Prince Harry + Duchess Meghan
“Sussex Circus” for free? Expert expects no apology from the palace
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan
© Patrick van Katwijk / Getty Images
They haven’t wanted to be quiet for a long time, and are even getting louder: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have anger in their stomachs. Her departure from royal duties in 2020 was based on fundamental differences with the palace and the British media. But with their public protest they will run into a wall, predicts the Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams.
Defense instead of compassion: When Prince Harry, 38, and Duchess Meghan, 40, decided to share their motivations for the sensational Megxit with the world after they left the front rows of the British Royals, they probably opted for the latter. But their first joint interview with US talk icon Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 and the subsequent attempts at explanations in front of various cameras was largely a cry for help towards Buckingham Palace – which seemed to spring from the throat of King Charles’ youngest, 74. The Sussexes want an apology for alleged wrongs done to them. A conciliatory reaction from London, however, seems unlikely.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan expect a reaction from the palace
Harry and Meghan are serious: It was not until December 2022 that the couple described their version of life and suffering as members of the royal family. Tears even flowed in the six-part Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan”. The stormy love, the dreamlike wedding, the cross-border media rush, the surprising exit from the company, as the Windsors call their special family construct, and its consequences: the Sussexes no longer mince their words, collateral damage is taken into account in the explosive soul striptease, it seems it. Her biggest wish: an apology from the palace. But this will probably not be fulfilled, as Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams suspects.
“In the last month we’ve had five trailers and two releases totaling three-hour episodes each on Netflix. One of the trailers was released just in time to spoil day two of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ trip to Boston,” Fitzwilliams said with the “Express” the recent events together. “You have a kind of Sussex-oriented circus of a couple who, yes, were deeply unhappy as members of the royal family,” he describes his impression. “They felt like they weren’t being protected, that they were being acted upon and now they want an apology,” Fitgzgerald said, but said he was certain “It’s something they’re not going to get.”
“It’s become a bit like a circus”
However, the couple does not give up. Harry’s long-awaited memoir will be released on January 10, 2023. Before “SPARE” is on the shelves, the king’s son intensifies the PR machinery. Two major interviews will go on the air as early as January 8: The royal newcomer speaks to ITV “News at Ten” host Tom Bradby and to CBS’ Anderson Cooper. More details on his life within the royal family and his personal struggles are expected to follow after the Netflix documentary. The private revelations could be “very, very substantial and maybe comprehensive,” Fitzgerald suspects.
The Duke, who lives in the USA, will at least achieve one goal again: the pulse of his closest relatives in Great Britain will continue to accelerate at full speed. “All of this will probably only cause trouble for the royal family,” says the royal expert. “It’s become a bit of a circus and you have to ask yourself: Two interviews, plus the book, five trailers and two Netflix blocks of three episodes – where is this going to go?”
One thing is certain: the Sussexes should not run out of explosive disclosure stories anytime soon. Her multi-million dollar deal with Netflix is likely to call for more juicy out-of-the-box chats. A contract with the publisher Random House provides for three more books penned by the two royals.
end in sight?
“When will it end? When the insatiable appetite for royal news dries up, which seems like a long way off,” Fitzwilliams oracles. Nevertheless, he sees a moral deadline for the Sussexes: “Of course it can’t go on like this forever. And at some point they have to decide what they really want to do with their future and realize the irony of being paid so much money for attacking the royal family just because they’re members of it.”
In a trailer for the 60-minute interview with Anderson Cooper, Harry reiterates his allegations from the Netflix documentary that the palace took action against him and his wife and even deliberately planted stories about Meghan in the media. In the teaser for the conversation with Tom Bradby, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, † 96, is very emotional and admits that he wants his father and brother Prince William, 40, “back”.
A dream that he is probably about to destroy for the time being with his seemingly desperate openness. There could be a response from the palace, however, Fitzgerald surmises. “You might find that the Sussexes put something in the book that is absolutely and utterly unacceptable.” Is this the reaction Harry is hoping for? One can doubt it.
Sources used: express.co.uk, itv.com, cbs.com