Palace officials furious that Harry and Meghan chose Queen's birthday eve to ban British media, claims insider
Buckingham Palace courtiers were reportedly left stunned after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, on the night of April 19, launched an unprecedented boycott of certain sections of the British press, in a protest over the controversial coverage of their lives. The decision has sparked allegations of 'censorship' as the royal couple decided to withdraw all forms of cooperation from the country's multiple outlets.
"We have been left stunned. They have not taken any of our advice," a palace insider, in a statement to the Daily Mail, said. Reports also state that Prince Harry also did not inform his father, Prince Charles, before they decided to take the action.
Officials close to the Queen were reportedly angered that the couple decided to release details of their new media policy on the eve of her birthday, and particularly at a time when the nation is grappling with the coronavirus crisis.
The Duke of Sussex, over the weekend, also suggested that the coronavirus situation in the UK was "better than we are led to believe from certain corners of the media." Hours after his remarks, the couple released a statement, stating that they do not deal with The Sun, the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, the Express and the Mirror any longer.
Ian Murray from the Society of Editors slammed the couple's decision on April 20, saying that it was a "clear attempt to undermine certain sections of the UK media who often ask uncomfortable questions. Although the duke and duchess say they support a free press, there is no escaping that their actions here amount to censorship and they are setting an unfortunate example."
"By appearing to dictate which media they will work with and which they will ignore, they, no doubt unintentionally, give succor to the rich and powerful everywhere to use their example as an excuse to attack the media when it suits them," Murray continued. He also noted that many of the news outlets had produced a "huge amount" of positive coverage about the couple, and warned them, saying that "the answer should never be to shun individual titles and their millions of readers."
The royal couple, this year on January 8, had announced that they would step down from being senior members of the royal family and work to become financially independent. The pair, who had initially begun to settle in Canada, recently shifted base with their son Archie to the former actresses' hometown in Los Angeles, California in pursuit of a commercial career.
The pair issued a letter on a Sunday night, targeting only British publication, and it is being said that the move was carefully chosen for maximum publicity when Meghan was making an appearance on 'Good Morning America' to publicize the Disney nature film 'Elephant'.
The couple, in the letter, said that they believe a free press is a cornerstone of any democracy "shining a light on dark places". However, they added that certain sections of media had not made responsible use of their power, resulting in a "human cost". The pair said that they believed they had been unfairly treated by the British press and added that "there will be no corroboration and zero engagement" with the outlets mentioned in the letter.
"This policy is not about avoiding criticism. It's not about shutting down public conversation or censoring accurate reporting," the statement said. "Media have every right to report on and indeed have an opinion on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, good or bad. But it can't be based on a lie. What they won't do is offer themselves up as currency for an economy of clickbait and distortion."