It is actually possible to not embrace the concept of the monarchy and still wish Meghan and Harry well.
They actually did leave their Royal duties and life and are trying to make money for themselves of their own accord but they are still getting grief.
No win situation for them.
I wish Harry and Meghan well. I don't wish ill to anyone. I watched their wedding and was fine with the fairy tale being told and even a tad emotional at the impact of the moment for little girls all over the world who saw themselves in Meghan marrying her prince. Not unlike the time Obama bent over in the oval office to let a young boy touch his head because he wanted to see if his hair felt the same as his. His father later describing the moment and how important it was for black children to see a black president. I get it as much as a French/Irish white kid can get it.
And while she has undoubtedly faced harsh criticism and accept that some of it is connected to racism I think it's a copout to attribute all criticisms to racism. Or that the British media is responsible for them leaving. I think they were very quick to get engaged/married and I don't think she fully understood the workings of the Firm
or she thought she could change it and ran up against a brick wall. William and Harry started a Foundation in 2009. William got married in 2011 and Kate joined the foundation. William, Kate and Harry had a foundation. Harry got married in 2018 and Meghan joined the foundation. A year later, in 2019, Harry and Meghan leave foundation to start their own. Six months later Harry and Meghan announce they are stepping back as Senior Royals.
You have to look at that timeline and all the rumours/gossip as well. Not just the vile treatment Meghan and Harry have received from some members of the media (ie... Piers Morgan). Meghan was an independent woman before she met Harry, was building her brand etc.. and closed that all down when she was about to join the family. One of the charities she worked for as a royal she collaborated with some stores to create a capsule wardrobe that helped woman get back to work/interviews. Pre-Harry she did something similar with a clothing line for Reitmans. I have a vague recollection of some skincare(?) line or product Meghan wanted to do once a member of the family and told they can't endorse products or some such.
I could go on but I suspect that this move had much more to do with financial independence and freedom from the restrictions one faces as a member of the royal family. ie..She can't sell skin care products if they are still living in the UK as senior members of the family. I don't know that Harry has any ambitions? Ambitions aren't a bad thing at all and if they want a life in the US then more power to them. They seem like a happy couple.
But Harry, to use a tired cliche, can't have his cake and eat it too. I originally came into this thread because I saw the James Cordon thing and was surprised, once again, to see Harry make the dig that he didn't want to give up his royal patronages, that the other side decided to take it away (paraphrasing here but it's a moment on the double decker). I really think at this point and with his knowledge of growing up as a royal he needs to stop that bullshit. That is the
one area I fault him, and her (because she plays into that narrative as well), and from the teaser of the Oprah interview I can already imagine that some here are going to walk away in tears comparing her to Diana ( who used the press as much as they used her...).
Harry did what many people do when they marry a foreigner. One of the couple makes a choice to live in the others homeland creating physical distance from their immediate family and a change of life/career. Sometimes (often) it's a step down for them and they need to start over, rebuild their career. Harry quit his job and by that token Meghan quit her new job.
A few questions to ponder. Has anything they have done relieved any of the negative press they get in Britain? Has it worsened? If it remained the same or worsened how has this move improved your life? <---- Asked on the basis that they want us to believe the media drove them away.
Will invoking memories of your mother in a mangled car with photographers taking pictures, not helping her, create some goodwill with the British public who feel abandoned after their warm welcome and lavish wedding (Meghan got A LOT of love back then, it wasn't all bad by any stretch of the imagination)? Is that a little manipulative and self-serving?
I'm not a hater. At all. But I am very cynical about this PR game being played.