Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced that they will have zero interactions with four newspaper groups in the United Kingdom. The ban is also extended to the websites of these publications.
Harry and his wife have declared that they will stop responding to queries from reporters of four newspaper groups in Britain. The reason quoted by them is that they will be practicing a “zero engagement” policy. However, the couple insists that their move is not to avoid criticism.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex who is now in Los Angeles mentioned through a letter via the Guardian on Sunday night that they do not intend to interact with publications like the Daily Mirror, the Daily Mail, the Daily Express, and The Sun.
Their letter further mentions that they refuse to “offer themselves up” to a certain section of the British media. Harry and Markle mention that while they acknowledge that the media enjoys “every right” to report on the former royals, they claim that they are not doing it to avoid criticism.
The Duke and Duchess also mentioned that they believe in freedom of the press. They agree that the first obligation of journalism is to write the truth. The couple also indicated that while the press has the right to report on them, the foundation cannot be based on a lie.
This latest announcement came a few hours after Prince William’s younger brother was slammed for mentioning that the COVID-19 crisis of the United Kingdom is not as critical as the way people are being told.
Harry, 35, told in a recent podcast that “things are better than we are led to believe through” some sections of the media. However, Karol Sikora, an expert professor said that the Duke’s remarks were “outrageous.” He asked what qualification Prince Harry has for making such remarks except for leaving his nation in such a situation, Daily Mail reports.
This new decision would mean that the press team of the Duke and Duchess will not respond to calls from these four papers. The couple has stepped back from royal responsibilities and is residing in California at present. The Duke of Sussex has always had a difficult and complicated relationship with the media over the years, The National reports.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had launched an attack on the newspapers of the United Kingdom on their website Sussexroyal.com even before they stepped down. However, Prince Charles’ younger son called the media a “powerful force” in a speech that followed the couple’s intention to quit royal duties.