Meghan’s own goal damages her and Harry’s credibility

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s attempts to identify as victims have been undone by Meghan’s latest setback.

The world’s most indulged victims, Harry and Meghan, have some explaining to do, particularly the Duchess who’s being forced to admit to conduct that may be considered perjury. More on that later.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry has come under fire for sacrificing his principles for the almighty dollar and staying uncharacteristically silent about the portrayal of his mother, Princess Diana, in the Netflix series, The Crown.

Royal experts have accused Harry of putting a price tag on his principles by refusing to publicly speak out against Netflix where he and Meghan have signed a deal reportedly worth $150 million.

What return Netflix gets for this gargantuan investment is unclear but it appears to have bought Harry’s silence, and these days there is not a lot Harry is not vocal about from “the insurrection” to “climate anxiety” to “misinformation” aka any criticism of him and Meghan.

“He’s not saying one word of criticism about Netflix because they are his paymaster,” said Charles Rae, the former royal editor of The Sun. “You know, a £112 million can buy an awful lot of principles.” Royal watcher Harry biographer Angela Levin was also among those calling on Harry to take a stand.

Prince Harry and Meghan have some explaining to do. Picture: Getty

“Harry has remained absolutely silent about Netflix. He should tear the deal up and make a stand for his mother,” she said. “What’s more important? Money or defending his mum?’’

One woman who has taken a principled position to distance herself from Netflix is Diana’s friend, Jemima Khan, who quit the production, dismayed by The Crown’s portrayal of the late princess. Khan said the program had not handled Diana’s story as respectfully or compassionately as she had hoped. “It was really important to me that the final years of my friend’s life be portrayed accurately and with compassion,” she said.

This week Harry spoke publicly about Diana, again comparing her to Meghan, but somehow failed to address the Netflix drama.

Harry and Meghan have signed a Netflix deal reportedly worth $150 million. Picture: Getty

In a busy week of grievance mongering the couple also spoke out about misinformation with Harry saying it’s a “global humanitarian crisis” while Meghan said tabloids should come “with a warning label like cigarettes do, like ‘this is
toxic for your mental health’”.

Rather rich for a woman who has long been a rabid self-promoter and before meeting Harry was known for schmoozing showbiz journos to gain tabloid coverage.

And, it’s Meghan’s legal battle with the publisher of The Mail On Sunday that has landed her in trouble this week with the Duchess forced to apologise to the Court of Appeal for misleading a High Court judge.

The admission came after the court received a tranche of rather illuminating emails and text messages. In one, Meghan writes that she expects a letter to her father to “pull at the heartstrings” of the public if it were leaked.

Meghan’s text to her then communications adviser Jason Knauf reads: “Obviously everything I’ve drafted is with the understanding that it could be leaked, so I have been meticulous in my word choice.”

Emails also revealed that the Duchess had authorised Knauf to co-operate with the authors of “Finding Freedom”, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, even providing briefing notes.

Earlier this year in court proceedings. Meghan, through her lawyers, had denied co-operating with the authors or having knowledge of her communications team giving them information.

In apologising to the court the Duchess claimed she “had not remembered” the email exchanges in which the two-hour meeting between her communications secretary and the authors was discussed.

“I apologise to the court for the fact that I had not remembered these exchanges at the time. I had absolutely no wish or intention to mislead the defendant or the court,” the Duchess said.

This week’s courtroom setback is significant in a number of ways for the Duke and Duchess. Not only has it damaged their credibility and weakened the case against Associated Newspapers but it may also lead to former staffers being called to give evidence.

Identifying as victims and being perpetually aggrieved has been a profitable enterprise for the former working royals but taking their victimhood shtick to court may end up being a monumental own goal.

FRENCH TWIST

Scott Morrison should be following French President Emmanuel Macron’s lead on nuclear. Picture: Adam Taylor

Emmanuel Macron has gone from hero to villain in the eyes of the Australian Left after announcing France will relaunch the construction of nuclear reactors. The French president said he wanted to guarantee the nation’s energy supply while meeting emission targets.

This is an announcement we should be hearing from Scott Morrison and every other world leader that signed up to net zero.

Nuclear energy is the only way to have reliable, affordable energy and to maintain our living standards while dramatically cutting emissions.

Of course, the renewable rent seekers will be apoplectic but the conservative base, those core voters who abandoned the Coalition during Malcolm Turnbull’s disastrous reign, will only accept the PM’s net zero backflip if nuclear is on the table.