In the past month, a new royal talking point is being workshopped before our eyes. The talking point: Prince Harry better not talk to the press or give any more interviews, or else King Charles will totally stop communicating with Harry through third parties! The reason this talking point is bullsh-t is because Harry’s BBC interview in May is the biggest reason why Charles suddenly softened his “no communication” position. All Harry had to do was march in front of a BBC camera and announce that he has no idea how long Charles has to live. Charles sent his PR guru Tobyn Andreae to speak to Harry’s representatives two months later. Before Harry’s BBC interview, Charles wouldn’t even communicate through third parties, so guess what the actual takeaway message was? Well, according to the royal reporters, the tenuous peace negotiations would be blown up if Harry and Meghan spoke about anything to do with the Windsors again.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix deal may not be renewed – but the Royal Family may have nothing to fear, according to an expert. With the Duke of Sussex explicitly stating in an interview earlier this year that he would like reconciliation with his family, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes criticising his family will not be something he will do again.
She told the Mirror: “Trust between the Royal Family and the Sussexes is still in short supply. However, I don’t think the Palace will be overly worried that Harry and Meghan will sell their souls for royal secrets again. What more can there be to say? Harry has said he doesn’t want to go on fighting and that, surely, must mean respecting his UK family’s privacy and being discreet about everything he says in public.”
She added: “Television is a tough industry where ratings are everything, and only Harry and Meghan’s tell-all documentary series met the Netflix mark. It doesn’t much matter who you are, if your shows don’t trouble the ratings, the TV company won’t be inclined to trouble you in the future. So, unless the Sussexes have come up with some sure-fire, bankable ideas for hit programmes, it seems unlikely that their Netflix contract will be renewed.”
“It’s obvious that Netflix bought the couple for one reason only: to get the inside story of their exit from royal life. They obliged -with bells on – and it was a smash hit. But neither Harry nor Meghan has had much in the way of popular content to offer since. There’s more to making a successful TV series than meets the eye – a lesson they have learned the hard way. Securing a five year contract was quite an achievement — and was undoubtedly extremely lucrative. For most people, that sort of money would set them up for life. But Montecito is luxurious and expensive. So they will have to find other streams of income. That’s going to be harder for Harry than Meghan, who has every chance of making a lot of money as an influencer.”
If the Windsors and their sycophants really believe that there’s nothing left for the Sussexes to tell, then why are they always publicly fretting about Harry writing another memoir, or Meghan writing HER memoir? And I honestly don’t think Harry puts much value in keeping whatever tender peace deal with his family – whatever this is, it seems to be related to his father’s (poor) health, and Harry wanting to at least spend some time face-to-face with his father in his final years. But, as I said, Harry has learned that they only way to get Charles’s attention and get things moving is by going public. That’s the implied threat on Harry’s side – that Charles needs to come to the table and talk, or else Harry is going to do another interview.
Screengrabs courtesy of CBS Sunday Morning, The Late Show, BBC News and ITV.
