could have been avoided, could have been prevented. It’s as if Harry is staring into a mirror, only thirty years later. The only way to remain true to oneself, and raise a flourishing family away from prying eyes whose only goal is to tear you down is to remove oneself from the system completely. And that is what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have done.

Next time, before I write an article, or read an article, I pledge to remain morally aware. I hope you do too.