Meghan and Harry shot themselves in foot as Kensington Palace split ‘fuelled coverage’

The bitter feud that has unfolded between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the Royal Family has been pored over. Experts have written books, carried out analysis and even interviewed some of the main characters involved in a bid to get to the bottom of the troubles. Yet, much of the fallout and reason for it remains murky.

An overarching attempt to solve the puzzle was carried out during the BBC’s second instalment of ‘The Princes and the Press’, broadcast last night.

The documentary’s narrator, Amol Rajan, spoke to a string of people either close to the Royal Family or who have an understanding of its workings, and paid special interest to how the debacle has been covered by the media.

Harry and Meghan announced that they planned to leave the Royal Family last year.

It was met with widespread surprise, although many felt that something like it had been on the horizon for a while, given the couple’s previous years in the Firm.

One of the first signs came in March 2019, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex established an office as part of Buckingham Palace.

They had previously been part of the same household as William and Kate in Kensington Palace.

Roya Nikkhah, The Sunday Times’ royal editor, claimed that this split “fuelled” speculation about the couples.

She told the BBC documentary: “It’s not easy [for siblings to have an argument in public].
For a long time William and Harry shared a household.
“But then of course when they divided, then they had their own separate aids, and their own separate communications teams, who brief.
“That fuels a lot of the media coverage.”

Having been based at Kensington Palace alongside William and Kate’s team, the Sussexes’ staff were officially moved to Buckingham Palace in late 2019.
The entries in the Court Circular — the record of the Royal Family’s past engagements — revealed the relocation.

It showed that Harry’s latest entry at the time — a trip to Amsterdam to launch the sustainable tourism initiative Travalyst — was listed under Buckingham Palace.

This was compared to the entry before which came from Kensington Palace.
A statement from Buckingham Palace confirming the news read: “The Queen has agreed to the creation of a new Household for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, following their marriage in May last year.

The Household, which will be created with the support of The Queen and The Prince of Wales, will be established in the spring.”

It added: “The Queen has given permission for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to base their Household Office at Buckingham Palace. Their Royal Highnesses will appoint new communications staff, who will form part of the Buckingham Palace communications team and report to The Queen’s Communications Secretary, Donal McCabe.”

Three months after this, it was announced that William and Kate would continue to head their Royal Foundation, while Harry and Meghan would set up their own organisation to support causes close to their heart.

The Royal Foundation said the decision was made following the conclusion of a review into its structure, but that both couples would work together in the future.

Harry and Meghan launched their Sussex Royal Foundation but it was shut down shortly after, when they stepped down as senior royals.

From the ashes of Sussex Royal came their new endeavour, the Archewell Foundation.
This looks to help charitable causes, as well as containing a business division which focuses on media and production.