'The Great British Break Off': How North American And UK Newspapers Reported Meghan And Harry's Exit
Newspapers and columnists on both sides of the Atlantic have been withering in their commentary about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after it was announced on Saturday the couple will walk away from the monarchy.
News that the Sussexes are to repay the taxpayers’ millions spent on their Berkshire home, no longer use the HRH titles and stop carrying out royal duties from the spring made many front pages in North America, where they intend to spend much of their time, and the United Kingdom.
The New York Post splashed the ‘The Great British Break Off’ headline, adding Harry and Meghan “will pay back 3 million dollars in Megxit deal”.
Its celebrity gossip site Page Six described it as a result “gracefully crafted” by the Queen, with the title’s Canadian comment writer Isabel Vincent writing the Queen had shown she “wasn’t going to put up with any more nonsense” from the couple who “have behaved like two spoiled brats”.
She added that Buckingham Palace did not comment on who would be paying for Harry and Meghan’s security while they stay in Canada, writing: “I say let these new commoners pay the tab.”
By contrast to its New York namesake, the Washington Post was more sympathetic - focussing on the scrutiny the couple has faced from the British media.
Its take read: “The couple win their freedom from a palace-centric life of duty serving the queen as ‘senior working royals,’ which they found suffocating — especially the intense, often harsh media coverage.”
“Hard Megxit:” why Queen Elizabeth gave Harry and Meghan a tougher severance package than they hoped for. https://t.co/yPJGufJnk5
— Mark Landler (@MarkLandler) January 19, 2020
The New York Times’ Mark Landler also pointed to “a toxic relationship with Britain’s tabloids” as well as the American links with the “unusual deal”.
“However civil, the agreement codifies one of the most dramatic ruptures within the British royal family since King Edward VIII...
