Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced the four British publications that they would no longer deal with. The couple sent a letter to the editors of The Sun, Mirror, Daily Mail, and Express titles and websites as they ceased all cooperation with them. Although it has been known that the Sussexes are at war with British tabloids, some wonder why they have to do it now during a world health crisis.
According to Hello! Magazine, although the timing of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's announcement seems a little weird, it's because a court hearing is about to take place on Friday, April 24. To recall, the former actress filed a complaint against the Mail on Sunday for publishing a private letter she sent to her father, Thomas Markle. But, due to the ongoing pandemic and nationwide lockdown, the hearing is about to take place virtually instead of in person.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's spokesperson revealed that the two decided to ban the four publications because of their "distorted, false, or invasive stories" about them. They refused to be used as "currency for an economy of clickbait and distortion." Aside from themselves, they said that they also see other people who have fallen victims of malicious reporting that only boosts the tabloids' "advertising revenue."
With the newly-announced ban, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's PR team will no longer work with the said publications to give an update or even confirm news about them. However, they stressed that their decision was not made to avoid criticisms, shut down a public conversation, or censor accurate reporting. Although they knew that the media have all the right to give an opinion or make a report about them, whether it's positive or negative news, it shouldn't be "based on a lie."
Prince Harry has long had a love-and-hate relationship with the media since time immemorial. He blames the press for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997 while being persistently followed by paparazzi. USA Today added that his hate for them even grew when he started dating Meghan Markle, who was still part of the TV series Suits at the time.
In 2016, he said the media was harassing his then-girlfriend and criticized "racial undertones" in some reports about her race. To avoid the press, they decided to quit as senior royals, be financially independent, and move to North America. Now, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in California after they officially stepped down as full-time working royals.
