We know why Prince Harry hates the media. He blames it for the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. The truth behind her sudden passing had to do with her getting into a car with a drunk driver and not putting on her seatbelt, but whatever floats his boat
Prince William has the same disdain for the media as Harry. However, there is a difference between the brothers’ approach. One chooses to let them in a fraction but keep a distance. The other sues the press for things he feels, and not based on concrete evidence.
This post reflects a few thoughts we had while reading a piece by Victoria Chessum for the Daily Express. The journalist’s article documents her first experience in 2015 reporting on the royals. She was at an event where the press was not told who the VIP guest would be until the person arrived at the event. People were understandably excited when Prince Harry walked through the door, dressed in military regalia.
Victoria recalls seeing a “fleeting look” as the prince walked past the press pen. She noted that the media were allowed but were not permitted near Harry. This continued for the entire engagement. Now, this was in 2015, a year prior to Meghan stampeding into the royal fold.
The reporter also recounts how she felt that Harry left in a rush. That leads to our first question: why? It had to do with the media being present. Here’s the thing. If the press had not been present, the public would not have known about it. At least Prince William understands this.
Also, Harry doesn’t appear to understand, even in the 1980s and 90s, that his mother courted the media. This is not speculation; it is a commonly known fact. Since Diana’s death and the hounding of Catherine in the early 2000s, the media knows that invading the privacy of any public figure, whether it be celebrities, politicians, or royals, is not on.
Now that Prince Harry is free of the royal family restraints, he is free to sue every newspaper in Britain, which he has basically done. He claims the following:
- His phone was hacked
- He is suing because Chelsy Davy broke up with him
- Meghan is his reason for doing it
- That he wants to save journalism – or was this Omid Scobie?
Prince Harry, in his delusional state, claims that his family has “an agreement” with the media not to sue over phone hacking, amongst other things. However, as the Guardian points out in an April 2023 article, it is hard to prove that there was an agreement.
Okay. Here’s the thing, again. Harry would not be famous without the media, journalists, or even social media. How would he get his message of hate out to the masses? Oh, right. No one would know who he is because there is no way of people knowing who he was, unless it is via word of mouth. Journalism has existed for centuries. Harry is just one man who thinks, as a prince, he has the power to “slay the dragon.”
Who does he think he is? Daenerys Targaryen? We’ve already (or someone else did) compared him to her ancestor, Daemon Targaryen. Anyway, it is understandable that he hates the media for the horrors that his mother endured during her life, and that traumatised him as he (and William) saw a lot of it as they were there. However, he, like his wife and Diana, court the press.
If Harry hates the media, why does he smile and wave to them? Why doesn’t he ignore or scowl at them? He is probably under Meghan’s orders to do the total opposite. Why? Because she does it. She claims not to like her title or whatever, yet she uses her title on 96% of things. Hey, that would be a great post. Anyhow, we’ve all heard Meghan’s complaints about the “media intrusion” yet she loves it as seen in this Daily Express article.
To conclude this post, we must ask: Does Prince Harry hate the media as much as he says? Probably not. He wouldn’t engage with it if he truly hated it. However, we know he wants the press to reform to what he wants it to be, only positive comments to make it look like they’ve done an excellent job when they haven’t done anything of value.
Look at Meghan’s recent hospital visit. She wants to be seen like Catherine, as the Princess of Wales’ forté is children. Diana was also well known for her hospital visits to see sick children. Unlike with Catherine and Diana, the children at the hospital looked like prisoners when Meghan was there. There was one little boy who looked like he did not want to be there. Also, the children would’ve had no idea who she was.
It would not have been surprising if the staff had said, “Oh, it’s a real-life princess coming to visit.” Those would have been Meghan’s words as she has said that little girls see her as a “real-life princess” when it is seriously doubtful that they do. When children look at princesses, they see Cinderella, Tiana, Anna and Elsa, and even Snow White. They do no see Meghan Markle who is a no body and is insanely unpopular.
Going back to Harry, he needs the media to be visible. Without it, he would be screaming into a non-existent void. Word of mouth isn’t worth a lot, so social media has become an avenue to get the word out about every topic.
The media does not need to create a “fantasy narrative” for Harry “to slay” like its some mythical beast terrorising a middle-ages-esque village. The stories come from a trusted source and the media reports on it. Look at the bullying revelations. Valentine Low had palace aides turn to him and tell their side of the story of Meghan bullying them. It explains the stories of people quitting left and right. You don’t see this level of turnover with the Waleses. One or two people leave for new jobs. It happens. The Sussex turnover appears to be the same at Archewell.
