Harry, Meghan and the Media

What was behind their decision to step back as senior royals? In January 2020 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they would step back as senior royals. Amol Rajan hears how this story emerged and examines the role the media played in their decision.

Where do royal journalists get their information from? Coverage of the royal family is full of cryptic references to “contacts, “palace insiders” and “well-placed sources”. In a world where almost everything is off the record, can we ever separate fact from spin?

This five part series asks you to question what you think about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Why did the coverage of Meghan Markle turn so sour, so quickly? Why did the story turn from the fairy tale wedding of a Prince and his new type of Princess, to a tale of so-called ‘duelling duchesses’?

In this series, you’ll hear from the people who wrote this very modern drama: the reporters, columnists and broadcasters who shape public opinion on royalty. Allegations of sexism, racism and strategic leaks – we examine them all.

We used material from:

Did sexism play a role in the coverage of Meghan Markle? When Harry and Meghan got married in 2018, the coverage of the pair was overwhelmingly positive. Six months later it had totally changed. Why? Amol Rajan explores the emergence of the ‘Duelling Duchesses’ narrative, which pitted Meghan Markle against Kate Middleton. Was this just a familiar misogynistic narrative designed to sell papers?

This five part series ask you to question what you think about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Why did the coverage of Meghan Markle turn so sour, so quickly? In this series, you’ll hear from the people who wrote this very modern drama: the reporters, columnists and broadcasters who shape public opinion on royalty. Allegations of sexism, racism and strategic leaks – we examine them all.

Did racism play a role in the coverage of Meghan Markle? In 2016 stories about Prince Harry’s new girlfriend were all over the front pages of the papers. Harry attacked the ‘racial undertones of comment pieces’ in the newspapers. BBC Media Editor Amol Rajan analyses the language used and challenges a journalist over her controversial phrase “exotic DNA”.

The origin story of the troubled relationship between Prince Harry and the papers.

Why do you think what you think about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle? Why did the coverage of Meghan Markle turn so sour, so quickly? Why did the story turn from the fairy tale wedding of a Prince and his new type of Princess, to a tale of so-called ‘duelling duchesses’?

In this series, you’ll hear from the people who wrote this very modern drama: the reporters, columnists and broadcasters who shape public opinion on royalty. Allegations of sexism, racism, strategic leaks – we examine them all.