Meghan & Harry are all over the news again after a recent interview with Oprah. An opportunity to recap what happened with the former royal couple and find out if anyone actually cares about what they had to say!
- Why so much buzz?
Ever since they met, Meghan & Harry have been all over the news. Now let’s recap what happened from the start.
After months of speculation, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle finally announced their engagement on November 27, 2017. The couple was “thrilled and happy” to be engaged, and marked the news with a celebratory photoshoot and a formal interview.
On May 19, tens of millions of people from around the world tuned in to see the couple wed at Windsor Castle.
On October 15, Kensington Palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were expecting their first child. The announcement came as the couple landed in Australia for their first joint royal tour.
On May 6, 2019, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor arrived! The baby boy is now seventh in line to the throne and he is the Queen and Prince Philip’s eighth great-grandchild.
In January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex first made it clear that they intended to step back from their roles as working royals. After some negotiation, the Windsors agreed to let them pursue their own private business arrangements, provided that the Sussexes cease using the word “royal” in any professional branding. Harry and Meghan officially transitioned to their new lives at the end of March 2020.
On Valentine’s Day of 2021, Harry and Meghan revealed that they were expecting their second child. “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child,” a spokesperson for the couple said.
Nearly a year after officially transitioning out of the working royal roles, the Sussexes confirmed—along with Queen Elizabeth—that the move was permanent. Buckingham Palace and the royal couple released simultaneous statements on February 19, 2021, announcing the news.
This week, Harry & Megan had an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey. According to Nielsen, 17.3 million people watched the highly anticipated conversation live. In the two-hour interview, they discussed everything, from their royal wedding to the sex of their second child to the reasoning behind them stepping back as senior members of the royal family.
This particular interview created a lot of heated debate and an avalanche of articles have been published, some defending them, some blaming them for disgracing the royal family. But…do British people actually care?
- Do British people support the monarchy?
According to a study by Statista, 84% of the British aged 65 years and over support the monarchy.
For younger generations (people aged between 18 -24) it is less important: 42% declared they do support the Royal family. For a majority of British people, the integrity and dignity of the Royal family are important.
Additional research shows that many Britons feel that news outlets are unfairly critical in their coverage of Harry and Meghan compared with other members of the Royal Family.
According to a YouGov poll, Half of Britons believe the press is overly critical of Meghan. Many similarly think Prince Harry is treated unfairly, with 44% saying the press is too tough on him.
- Why should we care?
Many British people actually think you should not… the role of the Royal family is mainly ceremonial and to maintain traditions. Whilst this might be important for people in the UK, it is not really of any particular interest to foreigners. Since Parliament makes the laws and decides the taxes people pay and the rules people follow, the Monarchy and the royal family really just provide an air of stability and continuity: a sort of global PR for the UK as a brand. However, following the highs and lows of their family dramas is a great distraction, a form of entertainment that many people enjoy in the UK and worldwide, as the recent press coverage has shown!