The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are putting their foot down, collectively.
According to Deadline, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle penned a firm letter to editors of British tabloids The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Express and Daily Mail on Sunday night confirming that they are severing their relationship completely. Noting that they are no longer receiving public support as official British royals, the couple has confirmed they will have “zero engagement” with the tabloids.
“It is gravely concerning that an influential slice of the media, over many years, has sought to insulate themselves from taking accountability for what they say or print – even when they know it to be distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason,” the letter read. “When power is enjoyed without responsibility, the trust we all place in this much-needed industry is degraded. There is a real human cost to this way of doing business and it affects every corner of society. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have watched people they know — as well as complete strangers — have their lives completely pulled apart for no good reason, other than the fact that salacious gossip boosts advertising revenue.”
“This policy is not about avoiding criticism,” the letter continued, confirming they’ll continue to work with media organizations and outlets to highlight the issues and causes that are important to the couple. “It’s not about shutting down public conversation or censoring accurate reporting. Media have every right to report on and indeed have an opinion on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, good or bad. But it can’t be based on a lie.”
So, as we intimated in the midst of recent speculation regarding a million-dollar tell-all, if there will be any in-depth media exchanges, it will be completely on their terms (and frankly, involving respected media with journalistic integrity instead of commonly known “gossip rags”).
As the couple continues to attempt to move forward with their lives, there have already been a few moves in the news in both the entertainment and charitable sectors.
The two were recently spotted assisting the Los Angeles community in need on behalf of Project Angel Food, and Good Morning America debuted an exclusive clip of Meghan’s upcoming Disneynature film Elephant.
“I’ve been very lucky to be able to have hands-on experience with the elephants in their natural habitat. When you spend time connecting to them and the other wildlife, you really understand we have a role to play in their preservation and their safety,” Meghan said of her experience working on the film. “We see in this film just how remarkable they are. Their memories are amazing. The close connection of the herd, the protectiveness of their young — I think they are a lot more like us than are different.”