Prince Harry is ‘leading a rebellion’ that goes against the values of the Royal Family, an expert claims
Prince Harry has been accused of “leading a rebellion” against the values at the “heart of the Royal Family” following his recent behaviour, a royal author claims.
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Prince Harry has been accused of going against the values at the heart of the Royal Family and “leading a rebellion” following his recent behaviour, a royal author has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who now live in California after stepping away from royal duties, have only been causing further tensions between them and members of the Royal Family by their subsequent media interviews.
Now, royal expert and historian Gareth Russell, whose upcoming book, ‘Do Let’s Have Another Drink’, delves into the life of the Queen Mother through new revelations and colourful anecdotes.
“In many ways, Harry is leading a kind of rebellion against the values of the Queen Mother that still exist at the heart of the Royal Family,” Mr Russell said, while speaking on last week’s episode of the To Do For Daily podcast.
“It was the Queen Mother who coined that very famous phrase: ‘Never explain, never complain.’
“She did not give interviews. She really resented giving interviews.”
In April, Prince Harry spoke to NBC’s Hoda Kotb during the Invictus Games, telling her that his earlier visit to the UK was to ensure the Queen “was protected”.
But Mr Russell said that the Queen Mother, who died in 2002, would have “never have understood a member of the Royal Family wanting to live abroad.”
“That is just not something that would have sat with her. That’s not to say that she was right and Harry’s wrong, or vice versa,” he said.
“I can’t usually speculate, but with Elizabeth’s views on things like that, there is no doubt that she would not have thought that is the right thing to do.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s attendance at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations marked the first time they had returned to the UK with their children.
However, soon after Harry returned to the States, a royal expert claimed that he looked “homesick”.
Author of ‘Prince Harry: The Inside Story’, Duncan Larcombe, told Closer this week that the Duke’s “self-imposed exile” may be getting him down.
“He seems homesick to me. Harry’s suddenly playing polo again and drinking with his new friends – all things he used to enjoy doing in the UK,” he said.
“Meghan is cheering him on on the sidelines, helping create this perfect LA life for him to justify what he’s given up in the UK. But something doesn’t seem to sit right. Harry looks unhappy.
“He is living out there in self-imposed exile and Harry is a very sociable person.
“In his formative years he had lots of friends – including his estranged brother William – and was always spending time with them.
“He must sometimes wonder if everything he has given up has been worth it.”
WHY MEGHAN INTERVIEW WILL HAVE SPOTIFY ‘TEARING THEIR HAIR OUT’
Meghan Markle’s conversation with Gloria Steinem in Vogue slamming the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down abortion rights may leave streaming service Spotify “pulling their hair out”, according to media experts.
The interview saw Meghan speak strongly alongside feminist icon Steinem in opposing the shock overturning of Roe v Wade which protected a woman’s right to have an abortion in the US.
“This is about women’s physical safety,” Meghan said in the interview which was published by Vogue yesterday.
“It’s also about economic justice, individual autonomy, and who we are as a society. Nobody should be forced to make a decision they do not want to make, or is unsafe, or puts their own life in jeopardy.”
Meghan’s decision to speak about the overturning of Roe v Wade and the decision’s impact on women in Vogue as opposed to via her own yet unreleased podcast had social media users scratching their heads.
Royal author and broadcaster Kinsey Schofield took to Twitter to ask why Meghan – who promised to use her streaming deals to highlight women’s issues – didn’t use her multimillion-dollar deal with Spotify to speak about the issue.
“The entire world has been waiting for this woman to drop a podcast that promises to ‘dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back’ and she took THIS conversation to Vogue? If I were Spotify or Netflix, I would be pulling my hair out.”
“I’m glad she said something. I mean we were waiting, but why using Gloria’s and Vogue’s platform? Archewell’s is enough? Or spotlighting grassroots organisations or journalists?” another said.
Some defended Meghan, however.
“Why would Meghan address abortion rights on a podcast that specifically aims to subvert stereotypes against women? Does she think abortion rights are stereotypes? The elevator doesn’t go all the way up for that woman!” said one.
The comments follow Prince Harry and Meghan’s signing of a multimillion-dollar content production deal with Spotify in 2020.
The couple released their first content through the audio production arm of their Archewell organisation known as Archewell Audio in December 2020 in the form of a Christmas podcast with guests including Elton John and movie mogul Tyler Perry. They have not released any content on the platform since.
Spotify and Archewell Audio announced in March that Meghan would release her own solo podcast titled Archetypes to be released in the coming months, though no official date has been given.
Last week, Spotify Podcasts released an overview of upcoming content to Twitter, which notably did not include Archetypes. In response to a fan asking when to expect the podcast’s release, the official Spotify Podcasts Twitter account responded by saying, “Good things come to those who wait.”
In the two years since they signed their deal with Spotify, Prince Harry and Meghan have released only 36 minutes worth of content. A deal $150 million-dollar deal with Netflix signed around the same time has also kept fans in anticipation of content. Despite filming taking place during the 2022 Invictus Games in April, the couple has yet to release any content through Netflix.
POLITICAL AMBITIONS
In the Vogue conversation, Meghan, who said she and Prince Harry had a “guttural” reaction to the shocking decision, has suggested she might head to Washington DC to rally support for the Equal Rights Ammendment.
Markle — who reportedly has expressed political ambitions — talked with Steinem about the Supreme Court’s decision and the future of the ERA.
Steinem talked about the need to get Americans to the polls to elect pro-choice candidates, saying “we can make clear that reproductive freedom is a fundamental right like freedom of speech.”
“It’s a much larger conversation about why for years, for decades, we’re fighting to get a constitutional amendment put through [the Equal Rights Amendment] that makes it clear that women can be treated equally, and how it is completely nonsensical that that’s even something we’re still fighting for,” the Duchess of Sussex responded.
“And Gloria, you know, we’ve talked about how to continue to push that through. I think now is probably the time more than ever before,” she continued.
Steinem then claimed that the US is the only democracy in the world in which women aren’t reflected in the constitution, remarking that billboards should be erected outside airports to greet visitors: “‘Welcome to the only democracy in the world that doesn’t include women.’ Maybe that would embarrass people into action.”
“The ERA has been ratified by the requisite number of states and we should put the pressure on the White House and Congress to enact it,” Steinem said.
Markle, 40, responded: “Well, Gloria, maybe it seems as though you and I will be taking a trip to DC together soon.”
In fact, the ERA was ratified by 35 of the required 38 states before the initial March 1979 deadline. Three more states (Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia) have voted to ratify the amendment in recent years, but most experts believe those votes to be symbolic.
The royal’s political ambitions have been a point of speculation in the US and in the United Kingdom.
Meghan’s friend and biographer, Omid Scobie, is on record saying that the former actress has her “eyes set on the US presidency.”
“Meghan is the embodiment of the American dream. One day we may see Meghan become president,” Scobie, the author of Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, said in a documentary.
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