The news of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Oprah interview was met with angst, anger and condemnation… from the royal press pack. These people are so salty and so eager to condemn and profit from Harry and Meghan, so it’s all a very toxic blend of shenanigans. I was reading Tom Sykes coverage of the reaction at the Daily Beast, and he pointed out that the Daily Mail had some very tricky wording about the Sussexes losing their patronages. The Mail claims that Harry and Meghan could see which way the wind was blowing and that they were already going to lose their patronages anyway, and so why not go out with a bang and a tell-all interview. The point, from Sykes’ perspective, is that Buckingham Palace is trying not to piss off Harry and Meghan at the moment:

Intriguingly, the Palace appears eager to show it is not behaving in retaliatory or vindictive fashion against Meghan, who is pregnant, and Harry, briefing that the move to strip the couple of their last remaining royal titles is not a reaction to the interview. The suggestion is that Harry and Meghan could simply sense which way the wind was blowing and got out ahead of it.

The Daily Beast understands that Buckingham Palace had not been informed of the interview in advance, but courtiers sought to dial down any sense of grievance Monday night, with sources saying that as the couple were no longer working royals, any decisions taken with regard to “media commitments are matters for them,” and that they were “under no obligation” to inform the palace of their plans.

While unlikely to impact the royals as badly as Prince Andrew’s 2019 interview with Newsnight and Princess Diana’s bombshell 1995 interview with Panorama, there is likely to be a certain dread at what Meghan may reveal in the interview. The palace is thought to be particularly nervous about possible allegations of racism or sexism and the settling of “old scores,” The Times reports.

[From The Daily Beast]

I think that’s an interesting interpretation, because the Mail definitely wanted to leave the impression with casual readers that the Queen IS punishing Harry and Meghan partly because of the Oprah interview. I guess you have to really parse the DM article to understand that the onus was subtly put on H&M, that the Queen was always going to be a vindictive a–hole and take away their official patronages… and that’s why H&M did the interview. I’m not sure why Sykes thinks that makes the palace look better though! “We did an interview.” “How dare you, we were getting ready to punish you for existing!!” And yes, old scores will absolutely be settled.

People are also revisiting some year-old quotes from Tom Bradby regarding the potential for a tell-all Sussex interview. “I have some idea of what might be aired in a full, no-holds-barred, sit-down interview and I don’t think it would be pretty. I suspect the royal family would carry British public opinion still—perhaps only just—but its international standing is a key part of its value to the British state. If that were to be tarnished, it could be very damaging indeed. The days ahead will be challenging. But the family urgently needs a meaningful peace deal with the young breakaway couple, because a protracted war would be very bloody indeed.”

Tom Bradby knew what it was on January 12, 2020.

?? https://t.co/16Zbhm3c7V pic.twitter.com/GQRmVDku6O

— Royal Suitor (@royal_suitor) February 15, 2021

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.