Did Meghan take veiled swipe at royal family in first Archetypes podcast since the Queen’s death?

The Duchess of Sussex has told listeners to ‘be yourself no matter what any societal framework tells you’ as she recorded her first Archetypes podcast since the Queen‘s death.

Meghan, 41, had paused the release of her Spotify podcast for the duration of the mourning period for the monarch following her death at Balmoral last month.

But in a new episode released today exploring the ‘Dragon Lady’ stereotype with journalist Lisa Ling and comedian Margaret Cho, the duchess told listeners to disregard the ‘loud voice coming from a small place’.

The remarks left listeners wondering if the duchess was taking a veiled swipe at the Royal Family as she discussed how people should define themselves.

Meghan urged listeners to be their ‘best and true self’, adding: ‘You want to be weird or be sponge-like, be silly or fierce, be curious, or even self doubting or unsure some days and strong and brave on others,’ she said at the end of the episode. ‘Whatever it is, that’s up to you.

‘Just be yourself no matter what any societal framework or archetype or loud voice coming from a small place tells you that you should be. 

‘Be yourself. your full complete whole layered, sometimes weird, sometimes awesome, but always best and true self. Just be you. You’re so much greater than any archetype.’

It comes after earlier Meghan has previously spoken negatively of life in the Royal Family after marrying Prince Harry.

In August, the duchess said she and Harry were ‘happy’ to leave Britain and were ‘upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy… just by existing’ before they quit as senior royals.

Meghan, 41, had paused the release of her Spotify podcast for the duration of the mourning period for the monarch following her death at Balmoral last month

Meghan, 41, had paused the release of her Spotify podcast for the duration of the mourning period for the monarch following her death at Balmoral last month

The Queen pictured alongside the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the Buckingham Palace balcony to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force in July 2018

The Queen pictured alongside the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the Buckingham Palace balcony to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force in July 2018

In a bombshell interview to The Cut – part of New York magazine – she claimed that what the couple asked for when they wanted financial freedom was not ‘reinventing the wheel’.

The article also heard from Harry who suggested some members of the Royal Family ‘aren’t able to work and live together’, while Meghan revealed that her husband told her that he had ‘lost’ his father Prince Charles.

A week earlier, she was also slammed for throwing a ‘punch towards the Royal Family’ after she took a swipe at being ‘labelled’ ambitious when she started dating Harry.

In the first episode of the Archetypes podcast with tennis star Serena Williams, Meghan said she does not ‘ever remember personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word ambitious, until I started dating my now husband’ and revealed the ‘pain’ that she has suffered ‘behind closed doors’.

Elsewhere in today’s podcast, the duchess took aim at Hollywood for promoting ‘Asian stereotypes’ as she criticised Mike Myers’ Austin Powers and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill for ‘caricaturing’ Asian women ‘as over sexualised or aggressive’ in her first Archetypes podcast after a four-week break following the Queen’s death.

In a new episode exploring the ‘Dragon Lady’ stereotype with journalist Lisa Ling and comedian Margaret Cho, the Duchess of Sussex – a former actress in the legal drama Suits – called out the two 20-year-old movies ‘presenting caricatures of women of Asian descent’.

The 2002 Austin Powers film Goldmember features Japanese women Fook Mi, portrayed by Diane Mizota, and Fook Yu, played by Carrie Ann Inaba. The characters have been criticised for ‘sexually tokenising’ Asian women, and at one stage Powers – a comedy spy who is portrayed as continually on the hunt for sexual conquests – is seen with a list reading ‘threesome with Japanese twins’. 

Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 cult hit Kill Bill sees Lucy Liu star as the murderously violent Yakuza leader O-Ren Ishii. The character was described by writer India Roby as a stereotypical Dragon Lady who ‘uses her sexuality as a powerful tool of manipulation, but often is emotionally and sexually cold and threatens masculinity’. 

Liu responded to the criticism last year in an opinion piece for The Washington Post, in which she argued that calling O-Ren a Dragon Lady doesn’t make sense considering the film ‘features three other female professional killers in addition to Ishii’. 

Meghan began today’s podcast by talking about her experience of growing up in Los Angeles which was ‘full of culture that you could see, feel, hear and taste on a daily basis’ and said she had a ‘real love’ of getting to know other cultures.

She said she was not aware of the stigmas faced by women of Asian descent until many years later. 

Brief clips from Austin Powers and Kill Bill were played to illustrate Meghan’s point. The Kill Bill character O-Ren Ishii is heard removing the head of Japanese crime boss Tanaka with a a samurai sword, before stating: ‘The price you pay for either bringing up either my Chinese or American heritage as a negative is: I collect your f****** head.’

Meanwhile, Austin Powers is heard being asked by Fook Mi for his autograph. When she told him her name, he replies: ‘Oh behave baby.’

‘Movies like Austin Powers and Kill Bill presented these characters of Asian women as oftentimes over sexualized or aggressive,’ Meghan says. ‘And it’s not just those two examples, there’s so many more.’   

Expanding on the concept later in the podcast, the duchess told Cho: ‘The Dragon Lady, the East Asian temptress whose mysterious foreign allure is scripted as both tantalising and deadly,’ she told Cho. This has seeped into a lot of our entertainment. But this toxic stereotyping of women of Asian descent, it doesn’t just end once the credits roll.’ 

In the introduction to today’s episode, Meghan spoke of going to a Korean spa with her mother as a teenager, adding: ‘It’s a very humbling experience for a girl going through puberty because you enter a room with women from ages nine to maybe 90, all walking around naked and waiting to get a body scrub on one of these tables that are all lined up in a row.

‘All I wanted was a bathing suit. Once I was over that adolescent embarrassment, my mom and I, we would go upstairs we would sit in a room and we would have a steaming bowl of the most delicious noodles.’ 

The 2002 Austin Powers film features Japanese women Fook Mi, portrayed by Diane Mizota, and Fook Yu, played by Carrie Ann Inaba. The characters have previously been criticised for 'sexually tokenising' Asian women

The 2002 Austin Powers film features Japanese women Fook Mi, portrayed by Diane Mizota, and Fook Yu, played by Carrie Ann Inaba. The characters have previously been criticised for ‘sexually tokenising’ Asian women

Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino's 2003 cult hit Kill Bill sees Lucy Liu star as Yakuza leader O-Ren Ishii. The character has been described by one writer as a stereotypical Dragon Lady who 'uses her sexuality as a powerful tool of manipulation, but often is emotionally and sexually cold and threatens masculinity'

Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 cult hit Kill Bill sees Lucy Liu star as Yakuza leader O-Ren Ishii. The character has been described by one writer as a stereotypical Dragon Lady who ‘uses her sexuality as a powerful tool of manipulation, but often is emotionally and sexually cold and threatens masculinity’

Lisa Ling

Margaret Cho

The Duchess of Sussex released the latest episode this morning, shortly after it was reported she had hired a fact checker for the series. In the new release, she explores the ‘Dragon Lady’ stereotype with journalist Lisa Ling and comedian Margaret Cho

Harry and Meghan are pictured at Westminster Hall on September 14 during memorial events for the Queen

Harry and Meghan are pictured at Westminster Hall on September 14 during memorial events for the Queen 

At one point Ling told Meghan how, when she was a broadcaster at Channel One, she was named hot reporter in the Rolling Stone’s Hot List. ‘Someone at my place of work cut out that article, drew slanted eyes over the eyes and wrote ‘yeah, right’ and then put it back in my mailbox,’ Ling said.

She said: ‘It was like every kernel of excitement that I possessed just withered away. It was so devastating that someone that I would see every day in my place of work where we’re supposed to feel comfortable, just harboured those feelings about me and had the nerve to make it racial.’  

Characters Meghan blames for ‘perpetuating stereotypes’ 

Austin Powers – Fook Mi and Fook Yu 

Fook Mi and Fook Yu were two twin Japanese women that Austin Powers – played by Mike Myers – met following his knighting at Buckingham Palace in the 2002 film Goldmember. Diane Mizota plays Fook Mi and Carrie Ann Inaba plays Fook Yu.

After Fook Mi asked for an autograph, she repeatedly tells Powers her name to which he responds ‘Oh, behave, baby!’ He did the same with Fook Yu before he found out she was Fook Mi’s sister. 

At this point he says: ‘You’re going the right way for a smacked bottom, I don’t care who knows it!’  At one point, the comedy spy is seen with a list reading ‘threesome with Japanese twins’.

The characters have been criticised for ‘sexually tokenising’ Asian women, while others have suggested they mock Asian names. 

Powers is seen with a list reading 'threesome with Japanese twins'

Powers is seen with a list reading ‘threesome with Japanese twins’

Kill Bill – O-Ren Ishii 

O-Ren Ishii

O-Ren Ishii

Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 cult hit Kill Bill sees Lucy Liu star as the murderously violent organised crime boss O-Ren Ishii. 

A member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad known by her code-name Cottonmouth, she was born on an American military base in Tokyo and goes on to fight her way to the top of the Japanese Yakuza. 

At one point in the film, O-Ren Ishii removes the head of Japanese crime boss Tanaka with a a samurai sword, before stating: ‘The price you pay for either bringing up either my Chinese or American heritage as a negative is: I collect your f****** head.’   

The character was described by writer India Roby as a stereotypical Dragon Lady who ‘uses her sexuality as a powerful tool of manipulation, but often is emotionally and sexually cold and threatens masculinity’. 

Liu responded to the criticism last year in an opinion piece for The Washington Post, in which she argued that calling O-Ren a Dragon Lady doesn’t make sense considering the film ‘features three other female professional killers in addition to Ishii’. 

In another exchange, Korean-American comic Margaret Cho spoke about enjoying life to the full, saying: ‘I think it’s growing old and understanding the brevity of life that you have to really enjoy the time you have because it’s, it’s not very long, you know, it goes by very fast.’ Meghan replied: ‘Yeah….it’s so true.’ 

The pair also exchanged plaudits with Meghan telling Cho she loved her new film Fire Island and that it had been a ‘huge success.’ Cho told Meghan she discussed her admiration for the duchess on the set of the movie, saying: ‘Thank you…I loved that movie. I mean, I love Joel (actor Joel Kim Booster) … we actually talked a lot about you on set. We were just admiring you, just so much.’

Meghan replied: ‘Oh, really?… I really appreciate that.’ The duchess added: ‘Honestly, I’m thrilled. When I came downstairs, I was ‘I’m talking to Margaret Cho this morning’.’

It comes as the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden reported that Meghan has hired a fact checker for her podcast, which was commissioned by Spotify in December 2020. 

Meghan hasn’t chosen a run-of-the-mill recruit but a young and highly talented American writer, Nicole Pasulka, whose interests closely mirror her own.

‘I write about criminal justice, activism, race, music, business, queer culture, and gender,’ Pasulka alerts visitors to her website, which mentions that she is ‘currently writing a book’.

In fact, her book was published this summer entitled: How You Get Famous – ‘a deep dive into New York city’s underground drag scene’. 

Previously claims made by Meghan in interviews have been met with confusion. For example, in an interview with American magazine The Cut, she recalled chatting to a South African cast member of The Lion King at the film’s 2019 London premiere.

‘He said: ‘I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison,’ ‘ Meghan recalled.

Yet Dr John Kani, the only South African cast member, has pointed out that he has never met Meghan and wasn’t at the premiere. Of course, as the late Queen memorably put it on another occasion, ‘recollections may vary’.   

It comes as the Sussexes released new portraits of themselves taken by celebrity photographer Misan Harriman, director of the Southbank Centre and a close friend of the couple who was one of the few people invited to Lilibet’s Windsor first birthday party in June.

The couple are shown attending the One Young World summit for youth leaders in Manchester last month. The first image shows Meghan in a red blouse and matching trousers with a chunky gold ring and earrings. The duchess stands face on, looking into the camera and holding one of Harry’s fingers. The duke stands behind her at an angle, smiling in a smart black suit and tie.

The stance is reminiscent of the couple’s 2021 Time magazine photo shoot, in which Meghan stood in the centre and Harry stood at an angle behind her with a hand resting on her shoulder.

In the second image, taken ‘just moments’ before the opening ceremony of the summit, the couple are standing next to one each other, side-on to the camera, holding hands and looking out at the audience.

Body language expert Judi James told MailOnline that the new portraits aim to show the Sussexes as a ‘power couple’ and ‘defiant’ on their return to the UK.

In a trend repeated in many pictures released by the couple, Harry is behind Meghan in a show of ‘support’. The Duchess is dressed and poses like a CEO – and her husband looks ‘dour’ behind her amid tensions with his family. 

A fact-checker could cut through the confusion which has occasionally ¿ and unfortunately ¿ followed some of Meghan's statements. For example, in an interview with American magazine The Cut, she recalled chatting to a South African cast member of The Lion King at the film's 2019 London premiere

A fact-checker could cut through the confusion which has occasionally — and unfortunately — followed some of Meghan’s statements. For example, in an interview with American magazine The Cut, she recalled chatting to a South African cast member of The Lion King at the film’s 2019 London premiere

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex greet US singer Pharrell Williams at the European Premiere of Disney's The Lion King

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex greet US singer Pharrell Williams at the European Premiere of Disney’s The Lion King

Royal experts have said that the timing of the release is significant – and could be a hint that a PR blitz is coming ahead of the release of Harry’s memoirs and their Netflix show.

Author and investigative journalist Tom Bower, who wrote a recent biography of Meghan Markle, said: ‘Now back in California, the Sussexes have clearly decided to go for broke.

‘These photos are the beginning of their renewed campaign to launch Harry’s book, the Netflix series and other lucrative appearances to re-establish their brand.

‘In the end, Meghan’s sight is fixed on maximising her income and nothing will get in her way. Without any sympathy for Charles and the Royal family, they are now set on promoting themselves and earn their living.

‘I expect more critical interviews and Podcasts showing an uncompromising attitude towards the Royal Family’.

Another leading royal journalist predicts the portraits ‘don’t bode well for the near future’.

Phil Dampier said: ‘There is no doubt Harry and Meghan released these photos in direct response to the picture of the new King and Queen together with the Prince And Princess of Wales.

‘The timing is so obvious. In the photos they are trying to look royal and important with Harry wearing a smart suit and Meghan an understated outfit.

‘And the use of a black and white photo is an old trick dating back to the days of President Kennedy with pictures taken at the White House. Black and white is somehow more serious and statesmanlike in certain situations.

‘The overall impression is of Harry and Meghan setting up a rival court. And this doesn’t bode well for the near future.

‘We are told that Harry wants to tone down his book and the Netflix documentary on the couple out of respect for the late Queen.

‘But this tends to indicate they are not going to let go of their attempts to be seen as an alternative royal family.

‘Harry and Meghan are still waiting for the King to confirm titles for their children Archie and Lilibet.

‘Maybe this is their way of turning the screw and saying : ‘We haven’t gone away – when are you going to honour our kids?’.’

The pictures of the Sussexes were taken by celebrity photographer Misan Harriman, director of the Southbank Centre and a friend of the couple who has taken photos of celebrities including Rihanna, Stormzy, Tom Cruise and Giorgio Armani. 

He posted them online last night – days after the release of an official portrait of the so-called ‘New Fab Four’: King Charles, the Queen Consort and the Prince and Princess of Wales. The phrase ‘Fab Four’ was once used to refer to William, Harry, Kate and Meghan. 

Mr Harriman, Lilibet's photographer, with one of his children in face paint in the Frogmore Cottage garden in June

Mr Harriman, Lilibet’s photographer, with one of his children in face paint in the Frogmore Cottage garden in June

In this picture from June, Lilibet is seen in her mother Meghan's arms inside Frogmore, beside photographer Misan Harriman's wife Camilla Holmstroem and their two daughters

In this picture from June, Lilibet is seen in her mother Meghan’s arms inside Frogmore, beside photographer Misan Harriman’s wife Camilla Holmstroem and their two daughters

Following the Sussexes’ departure from Britain and the Queen’s death last month, the picture stressed that Charles, William and their wives will be the new core of the Royal Family moving forward.

Meghan Markle hires fact-checker for her Spotify podcast series Archetypes 

Meghan Markle has hired a fact-checker for her much-anticipated Spotify podcast series, Archetypes.

Her poise and passion in front of a camera or microphone are surely unequalled in royal history. But these gifts haven’t blinded the Duchess of Sussex to the fact that she, like the rest of mankind, is fallible.

The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden can reveal that Meghan has been employing a ‘fact-checker’ for Archetypes, which resumes today, having been suspended immediately after the Queen‘s death.

Meghan hasn’t chosen a run-of-the-mill recruit but a young and highly talented American writer, Nicole Pasulka, whose interests closely mirror her own.

A fact-checker could cut through the confusion which has occasionally — and unfortunately — followed some of Meghan’s statements. 

For example, in an interview with American magazine The Cut, she recalled chatting to a South African cast member of The Lion King at the film’s 2019 London premiere.

‘He said: ‘I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison,’ ‘ Meghan recalled.

Yet Dr John Kani, the only South African cast member, has pointed out that he has never met Meghan and wasn’t at the premiere. 

Of course, as the late Queen memorably put it on another occasion, ‘recollections may vary’.

The pictures of Harry and Meghan overshadowed images of the King and the Queen Consort’s successful first public visit since the end of the Royal mourning period. 

Charles and Camilla were met with large crowds as they undertook one of the late Queen’s last wishes and conferred city status on Dunfermline in Scotland. 

There is no suggestion the Sussexes deliberately timed the release of their images in an attempt to eclipse the King’s visit. But is illustrative of the fact that since they moved to the US, they have not coordinated their activities with those of other members of the Royal Family, resulting in several clashes. 

One Young World hosts an annual summit for young leaders to ‘be inspired, share learnings, and connect’ as well as ‘raise the bar for what it is possible to achieve as leaders, individually and collectively’. Meghan gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the event in Manchester. 

Addressing the 2,000-strong crowd, with representatives from 190 countries, she said it was ‘nice to be back in the UK’ and described the delegates as ‘the future, but also the present, driving the positive and necessary change needed across the globe’.

Harry and Meghan’s new photos came as the first official portrait of King Charles with Queen Consort Camilla was being studied with affection and fascination all over the world.

By their side stands the Prince of Wales, his eldest son and heir – clearly a good deal taller than Charles – and the newly appointed Princess of Wales, his wife. 

The photograph is brimming with symbolism of course: the new sovereign is pictured with his son and heir, while looming behind them is a glowering portrait of King George III, the longest-reigning male monarch in British history.

But what is perhaps even more remarkable is that the picture was taken on the eve of the Queen’s funeral, when our four most senior royals were about to host a huge reception for visiting Heads of State, including US President Joe Biden, at Buckingham Palace.

The message, if one was needed, was clear: the business of monarchy never rests, even at times of great personal sorrow, and its enduring strength lies in its continuity.

However it is also a reminder that the royals are always on duty – even when they have to summon every inch of self-control, as they did during the public grieving for the Queen who for them was a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother as well as the monarch.

The photo also serves as a not-so-subtle nod to the King’s wishes for a slimmed-down monarchy: one he believes will be more relevant and more resilient. 

The unspoken elephant in the room is the absence of the King’s younger son, Harry.

Three years ago, the Sussexes would have had every expectation to be part of this family ensemble.

In fact, only four years ago, there was just such a photograph issued to mark the then-Prince of Wales’s 70th birthday. 

But, within months, the unity and happiness that radiated from that image had vanished.

Analysts allege it is surely can no coincidence that the picture was taken when the couple were still in Britain and several days before they returned home to their children Archie and Lilibet.

It must, therefore, be yet another signal that they will never again return to their central role in royal life.

Prince Harry, Prince William, then-Prince Charles, and Sir David Attenborough attend the 'Our Planet' global premiere at the Natural History Museum on April 4, 2019 in London, England

Prince Harry, Prince William, then-Prince Charles, and Sir David Attenborough attend the ‘Our Planet’ global premiere at the Natural History Museum on April 4, 2019 in London, England 

Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan have ditched the glitzy public relations firm that has represented the former-actress since her days on legal drama Suits. 

The couple have ditched New York-based public relations outfit Sunshine Sachs sources confirmed to Richard Eden on Friday.

‘This is a really big deal for Meghan,’ the insider alleged. ‘She takes the view that she doesn’t need to pay an outside firm a lot of money to do PR for her and Harry any more.’

Sunshine Sachs’ partner Keleigh Thomas Morgan played a key role in establishing the Sussexes in California, sharing her contacts and a powerful network of advisers and famous friends.

Keleigh, 45, was a long-term friend of Meghan’s and helped devise the strategy for the couple’s African tour in 2019, when they were still working members of the Royal Family.

She was also a guest at the royal wedding and has represented American actor Tyler Perry, whose Los Angeles mansion Harry and Meghan used as a base while house-hunting.

But from now on the publicity for the couple’s numerous ventures is being handled ‘in-house’ at their charitable foundation, Archewell, by former Silicon Valley bigwig Christine Schirmer, who’s head of communications. 

Toya Holness, who was appointed as ‘global press secretary’ in March 2021, was reported to have parted company with the Sussexes earlier this year.

Schirmer should certainly be kept busy. Not only does Meghan’s series of podcasts for audio giant Spotify resume broadcasting next week, but the couple have a string of big projects in the pipeline including Harry’s highly controversial autobiography and a reality television show for U.S. streaming firm Netflix.

Last week, the Mail on Sunday revealed that Harry had launched an 11th-hour bid to alter his memoir amid fears it would be seen as insensitive after the Queen’s death, which saw a public outpouring of support for the Royal Family.

The picture that tells Harry and Meghan there’s no way back: The first official portrait of King Charles with Queen Consort Camilla – alongside William and Kate – carries an air of finality, writes RICHARD KAY

By Richard Kay for the Daily Mail 

All over the world yesterday, the first official portrait of King Charles with Queen Consort Camilla was being studied with affection and fascination.

Affection because rarely has Charles looked so at ease in a formal photograph, and fascination because with William and Kate, the new Prince and Princess of Wales, at his side, we have a glimpse of the present and future of the monarchy.

Observers will search for clues about everything from its composition and backdrop to what it tells us about the long-term security not only of the Royal Family but, more pertinently, of the institution that they represent.

The photograph is brimming with symbolism of course: the new sovereign is pictured with his son and heir, while looming behind them is a glowering portrait of King George III, the longest-reigning male monarch in British history.

But what is perhaps even more remarkable is that the picture was taken on the eve of the Queen’s funeral, when our four most senior royals were about to host a huge reception for visiting Heads of State, including US President Joe Biden, at Buckingham Palace.

The photograph is brimming with symbolism of course: the new sovereign is pictured with his son and heir, while looming behind them is a glowering portrait of King George III, the longest-reigning male monarch in British history

The photograph is brimming with symbolism of course: the new sovereign is pictured with his son and heir, while looming behind them is a glowering portrait of King George III, the longest-reigning male monarch in British history

The message, if one was needed, was clear: the business of monarchy never rests, even at times of great personal sorrow, and its enduring strength lies in its continuity.

However it is also a reminder that the royals are always on duty – even when they have to summon every inch of self-control, as they did during the public grieving for the Queen who for them was a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother as well as the monarch.

Palace sources said that the picture had been taken to mark a ‘historic moment’ for the family. But there was more than just history on display here.

The body language of all four is surprisingly relaxed. It speaks of warmth and acceptance. The taller William and Kate may physically dominate, but the eye is drawn to the new King, a pace closer to the camera, and wearing an easy confidence.

For once, those cuff-tugging mannerisms and general fidgeting so familiar from any number of ceremonial portraits are absent.

One hand rests comfortably behind Camilla’s back while the other is casually thrust into his jacket pocket.

But it is the hint of a smile on his face that is the most telling. It is the look of a man who is not daunted by what lies ahead – but rather is invigorated by it.

There is another significant factor here too. And it is a not-so-subtle nod to his wishes for a slimmed-down monarchy: one he believes will be more relevant and more resilient. Some will wonder if this is not just slimming down, but cutting to the bone. The unspoken elephant in the room is the absence of the King’s younger son.

Three years ago, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan would have had every expectation to be part of this family ensemble.

Indeed, only four years ago, there was just such a photograph issued to mark the then-Prince of Wales’s 70th birthday.

But, within months, the unity and happiness that radiated from that image had vanished.

So it is not difficult to imagine how this picture will be viewed in sunny California, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are based. Might it deepen their feelings of exclusion and exile, or will it merely serve to remind them why they chose to break from the family in the first place?

It surely can be no coincidence that the picture was taken when the couple were still in Britain and several days before they returned home to their children Archie and Lilibet. It must, therefore, be yet another signal that they will never again return to their central role in royal life.

Prince Harry, Prince William, then-Prince Charles, and Sir David Attenborough attend the 'Our Planet' global premiere at the Natural History Museum on April 4, 2019 in London, England

Might it deepen their feelings of exclusion and exile, or will it merely serve to remind them why they chose to break from the family in the first place?

One reason that they chose to walk away in the first place was because they did not wish to share the spotlight.

In America, they are at the centre of their own production. But in Britain, there is a new royal order – and it revolves around four people, not six.

There is a finality about this photo that suggests there is no way back for a couple who could have been at the epicentre of royalty, but are now at its margins.

Is it the dagger to their hearts it was for Prince Andrew when he was first excluded from the Palace balcony? It certainly feels like it.

Over the years the Queen often curated the photographs around her when she spoke to the nation for her Christmas message. She did so in 2019, when on her desk were pictures of her own father and Charles, but also William and Prince George. Here, it said, was monarchy past, present and future. The omission of Harry was said to have contributed to his break from the family just weeks later.

Rather than photographs, King Charles commandeered the art on the walls of his new palace home for this image – and he selected carefully. Choosing as backdrop a king who reigned for 60 years was another nod to the permanence – and preservation – of monarchy.

It is a lesson Prince Harry could do well to study, because every royal picture tells a story.

Why Harry snubbed William’s offer of a secret summit to heal their rift: In a bombshell TV interview, Harry said he and his brother were on ‘different paths’. William was blindsided, but when he suggested a crisis meeting, the response was heartbreaking

In the final extract from his riveting new book on how the Sussexes’ relationship with palace staff deteriorated, VALENTINE LOW recalls the impact of the couple’s shocking TV interviews — and examines the truth behind their claims . . .  

The first intimation that Meghan might be a victim — as well as a possibly rather difficult employer and sister-in-law — came in an ITV documentary.

Filmed in a garden in Johannesburg, during the Sussexes’s 2019 tour of South Africa, she’d spoken to presenter Tom Bradby about how she’d struggled with life in the spotlight, both as a newlywed and as a new mother. He’d then asked her what the impact of all that pressure had been on her physical and mental health.

Looking vulnerable, almost as though she was trying to hold back tears, Meghan said she’d found it hard, and added: ‘Thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.’

A preview of Bradby’s documentary was screened for the media while William and Kate were on a tour of Pakistan that October. And, inevitably, the resulting coverage, with its headlines of ‘Meghan: My Struggles’, overshadowed coverage of the last day of the Cambridges’ tour.

VALENTINE LOW: Prince Harry snubbed William's offer of a secret summit to heal their rift (pictured standing during the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana in 2021)

VALENTINE LOW: Prince Harry snubbed William’s offer of a secret summit to heal their rift (pictured standing during the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana in 2021)

William and Kate’s team was not happy, it seems, and saw it as a deliberate attempt to knock the couple out of the headlines. Relations between the two households became quite tense.

The documentary had also shown not only Meghan’s evident pain but also how far Harry and William had drifted apart.

Asked by Bradby about the rift between him and William, Harry had chosen not to deny it, but said instead: ‘We are certainly on different paths at the moment . . . As brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.’

William, home after the Pakistan tour, appears to have been taken aback at such a stark portrayal of his brother and sister-in-law’s unhappiness. He realised they were in crisis.

The day after the documentary aired, William WhatsApped his brother to ask if he could come and see him. This put Harry and Meghan into a spin. What should they do?

Initially, Harry was in favour. Then he spoke to his brother again, and asked him whom he would tell.

William explained that he’d have to clear his schedule, which would mean telling his private secretary. At that point, Harry told him: Don’t come.

He was so concerned that William’s team would leak the visit to the Press that he would rather not see his brother than risk it getting into the papers. To everyone who knew what was going on, this was heartbreaking.

It highlighted the dysfunction at the heart of so many royal relationships, and how members of the Royal Family so rarely pick up the phone to speak to each other directly. Instead, they communicate via the apparatus around them. And the result is mistrust and division.

In her interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan would discuss her mental fragility at greater length.

She talked about the pressure she’d felt from online abuse and the critical media coverage, pressure that she once described in a podcast as ‘almost unsurvivable’. Watching her talk about her pain, and describe how she did not want to live any more, is an uncomfortable experience.

Most people would think such an expression of despair could be rooted only in truth. And yet a succession of decent people, all of whom had believed in Meghan and wanted to make her position work, came to be so disillusioned that they began to suspect that even her most heartfelt pleas for help were part of a deliberate strategy that had one end in sight — her departure. Perhaps, they say, nothing the palace could do was ever going to be good enough.

‘She was looking for examples of us failing her from the beginning,’ believes one former staffer. ‘We were having to prove that the institution would bend over backwards to make her happy.

‘It felt like that wasn’t what she wanted, but that she wanted to be rejected.’

The documentary had also shown not only Meghan¿s evident pain but also how far Harry and William had drifted apart

The documentary had also shown not only Meghan’s evident pain but also how far Harry and William had drifted apart

The feeling among like-minded staff was that Meghan wanted to leave a trail of evidence behind, so that when the time came for the couple to leave the monarchy, she would be able to say: ‘Look how they failed to support me. They left me with no choice but to leave.’

Some staff saw the problem as inextricably linked with the couple’s fury about some of the press coverage, which they felt was sexist and even racist.

It also stung that Meghan had been dubbed Duchess Difficult because of the high staff turnover in their household.

As one source put it: ‘The way I see it, their view of not getting institutional support was that they were not getting permission to blow up the [royal] institution’s relationships with the media.’

Others suspected that, in the end, Meghan wanted to make money for herself. And the only way she could do that was by leaving behind her royal life in the UK and returning to America.

Too cynical? Perhaps. But the sad truth is that the relationships between Meghan and her advisers were in such a sorry state that this is what they genuinely believed.

Some argue that she never really wanted to be accepted by the Royal Family. That may be true.

But it’s also true that if the institution had tried harder, and if she’d been more willing to adapt herself to palace life, she could have been one of the Royal Family’s greatest assets.

The idea that she wanted to be rejected is challenged by her lawyers, Schillings.

Instead, they say she had a ‘clear desire to fit in’.

‘She left her country, career and life in North America to commit herself fully to her new role and made every effort to honour that commitment.’

If the danger signs were there from the beginning, so were the warnings.

The Sussexes’ private secretary Sam Cohen told two key courtiers — the private secretaries to both Prince Charles and the Queen — that if it all went wrong with Harry and Meghan, the palace needed evidence of the duty of care the institution had shown them.

The ‘duty of care’ was crucial: ‘[Sam] was a broken record with them on that,’ said a source.

By the time Meghan gave her interview to Oprah Winfrey, however, the palace had lost the argument over duty of care.

The duchess had hijacked the narrative by making it all about her mental health, which meant everything the palace had done to support the couple — including giving them a team who’d have done anything to help them succeed — was simply forgotten.

Instead, the duchess was able to point out all the times that the organisation had failed her.

One of them was when she went to the palace’s head of HR in January 2019, saying she needed to get help with her mental health issues. She was given a sympathetic hearing but sent on her way, as was inevitable: HR is there to deal with employee issues, not members of the Royal Family.

Meghan would presumably have known that, so what was she doing there in the first place? Laying a trail of evidence would be the cynical answer. So desperate that she did not know where to turn would be the more charitable interpretation.

In the Oprah interview, Meghan also made the startling claim that she went to one of the ‘most senior people,’ saying she needed to go somewhere to get help — only to be told it wouldn’t be ‘good for the institution’.

It is a strange thought: would anyone really say that to a pregnant woman?

Until one hears from the other person in the room, it’s difficult to know what to make of this.

However, the truth remains that Meghan appears to have been in a bad place. And Harry knew she was suffering.

Yet when Oprah asked why he didn’t go to his own family to say his wife needed help, he said: ‘I guess I was ashamed of admitting it to them.’

We can all understand such feelings of shame: mental health can be hard to talk about.

However, there is also something not quite right here.

Since 2016, Harry had devoted much of his energy to Heads Together, a campaign he had launched with William and Kate to try to persuade people to overcome the stigma surrounding mental health.

Years before, he’d decided to seek help himself after suffering his own mental crisis. Could he not have helped his wife do likewise?

And if he couldn’t, he must have met scores of people through Heads Together who could have offered help and support. As one well-informed source said: ‘He would have known exactly where to turn, who to call, what to do.’

Elsewhere in the Oprah interview, Meghan talked warmly of Julia Samuel, the psychotherapist who had been a friend of Princess Diana and remained close to Harry. She had, Meghan said, ‘continued to be a friend and confidante’. Julia Samuel would also, presumably, have been an ideal person for the couple to go to for help.

VALENTINE LOW recalls the impact of the couple¿s shocking TV interviews ¿ and examines the truth behind their claims. Pictured: The 'Fab Four' on September 10

VALENTINE LOW recalls the impact of the couple’s shocking TV interviews — and examines the truth behind their claims. Pictured: The ‘Fab Four’ on September 10 

Analysing Meghan’s interview with Oprah is a complicated business, because some of it simply isn’t true. That doesn’t mean, however, that all of it isn’t true.

One of the moments that is glaringly misleading is when Meghan tells Oprah: ‘When I joined that family, that was the last time . . . that I saw my passport, my driver’s licence, my keys. All that gets turned over. I didn’t see any of that any more.’

In the first six months of her marriage, there had been foreign holidays in Italy, Canada and Amsterdam, to say nothing of the couple’s honeymoon. Then in 2019, Meghan visited Ibiza, France, Italy and New York (twice). It would have been a challenge to do all those trips without a passport.

I’m not going to go through every example in the interview of statements that are untrue, or misleading, such as her claim that they actually got married three days before their wedding. It’s instructive, however, to look at one of Meghan’s central claims: that the palace was not doing enough to stand up for her.

She told Oprah: ‘Not only was I not being protected . . . they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family, but they weren’t willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband.’

The overriding issue that concerned her was a newspaper story about Kate crying after a bridesmaid’s dress fitting for Princess Charlotte that took place before the wedding.

‘The narrative with Kate — which didn’t happen — was really, really difficult,’ Meghan told Oprah. ‘I think that’s when everything changed, really.’

However, the truth remains that Meghan appears to have been in a bad place. And Harry knew she was suffering (Harry and William pictured in 2018)

However, the truth remains that Meghan appears to have been in a bad place. And Harry knew she was suffering (Harry and William pictured in 2018)

The truth is that, after the dress fitting, Meghan had become obsessed with trying to persuade the palace press office to put something out denying the story.

However, they were equally adamant that it would be a serious mistake to start briefing about personal stories relating to differences between members of the Royal Family.

Not only did they not want to brief against other royals, but they feared it would create a precedent, making it harder in future for them to avoid commenting on personal tittle-tattle.

It would also fan the flames of the story, ensuring it continued to fill the pages of the newspapers for several days to come.

This became a major point of contention between Meghan and her media advisers.

On Oprah, Meghan went further than denying the Kate-in-tears story, however. Instead, she said, the reverse had happened.

‘She was upset about something pertaining [to] flower-girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings.’

It was not an attractive performance: Meghan had spent months complaining about how her reputation had been smeared in the Press, and now she was doing the same to Kate, who quite clearly was never going to respond.

The story of Kate’s tears was not the first time Meghan had tried to persuade the press office to brief journalists about an issue that was bothering her. The other concerned the departure of a member of staff, whose settlement deal contained a non-disclosure agreement.

Despite the employee being legally obliged to remain silent, the Sussexes — who say they didn’t know about the non-disclosure agreement — repeatedly tried to get their communications secretary Jason Knauf to brief journalists about what Meghan saw as the reason behind the employee’s departure.

Knauf refused, because he disagreed with Meghan’s interpretation of events. He also thought briefing against the individual was wrong.

Looking back on the saga of Harry and Meghan’s rift with the Royal Family, there are still questions to be asked.

Were the senior courtiers in the royal institution — Prince Charles’s private secretary Clive Alderton; and the Queen’s, Edward Young — unaware of Meghan and Harry’s deepening unhappiness?

But the Sussexes wanted their freedom to make money AND to dip their toes into U.S. politics. There was no way to reach an agreement on that point (picture 2021)

But the Sussexes wanted their freedom to make money AND to dip their toes into U.S. politics. There was no way to reach an agreement on that point (picture 2021)

Or were they burying their heads in the sand? Did they let their personal dislike of Meghan prevent them from seeing the very obvious dangers that lay ahead?

One former palace insider believes the way the developing crisis was handled was ‘incompetent beyond belief’.

‘I think Meghan thought she was going to be the Beyoncé of the UK,’ said the insider. ‘Being part of the Royal Family would give her that kudos.

‘What she discovered was that there were so many rules that were so ridiculous, she couldn’t even do the things she could have done as a private individual . . .

‘It required the decision-makers to sit around a table and say: ‘OK, what are we going to do about this? What do you need to feel better? And what can we give?’

The situation wasn’t helped by Harry and Meghan’s deteriorating relationship with both Young and Alderton.

Meghan apparently saw the Queen’s private secretary as ‘an inflexible, bureaucratic figure’ and Harry was just as dismissive of the two senior courtiers as she was.

So another view is nothing could have saved the situation. The two sides were just too far apart.

Crucially, it was the Queen who took the view that unless they were prepared to abide by the restrictions that applied to working members of the Royal Family, they couldn’t be allowed to carry out part-time official duties.

But the Sussexes wanted their freedom to make money AND to dip their toes into U.S. politics. There was no way to reach an agreement on that point.

There is one final thought on this, from a surprising source: perhaps the Sussexes’ departure from the country and the Royal Family was not the untrammelled disaster so many think it was.

One courtier, who knows Harry and remains upset about what he and Meghan did, said: ‘Part of me thinks Meghan did Harry the greatest kindness anyone could do, which was to take him out of the Royal Family, because he was desperately unhappy in the last couple of years of his working life.

‘We knew he was unhappy, but we didn’t really know what the solution would be. She came along and found the solution.’

Adapted by Corinna Honan from Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown, by Valentine Low, to be published by Headline on Thursday at £20. © Valentine Low 2022. To order a copy for £18 (offer valid to 15/10/22; UK P&P free on orders over £20), visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.