Harry and Meghan Escalate Their Fight With the Royal Family

From left: Queen Elizabeth ii, Meghan and Prince Harry on the balcony of Buckingham Palace
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Harry and Meghan Escalate Their Fight With the Royal Family

Life for Meghan, duchess of Sussex, as a working royal was “almost unsurvivable,” according to the trailer for a new tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

From the trailer, it appears they compared their experience in the royal family to that of Harry’s mother, Diana, princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997.

The “unsurvivable” comment implies that, had they not gotten out, Meghan would have experienced a similar fate.

The full airing of the documentary, scheduled for March 7, could prove even more explosive.

Just the fact that Harry and Meghan sat down with Oprah has already widened the gulf in the royal family—and has severed the last ties between the two sides.

February 19 brought the final break between the royal family and the duke and duchess of Sussex.

About a year ago, Harry and Meghan quit as working members of the royal family. But some ties and roles remained; hopeful that Harry would change his mind, the Queen wanted to leave a road back. So they put in place a one-year transition arrangement.

The Sussexes were in talks with Buckingham Palace to finalize their new relationship, once the transition period was up. The trouble was, they were also in talks with someone else: Oprah.

They knew Buckingham Palace would not want this interview. As the Daily Mail wrote: “To the royals and their advisers, tv confessionals of the kind presided over by Ms. Winfrey are not compatible with royal life and the privileges that go with it.” Another article states: “The date of March 7, when Harry and Meghan genuflect before tv queen Oprah, is likely to be engraved in the royal memory just like Diana’s Panorama appearance on Nov. 20, 1995.

“The very real concern is that it will reopen other wounds, such as the rift between Harry and his brother—and between their wives.”

The trailer appears to live up to their worst expectations.

But the duke and duchess of Sussex kept the Oprah interview secret while they worked on a divorce deal from the royal family. They hoped they could secure a more amicable split, and then announce the Oprah interview later.

But something went wrong with their schedule. Someone on Oprah’s production team accidentally let the interview leak. The royal family heard about it. And the Queen was, reportedly, not happy.

Richard Kay reported in the Daily Mail, “It was not just that so much promise was unfulfilled, but that all the affection and indulgence shown to Harry had been so spectacularly ignored—or even thrown back in her face.”

So, instead of the two sides working together amicably, on February 19 Buckingham Palace released a statement:

The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. The honorary military appointments and royal patronages held by the duke and duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of the royal family.

The Sussexes, in turn, were disappointed, replying that they would “live a life of service” outside the royal family, saying: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”

Talking back to the Queen like that was interpreted by many as a display of disrespect. The Daily Mail reported: “Although officials do not want a slanging match, many are said to feel the ‘barbed’ statement was ‘horribly disrespectful’ to the elderly monarch, whose husband Philip is in hospital.

“The peevish disrespect Harry and Meghan showed the Queen yesterday—in a statement in which they appeared to lecture on the meaning of duty and service—sent shock waves throughout the palace and beyond. ‘Outrageous,’ said one source. To another, it was ‘unconscionable’ of the couple to have had the last word. ‘It showed such disrespect,’ he said.”

The Sussexes apparently want to arrange their own charity and philanthropy, with no input from the royal family. They also want to be free to make money on the side: They’ve done multimillion-dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify, and Meghan has invested in the Clevr Blends health brand. But they still want some of the perks that go with royalty.

According to the Daily Mail, a palace insider said, “Let’s be clear, the Sussexes instigated this. They jumped. But the Queen is firm: Either you are a public servant or you aren’t. You can’t line your pockets while undertaking official duties.”

The Mail also noted, “According to one official, she made it ‘abundantly clear’ to her grandson that when it comes to being a working royal you are either in, or you are out, telling him: ‘You work for the monarchy; the monarchy doesn’t work for you.’”

They will now have to give up their remaining roles—including Harry’s honorary military positions, such as his post as captain general of the Royal Marines.

The Oprah interview seems set to be a public airing of all the Sussexes grievances. In the trailer, Oprah said that “there is no subject that is off limits.” And the questions seem to confirm that. In one clip, she asked Meghan, “Were you silent or were you silenced?”

Oprah seems confident with the interview. She reportedly told a friend it was “the best she has ever done.” Could the interview do even more damage to the royal family?

The cover article for our September 2017 Trumpet magazine was “The Fall of the British Royal Family.” In it, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry asked, “What is wrong with Britain and the royal family? This issue is far more important than people generally realize.”

That article laments the decline of the royal family. Many of the royals have had troubled family lives. The family and the country have drifted from biblical morality. Many of the young royals, including Harry, have gotten behind causes that are anti-Bible.

Meghan and Harry have become more involved in United States politics, often supporting the radical left. In the lead-up to the U.S. election, they released a video all but telling people to vote Democrat. It has since been revealed that Meghan had a meeting with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The two have also become close to the Obama family, with Meghan appearing alongside Michelle Obama at an event over the summer. Such politicking is anathema to the royals in London. And now the divide seems set to get even worse

That the royal family should be hit by so many serious, once-in-a-generation-or-more crises just months after Mr. Flurry published an article about its “rapid decline” should cause us to look more deeply into what is happening here. The events of the last few weeks could be a sign that things are about to get worse.

This throne once brought unity; now it is only bringing division.

We can see a clear difference and change in that throne, which is underpinned by an important, spiritual reality

God has a plan for a royal family that brings blessings, not curses, to those it rules. A royal family done God’s way brings unity. Mr. Flurry explained in his June 20, 2018, Key of David episode “The New Throne of David” that this new royal family God has planned “is going to unify the entire world.” He called this throne “a monumental hope for this world,” adding that “this truth can galvanize your life and fill you with joy and hope, as nothing else can! And I’m not just saying that. This is not a fantasy. You can do that, and it will work in your life.”

The royal family has a long history with God, and as such, God has a lot to say about it. He has a wonderful plan for a future throne.

Our free book The New Throne of David explains that plan in great detail. It’s a plan for everyone on Earth, not just those in the royal family.