London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Harry and Meghan stir public debate ahead of Oprah interview

Harry and Meghan stir public debate ahead of Oprah interview

Vehement reactions to upcoming TV exclusive suggest royals still have power to inflame opinion
The anger of public responses in the buildup to Oprah Winfrey’s interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Sunday is a sign of the growing chasm between the generations, say expert royal watchers and social analysts.

Rarely have divisions inside the royal family engaged such a cross-section of society, or range of ages, inflaming opinion among those who normally pay little heed to dramas played out at Buckingham Palace.

This time, in addition to old questions of authority, class and privilege, the row concerns race, identity politics, gender, loyalty and patriotism. And when the interview goes out in America, before being aired around the world, including the UK, on Monday, the arguments will reach an audience on a grand scale.

“Anthropologically it is so interesting, and that has always been my concern really,” said Robert Lacey, author and royal adviser to Netflix’s hit series The Crown. “In a secular society, they [the royal family] are the closest thing we have to religion. Down the years, they only matter if they matter to people – and clearly they still do. That is why Harry and Meghan are going on primetime television in America.”

Social media, with compelling episodes of The Crown and the sustained popularity of Meghan Markle’s former television show, Suits, mean that younger observers on both sides of the Atlantic feel they are still relevant.

“There is great appeal this time for young people,” added Lacey, who has been writing about the royal family for 40 years. “I’m also enormously struck by the differences between American and British reactions. It’s quite extraordinary how Americans see it solely as a question of the Sussexes ‘finding freedom’. Whereas here we still tend to accept you will be restricted if you are a member of the royal family.”

Heightened concern about the treatment of a black American by a traditional British institution has also had a powerful effect. A special broadcast this morning from Westminster Abbey to mark Commonwealth Day on Monday is to go out in Britain ahead of coverage of Winfrey’s interview, to underline the royal family’s commitment to former colonies and to social issues. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be shown talking to South African doctor and health activist Zolelwa Sifumba about the rights of healthcare workers.

Speculation about the motivation of the Sussexes has prompted admirers of the Queen, often those who have watched her down the decades, to blame the younger couple for a lack of respect. Yet for young people, Meghan and Harry often represent a welcome modern brand of openness and a brave refusal to follow outdated rules.

“Meghan is like Diana in so far as she is a divisive figure without necessarily intending to be,” said Penny Junor, biographer of both the late Princess of Wales and Prince Charles. “But there is a generational divide now too because more younger people probably feel she is a victim, while older people don’t see it that way.” Junor added she feels “such sadness” that Britain has lost the Sussexes.

“Harry brought so much sparkle,” she said. “I was there in Windsor for that amazing wedding and I was so pleased that this woman was marrying Harry and was going to bring something so much more relatable into the royal family. There was such public goodwill on that day, it’s so sad it all soured.”

In the countdown to the interview with the self-exiled duke and duchess – a show sold to 68 countries and is due to attract a bigger audience than the Super Bowl in America – reactions to the split between the Windsors have revealed changing attitudes to codes of public behaviour and to the establishment itself.

The instinct of Deborah Mattinson, director of the consultancy BritainThinks, is that age will prove a key predictor of how someone views this conflict, although evidence is anecdotal. Mattinson’s research for her book Beyond the Red Wall, about changes to traditional working-class views in northern England, indicates that older Britons in that region maintain a strong connection to the concept of a dignified royal continuum. “My work suggests that older voters in those locations are very pro-monarchy and the Queen – and this is integral to their sense of patriotism,” Mattinson said.

Lacey has traced a long, unpleasant thread of social disdain for women who marry into the royal family, but it is coupled with an odd ambivalence. “Catherine [Middleton, now Duchess of Cambridge] had to run the gauntlet of snobbery – and the Middletons to some extent still do. Even with Diana, although the public loved her, they also disliked sides of her.”

Royalty remains a British USP and a major cultural export, whether repackaged for television drama or used for diplomatic soft power. Centuries of schisms and scandals suggest that, whatever the era, the royal family has never been a comfortable place to be. As the underpinning for a system of deference and privilege, it will always be the centre of attention. And the human discord that surrounds the monarchy is also likely to go on for as long as it does. Only our reactions as commoners will change, as society moves on.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
×