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Prince Harry And Meghan Will No Longer Engage With British Tabloids

By Michael Bamidele

20 April 2020   |   12:15 pm

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have told the editors of four of the most popular British tabloid newspapers that they will no longer engage with them. The couple in a letter to the editors the Sun, Daily Mail, Mirror and Express stated that from now on they would not respond to any inquiries from journalists…

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry With Baby Archie | Image: Elle

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have told the editors of four of the most popular British tabloid newspapers that they will no longer engage with them.

The couple in a letter to the editors the Sun, Daily Mail, Mirror and Express stated that from now on they would not respond to any inquiries from journalists working for the outlets. Instead, there will be a policy of “zero engagement”, except when necessary through the couple’s lawyers.

According to the letter, the Duke and Duchess refuse to “offer themselves up as currency for an economy of clickbait and distortion”. The move also serves as a message to the public not to trust the aforementioned media organisation as they accuse the outlets of running stories that are “distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason”.

“It is gravely concerning that an influential slice of the media, over many years, has sought to insulate themselves from taking accountability for what they say or print – even when they know it to be distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason. When power is enjoyed without responsibility, the trust we all place in this much-needed industry is degraded.” the letter said.

“There is a real human cost to this way of doing business and it affects every corner of society. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have watched people they know – as well as complete strangers – have their lives completely pulled apart for no good reason, other than the fact that salacious gossip boosts advertising revenue.”

Addressing the editors directly, the letter continues: “With that said, please note that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be engaging with your outlet. There will be no corroboration and zero engagement. This is also a policy being instated for their communications team, in order to protect that team from the side of the industry that readers never see.”

The couple maintains that the new media relations policy is not an attempt at censoring reports or avoiding criticism:

“This policy is not about avoiding criticism. It’s not about shutting down public conversation or censoring accurate reporting. 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.”

The new arrangements under this policy would mean the tabloids would not be given access to the duke and duchess’ photographs or updates that will be shared with other news outlets from the couple’s media team.

Last year, in a stinging attack on the tabloid media, Prince Harry said his wife, Meghan was being hounded by the press in the same way as his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was before her death in 1997.

“My deepest fear is history repeating itself,” he said.

The pair recently relocated to California after quitting their formal royal roles, after a stay in Canada. Their relocation to North America was first revealed by the Sun at the start of the year, in a story that is thought to have angered the couple.