Meghan and Harry’s ‘revenge’ on the royals: Every time the Sussexes torpedoed The Firm and stole the limelight
- Harry and Meghan are ‘doing their level best to stand out’, said a royal expert
- READ MORE: RICHARD EDEN tells Palace Confidential that announcing Archie and Lili’s titles is a ‘retaliation’ for the loss of Frogmore Cottage
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are ‘doing their level best to stand out’ and ‘never coordinate their activities with other members of The Firm’, royal experts have claimed.
It comes as Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard suggested the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed that their children, Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, will be titled ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ for ‘revenge’ after being evicted from Frogmore Cottage.
Nigel Cawthorne, author of Prince Andrew, Maxwell and the Palace, told FEMAIL: ‘It is clearly the case that these announcements are made with the intention of creating as much news coverage as possible.
‘Doubtless Harry and Megan seen themselves in competition with the Firm and are doing their level best to stand out. They seem to be surprisingly successful in giving the very experienced Royal Family a run for their money.’
Royal expert Mr Fitzwilliams added: ‘The Sussexes are totally unpredictable. They never coordinate their activities with other royals. Indeed the release of a trailer for their Netflix docuseries cast a shadow over the Prince and Princess of Wales recent trip to New York.
Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard suggested the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed that their children (pictured all together), Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, will be titled ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ for ‘revenge’ after being evicted from Frogmore Cottage
‘Since their interview on Oprah and most particularly since the trailers for and the Netflix docuseries and then the publication of Harry’s memoir Spare and the interviews he did to promote it, it has been clear the Sussexes are conducting a campaign against the royal family,’ he claimed.
Here, FEMAIL takes a look at every time Harry and Meghan seemingly stole the limelight from the Royal Family…
LILIBET’S TITLE ‘REVENGE’ FOR FROGMORE
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that their children will be ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ through the pages of People magazine after King Charles III evicted them from their UK base, Frogmore Cottage a few weeks ago.
Speaking on the Mail Plus royal talk show Palace Confidential, Richard Eden said: ‘It does strike me as revenge by Harry and Meghan.
‘What we’ve seen is two big developments over the past week.’
He continued: ‘Last week it emerged that they’re being evicted from their only British home, which they described as their forever home at Frogmore Cottage, but then we also learnt that Camilla’s grandchildren were going to have roles at the Coronation.’
‘Both things I think will have upset Harry and Meghan,’ he said. ‘They’ll be thinking “What can we do to have our revenge?” and that’s making sure that our children can have these two titles.”’
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams echoed this, telling FEMAIL: ‘The news of Archie and Lilibet’s titles, Lilibet’s christening and their eviction from Frogmore which had been decided after Spare was published, were undoubtedly synchronised.’
He added: ‘The news they were evicted from Frogmore and that of Lili’s christening were almost simultaneous. They do nothing by accident. However we don’t know what was happening behind the scenes.
‘The issue of the titles was automatic. The release of the news was clearly planned to be synchronised.’
PROMOTED SPARE BEFORE KATE’S 41ST BIRTHDAY
The Duke of Sussex, 38, sat down with Tom Bradby for a primetime television interview as part of a publicity blitz for his controversial memoir Spare before joining Anderson Cooper for a shocking interview on CBS the day before the Princess of Wales’ birthday
As the world was left reeling over the interviews, the official Royal Family’s social media channels shared a birthday wish for Kate, posting: ‘Wishing the Princess of Wales a very happy birthday,’ along with the above image
The Duke of Sussex, 38, sat down with Tom Bradby for a primetime television interview as part of a publicity blitz for his controversial memoir Spare before joining Anderson Cooper for a shocking interview on CBS the day before the Princess of Wales’ birthday.
MEGXIT ANNOUNCED DAY BEFORE KATE’S 38TH BIRTHDAY
Promoting Spare ahead of Kate’s 41st birthday wasn’t the only occasion when the Sussexes seemingly upstaged the royal’s special day.
Royal fans were left reeling after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their decision to step back from royal duties on the eve of the then Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday – joking it is ‘quite the present’.
The couple announced they would be stepping back as ‘senior royals’ on the eve of Kate’s 38th birthday – with royal watchers saying it would ‘overshadow’ the Duchess’s celebrations.
Others were hooked by the apparent drama, with one writing: ‘THEY QUIT THE FAMILY THE NIGHT BEFORE KATE’S BIRTHDAY I AM LIVING FOR THIS.’
Another tweeted: ‘Anyhow, let’s hope Kate’s birthday isn’t at all over shadowed today,’ with a crying laughing emoji.
A third added: ‘They chose to make the announcement hit the press on Kate’s birthday! Lovely present from them to her.’
In a series of bombshells twisting the knife on his closest family members, Harry claimed royals sought to protect their own reputation ‘to the detriment’ of him and Meghan and that they were ‘complicit’ in their ‘pain and suffering’.
As the world was left reeling over the interviews, the official Royal Family’s social media channels shared a birthday wish for Kate, posting: ‘Wishing the Princess of Wales a very happy birthday.’
Meanwhile royal fans were also quick to share their birthday messages with the Princess of Wales, posting a host of supportive tweets online.
One commented: ‘I can’t believe Harry is doing this to Kate on the eve of her birthday…’
Another wrote: ‘Prince Harry: I love Kate! Also Harry: I’m releasing this book on your birthday darling.’
In the interviews, Harry described a fractious relationship between his wife and Kate, while also addressing the rift with his brother.
RELEASED NETFLIX TRAILER DURING PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES’ US TOUR
The Sussexes were accused of trying to sink the Wales’ American trip to Boston for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize in November by releasing the teaser for their Netflix documentary.
Sources said at the time that William and Kate were unaware it would be released halfway through their US visit with one insider revealing it had being seen as a ‘declaration of war’ by the royals.
A promotional trailer, which was posted online on the second day of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ high-profile visit to the US, dispelled any hopes that the Sussexes were declaring a ceasefire in their acrimonious battle with the Royal Family.
Both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment at the time.
Royal sources said the Prince and Princess of Wales were determined ‘not to be distracted by other things’ and their focus was on meeting communities and local people across Boston during their US trip.
The Sussexes were accused of trying to sink the Wales’ American trip to Boston for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize in November by releasing the teaser for their Netflix documentary. Pictured, William and Kate in Boston in December
Royal insiders reacted with disappointment that the clip had been released to coincide with William and Kate’s trip to the US, their first visit to the country since 2014, during which the prince hosted his major environmental project, the Earthshot Prize.
Prince Harry says that Meghan and Kate didn’t get on from the get-go. Click here to read more
While it is unlikely that the duke and duchess had much say on the trailer’s release date, the glee with which their supporters and publicists were treating it spoke volumes.
The Sussexes’ biographer, Omid Scobie, directly referred to the fact that Earthshot is so significant to William that it was billed as his ‘Super Bowl moment’. He crowed on Twitter: ‘If tomorrow is Prince William’s Super Bowl – then here’s your half-time show.’
The trailer coincided with a string of PR announcements by the Sussexes, including an appearance by Meghan at a women’s dinner in Indiana and the announcement of a charity donation of handbags she has facilitated.
‘One can only conclude this is a concerted publicity drive on their behalf to stoke up interest in this documentary and is designed to clash with the Wales’ visit this week,’ said another well-placed source at the time.
‘The prince and princess’s high-profile trip to the States to shine a light on community projects in Boston and the environmental crisis is being apparently used as a platform for the Sussexes to create the drama and attention they so clearly crave on a personal level, as well as content for the multi-million dollar deal they have signed since quitting as working royals.
‘While the Waleses will carry on with their duties, Team Sussex appears determined to remind America of their own ‘compassionate activism’ – one lucrative contract at a time.’
DUCHESS OF SUSSEX ACCUSED OF STEALING LIMELIGHT FROM ‘UPSET’ CAMILLA
Pictures of the Duchess of Sussex at the National Theatre were released as Camilla launched the Women of the World Festival at the Southbank Centre in London
Buckingham Palace had urged royal correspondents to focus on the Duchess of Cornwall’s engagement (pictured) which had been long-planned and came on a day when there were no other major Royal engagements
In March 2020, the then Duchess of Cornwall was reportedly left furious after Meghan broke a pledge not to overshadow the royal’s speech on domestic violence.
Pictures of the Duchess of Sussex at the National Theatre were released as Camilla launched the Women of the World Festival at the Southbank Centre in London.
Buckingham Palace had urged royal correspondents to focus on the Duchess of Cornwall’s engagement which had been long-planned and came on a day when there were no other major Royal engagements.
But after images of Meghan’s secret visit to the National Theatre on Thursday were released – Camilla’s speech was quickly overshadowed.
On top of this, Meghan was filmed visiting a comprehensive school in east London on her second day back in the UK following her theatre visit.
Camilla was said to be ‘very upset’ at the release of the images, insiders told the Mirror.
Pictures showed her visiting a virtual reality technology at the theatre’s Immersive Storytelling Studio that aims to help people ‘better connect and empathise with each other as people, regardless of race, age or nationality.’
Hours after they were taken Meghan joined her husband Prince Harry at the Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House on their first joint royal engagement since Megxit began.
One well-placed insider said: ‘Camilla’s work is very important to her and her decision to highlight the scourge of domestic violence at the 10th anniversary of Women of the World was a carefully thought-out plan.
‘Of course it was known Harry and Meghan would be doing engagements this week, some privately, but everyone was in agreement that Camilla’s speech should take precedence. Unfortunately some people had other ideas.’
The move sparked anger within the palace after Meghan ‘refused to listen’ to the pleas of staff and not issue the images.
A Buckingham Palace email to new organisations had said: ‘Please note that media arrangements have been designed specifically with a view to allowing royal correspondents to focus on the Duchess of Cornwall’s engagement on Friday.’
Meghan’s photographs, taken by the Sussex’s wedding photographer Chris Allerton, were revealed in a post on the official Sussex Royal Instagram. Meghan had delayed releasing them until after her appearance with Harry at the Endeavour Fund Awards.
The Duke of Sussex launched a series of extraordinary attacks on King Charles’s wife Camilla, including branding her ‘dangerous’ and a ‘villain’ during his publicity blitz for his explosive memoir Spare.
Harry – who also revealed in his book that he and William ‘begged’ their father not to marry Camilla – accused his stepmother of ‘trading information’ with the Press in an attempt to get more positive stories written about herself, before sensationally suggesting that her ‘connections’ with the media would end up with ‘people or bodies left in the street’.
PREGNANCY ANNOUCEMENT AT PRINCESS EUGENIE’S WEDDING
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured with the late Queen at Princess Eugenie’s wedding in October 2018. The couple announced the pregnancy at a cocktail party after the ceremony
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank pictured on the steps of St George’s Chapel following their wedding ceremony on October 12, 2018
Prince Harry confirmed in his biography Spare that he and Meghan did announce the Duchess’ first pregnancy at Princess Eugenie’s wedding.
He revealed that him and his wife told the Prince and Princess of Wales the happy news during a cocktail party following the reception in October 2018.
Detailing Meghan’s pregnancy with their first child, Archie, now three, Harry said they felt obliged to tell his family the news in person before leaving for their tour of Australia in late 2018.
They chose his cousin Eugenie’s Windsor wedding to make the announcement as the wider members of the Royal Family would be in attendance.
Ahead of the drinks reception, the couple intercepted Charles in his Windsor office and Harry said he was delighted to see his father’s ‘wide smile’ after finding out he was going to be a grandfather for the fourth time.
Following this, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex then headed over to St George’s Hall where the drinks reception was being held to tell Prince William.
He echoed their father’s sentiment and urged them to immediately tell Kate. The Princess of Wales was across the room speaking with her sister Pippa Middleton, who was expecting her son Arthur at the time.
Describing Kate’s reaction, Harry wrote: ‘She also gave a big smile and hearty congratulations. They both reacted exactly as I hoped — as I’d wished.’
Although the couple didn’t make the news public until days later, Princess Eugenie’s mother Sarah Ferguson was said to be ‘furious’ that the couple ‘upstaged’ the bride.
In their book Royals At War, investigative journalists Dylan Howard and Andy Tillet wrote: ‘This was a huge social gaffe, even if you were not a royal – stealing the limelight from Eugenie, who was furious, as was her mother, Sarah.’
HARRY’S JAMES CORDEN INTERVIEW OVERSHADOWED QUEEN’S ‘RARE AND IMPORTANT’ VACCINE VIDEO
Prince Harry was criticised after giving a headline-grabbing TV interview, released just as the late Queen made a rare and important public statement encouraging everyone to get the Covid-19 jab if offered it
In February 2021, Prince Harry poured his heart out to James Corden on The Late Late Show in an exclusive 17-minute interview.
The Duchess of Sussex also made a brief appearance on the show during a FaceTime call, revealing her pet name for Harry is ‘Haz’, while her husband calls her ‘Meg’ throughout and reveals that his grandmother bought their son Archie a waffle maker for Christmas.
But critics questioned the timing of his ‘prancing’ TV appearance, released just as the late Queen gave a rare public statement encouraging all Britons to ‘think about others’ and have the Covid-19 jab amid the pandemic.
Palace sources told MailOnline the timing of Harry’s TV appearance was ‘unhelpful, and has caused ‘disquiet’ at the palace. ‘When the Queen speaks as she has done about the vaccine it is accepted that she has a clear field’, the insider said.
Royal expert Robert Jobson, a biographer of Prince Charles and the Duke of Edinburgh, said: ‘Timing is everything isn’t it. On the day that the Queen has issued a very, very important message about the whole of the nation getting the jab, that message has sort of been blurred by Harry, the man who wants a private life, talking about his private life again’.
Royal expert Phil Dampier said: ‘As The Queen urges us to think of others, Prince Harry prances about in LA and makes the absurd claim that he hasn’t walked away from the royals. What planet is he on? Hollywood I suppose.’
SECOND PART OF NETFLIX DOCUSERIES AIRED SAME DAY AS KATE’S CAROL SERVICE
Prince George of Wales, William, Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales depart from the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey
Singing from the same hymn sheet: (Front row left to right) King Charles III, the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, the Princess of Wales and the Countess of Wessex during the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday evening
The Princess of Wales’ annual carol service at Westminster Abbey took place on the same day as the second instalment of Harry and Meghan’s documentary (pictured) aired on Netflix
The Princess of Wales’ annual carol service at Westminster Abbey took place on the same day as the second instalment of Harry and Meghan’s documentary aired on Netflix.
The carol service – organised by mother-of-three Kate on Thursday, December 15, 2022 – went ahead just hours after the final part of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s docuseries dropped on the streaming platform.
But the Royal Family projected ‘bonding and unity’ as they gathered in London for the event after Harry and Meghan’s slew of attacks, body language expert Judi James said.
Footage caught the moment King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla greeted Kate and William as they walked down the nave.
Ms James said the princess’s ‘warm smile of pride’ as she watched her children exchange kisses with the monarch ‘show everything we need to know about family unity’.
She said further clues came from ‘extra, add-on touches’ including ‘lingering smiles and eye contact’.
‘Charles’s cheek kiss with Kate is followed by a formal ritual of the bobbing curtesy but then we can also see Kate’s hand is still on Charles’s arm as her face turns towards Camilla,’ Ms James told MailOnline.
‘This shows extra fondness, while the ”double-bagging” of touching one relative while turning to greet the other, suggests a desire to reinforce the idea of grouping together and unity.
‘Camilla’s hand on top of Kate’s shoulder as they kiss is another display of more intimate affection and, like Kate did with Charles, Camilla’s hand is still on Kate’s torso as they turn, in another gesture of “grouping” to imply unity.’
Focusing on King Charles’ body language, Ms James said: ‘Charles is never a comfortable-looking grandad in public but he sweetly bends to kiss George and Charlotte and they both put their arms out for a truncated hug while Kate watches proudly.
‘Charles and William’s greeting looks a little more meaningful, with some words exchanged as Charles walks away that cause the King to throw a grin back at his son.
‘There is another gesture from Kate to show this desire to signal family grouping, bonding and unity as Charles walks back to speak to her.
‘She quickly transfers her bag from her left hand to her right so she can extend her arm in another truncated touch and hug ritual as he talks to her, lifting her arm to place it behind his.’
ITV DOCUMENTARY ‘OVERSHADOWED’ WILLIAM AND KATE’S TOUR OF PAKISTAN
Meghan Markle was interviewed by Tom Bradby (pictured) for the ITV documentary in October 2019 (pictured)
Harry and Meghan’s emotional ITV documentary, Harry and Meghan: An African Journey (2019), ‘overshadowed’ William and Kate’s tour in Pakistan in October 2019, a royal source claimed.
The decision to release preview clips while the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were on a four-day visit overseas ‘baffled and infuriated’ aides, according to the Evening Standard.
‘This move has certainly overshadowed the Pakistan visit and what has been achieved here during the last few days, as well as a lot of work by an awful lot of dedicated people here on the ground as well as back home for months,’ said one senior figure.
Meanwhile, royal author Valentine Low told in his book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown, via The Mirror, that the timing of the Sussexes comments didn’t go down well.
An emotional Meghan opened up about how royal life had been a ‘struggle’, adding: ‘Look, any woman especially when they are pregnant you’re really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging, and then when you have a newborn – you know…
‘And especially as a woman, it’s a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed it’s, well…
‘And, also thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.’
Mr Low wrote: ‘William and Kate’s team was not happy, it seems, and saw it as a deliberate attempt to knock the couple out of the headlines. Relations between the two households became quite tense.’
CHARLES’ 2016 OMAN TOUR WAS ‘OVERSHADOWED’ BY HARRY’S ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ DEFENCE OF MEGHAN
The then Prince of Wales takes part in a traditional Omani ‘Sword Dance’ during a welcome ceremony on the second day of a Royal tour of Oman in 2016
A then Prince Charles’ Oman tour in November 2016 was ‘overshadowed’ by Prince Harry’s statement about his then girlfriend Meghan Markle.
Speaking on the BBC’s two-part documentary The Princes and the Press in 2021, the Evening Standard’s Royal Editor Robert Jobson admitted Charles’ trip would have probably made the front pages of newspapers until the Duke’s ‘unprecedented’ statement in defence of Meghan.
‘Harry releases this statement about the press and their treatment of Meghan, of course that then has to be page one,’ Mr Jobson said, before explaining that he had to deny Charles front-page coverage.
This apparently left the then Prince of Wales ‘going, “I thought I was going to be on page one, that was the deal”’, according to Insider.
Sky News royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills said in the documentary that Harry’s release was a ‘big no-no in the royal family’.
She explained: ‘You do not do anything while another member of the royal family is on tour that could possibly overshadow that tour.
‘Prince Harry confirming he was dating Meghan Markle blew any coverage about Prince Charles completely out of the water.’
In an extraordinary statement on his love life, Harry said he was ‘worried about Ms Markle’s safety’ following the ‘wave of abuse and harassment’ she had faced since rumours of their relationship first surfaced.
He lashed out at media intrusion and the ‘sexism and racism of social media trolls’ in a statement which said ‘this is not a game – it is her life and his’ and that he is ‘deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her’.
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