The Sussexes’ voracious appetite for attention shows no signs of slowing down.
February 16, 2024 3:35 p.m.(Has been updated 3:50pm)
You might almost feel sorry for the Sussexes.
This week was supposed to be a great relaunch for them as champions of royal philanthropy. But all that was overshadowed by the sad news that the king had been diagnosed with cancer earlier this month.
The Sussexes are in an awkward position. They hope that next year’s Winter Invictus Games, to be held in Whistler, Canada, will provide a great charity benefit for wounded and sick service members, as well as good publicity. But they also realize they will have to provide the press with the last remaining piece of royal access: details of Harry’s overnight flight to meet the king in London last week.
And so Harry’s awkward interview on ABC ended. Good morning, America. You can see that Harry really wanted to talk about his true love for the Army and the “yearly fun” he gets from the Invictus Games. But he knows he has to deliver raw meat to the media, so he has to talk about his sick father, even if it’s awkward.
Prince Harry said the outlook for King Charles’ health is “between me and him,” but revealed some details to satisfy reporters. He revealed that he learned about his illness after speaking with the king and that after learning of his diagnosis, he “jumped on a plane to meet the king as soon as possible.” He also said he was “grateful” for the opportunity to “go see him and spend time with him all the time.”
He also admitted that “no matter what illness, it brings families together.”
Well, to a certain extent. Prince William and Prince Harry’s ABC interview makes it hard to believe that they will get any closer. It would just show that they had been thinking about it for a while. Visiting them would only be in exchange for extensive media coverage once he returned to North America.
The Sussexes have regularly used their contacts with the royal family to criticize the royal family. That’s what they did in a California interview with Oprah Winfrey. That’s what Prince Harry said in his memoir. spare.
The Sussexes’ publicity campaign this week would have looked disastrously sleazy in the immediate aftermath of Charles’ diagnosis. That’s why it was important that Harry came here to meet his father, to stop accusations that the Sussexes are ruthless self-promoters.
The tactic didn’t work. No other member of the royal family would be so quick to improve their image after such shocking news from the king. Few of us are immune to the upsetting effects of a cancer diagnosis in our family. And few would want to trade news of that diagnosis in exchange for good publicity.
But the Sussexes continued campaigning this week as well.
First up was the new Sussex.com website, featuring Meghan’s coat of arms. Contrary to their agreement with the late Queen, they used their royal status to flog goods and even upgraded their children’s surnames to the more ducal-sounding ‘Sussex’. He then visited Whistler to hone his philanthropic credentials.
As usual, the Sussexes were flaunting their philanthropy while also finding new jobs. The Duchess has just signed a deal with Lemonada Media to record more podcasts after parting ways with Spotify.
Their voracious appetite for attention shows no signs of slowing down, even as the King faces further treatment for cancer. In his interview, Prince Harry said he was also planning another trip to the UK, where he would “hope to stop and see his family as much as possible.”
Of course, I have to see my sick father as much as possible. But the next time he does, he doesn’t say anything about it after that.
The author of Harry Mount is How Britain created the British people