Harry And Megan are back in the spotlight for a new interview in which they talked about their family, their projects and even their past. This time they didn’t reveal anything new, no sensational anecdotes. To present their new philanthropic initiative, on the contrary, they focused on a topic they have already addressed in the past, even from a personal point of view, in recent years: bullying, with particular attention to its online variant, cyberbullying. As often happens when the Dukes of Sussex are involved, however, the interview has sparked quite a bit of controversy.
Social Media Trauma
On August 4, 2024, Meghan Markle’s 43rd birthday, CBS Sunday Morning aired the new (recorded) interview given by the Sussex to Jane Pauley. During the chat, the dukes revealed their upcoming trips and the initiatives in preparation. Among these, there is one that Meghan would be very keen on and that brought back unpleasant memories: the project “The Parents Network”, studied with the Archewell Foundation and already launched in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom to support families of children who have suffered trauma due to social media. Pauley asked Meghan to tell her experience in this regard. The duchess admitted that she found a sort of “red thread” between what happened to her and the stories of children who are victims of cyberbullying: “When you go through any level of pain or trauma, I think part of our healing journey, certainly part of mine, is being able to be really open. I haven’t really scratched the surface of my experience, but I think I would never want anyone else to feel that way, I would never want anyone else to have those kinds of intentions, and I would never want anyone else to not be believed.”
“I didn’t want to be alive anymore”
In these words, Meghan’s reference to the bullying that she has suffered since she set foot in the British court. Episodes told several times. The first in 2019, during the ITV documentary “Harry and Meghan. An African Journey”. On that occasion, referring to the pressure exerted by the media and the difficulty of adapting to royal life, the Duchess stated: “I exist but I don’t live… I’m not too well.” In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan went further, revealing: “At the time I was ashamed to say it and ashamed to admit it to Harry. But I knew that if I didn’t say it, then I would. I didn’t want to live anymore. It was a clear, real, frightening, constant thought… I thought that would be a solution for everyone.” Finally, in March 2024, during the panel “Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives. How Women Lead On and Off the Screen”, in Texas, the Duchess recalled: “Most of the bullying and abuse I’ve experienced on social media and online happened when I was pregnant with Archie and Lili. You think about it, you try to explain to yourself why people are so hateful. It’s not spiteful, it’s cruel.”
“Why can’t he just get over it?”
In the interview with CBS Meghan said a sentence that also sounds like a further accusation against royal family: “I would never want anyone else to not be believed.” In fact, in the documentary “Harry & Meghan” (2022), the Duchess claimed that she had expressed the desire to seek help, but had been hindered by the institution, much more concerned about a possible scandal. The Prince doubled down: “They knew how serious it was,” but “they thought, ‘Why doesn’t she accept it?’ meaning, ‘Everyone else has done it, why can’t she?’”
“If it saves anyone…”
Speaking to CBS, Harry and Meghan used calmer and more controlled tones. Yet their speech still hints at recriminations against the Crown: always the same, pronounced with that veiled hint of rancor that would not leave much room for doubt as regards a future reconciliation with the Windsors. The Duchess, after having overcome the consequences of bullying, would like to set herself up as a champion of the rights of the victims of this social plague and during the interview she declared: “If sharing what I’ve been through saves someone or encourages someone in my life to really, truly check in on how they feel and not assume everything is okay just because it looks good, then it will have been worth it…” However, it seems to be understood that this could also be a message for the royal family. As if Meghan wanted to say: “You didn’t break me. I made it and I’m still here”.
Fears for Archie and Lilibet Diana
“Our children are young, three and five years old. They are wonderful. But all we want to do as parents is protect them.”Meghan explained to CBS, projecting her experience with the web onto young people too, because no one can truly say they are safe from the dangers of virtual life: “When we see what is happening online, we know there is a lot of work to be done and we are happy to be part of the positive change.” Harry stressed that even the most attentive parents may not realise the risks “of a possible suicide”. Furthermore, proximity is not a guarantee of safety: “We always talk about the old days, when your kids were under your roof and you knew what they were doing. At least they were safe, right? And now they could be in the next room with a tablet or a phone and be sucked into these distractions. And before you know it, in 24 hours, they could be taking their own lives.”said the prince. Meghan, on the same wavelength, invited everyone to ask themselves: “What if it was my daughter, or what if it was my son?”
The 17 thousand euro necklace
Meghan Markle has made glamour and elegance her trademark. For the interview with CBS she chose a sober but refined outfit. Even this time, however, someone has criticized her style more or less indirectly, comparing the apparent discretion of the dress with the not always affordable prices. The Duchess wore a $1,900 powder-colored Ralph Lauren linen suit, Hello magazine reported. It was impossible not to notice the Cartier watch that belonged to Lady Diana and the engagement ring. What amazed the tabloids, however, was the “Just un Clou” necklace in yellow gold and 57 diamonds, also by Cartier, for $16,000, which Meghan has already shown off at other events such as, for example, at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in 2022.
Kate’s Post-Book Interview
The interview was released three days after the publication of the biography of Kate Middleton written by Robert Jobson, “Catherine: The Princess of Wales”, surprised the tabloids. However, in this case it was probably just a coincidence: after all, August 4 is Meghan’s birthday and it was quite obvious that any news about the Sussexes’ projects would be made public on that day, as a sort of homage to the Duchess.
Next trip: Colombia
In reality, the real controversy would be in Harry and Meghan’s next non-royal tour. Towards the end of the year, the couple will be in Colombia at the invitation of Vice President Francia Marquez. The dukes will visit, as specified in the announcement of last August 1, Bogota, Cali and Cartagena de Indias. There would be only one small detail: last July, in the first interview after the lawsuit against the Mirror, on “Tabloids On Trial” on ITV, Harry declared that it would be risky for Meghan to return to the United Kingdom: “It’s still dangerous and…all it takes is one person reading this stuff and acting on it, whether it’s a knife, or acid, whatever it is, and these things are really worrying to me. It’s one of the reasons I’m not bringing my wife back to this country.”. Newspapers have pointed out that Colombia is no safer than the United Kingdom, although several steps have been taken to make this fascinating country even more welcoming. There seems to be a contradiction between the Duke’s words and the choice of destination for the non-royal tour.
No Invitation to Balmoral
The kind of dangers Harry spoke about do not exist only in the UK. Given the situation with the Windsorhowever, we could assume that all this apparent acrimony is the concrete expression of the still unresolved family feud. A story that has dragged on for years and that has been enriched with new chapters: last June the tabloids reported the news according to which Charles III had invited Harry and Meghan to Balmoral for August 2024. According to People, however, this invitation never went out. Not only that: the King was apparently very disappointed by his son’s statements regarding the alleged lack of security in the kingdom, to the point of having started to refuse his calls and avoid answering his letters. A friend of Harry told People: “(Carlo) has made himself unavailable. He is not answering (the duke’s) phone calls.” The prince, however, would continue to be “scared” over the safety of his family in London, an insider said “and he feels that the only person who can do anything is his father.” But a Palace source has clarified that such statements would be “totally wrong.”
“Complete silence”
On the one hand there would be His Majestyembittered by the behavior of his second-born. On the other hand Harry, “determined to protect his family at all costs”said another insider.
Between the two, as the prince’s friend confirmed to People, a wall of “complete silence”. The Sussexes are now focused on their new ventures and perhaps not very interested in a trip to Balmoral, but the situation between Sussex and Windsor is at an impasse and one wonders how much longer that can last.