All headlines were focused on the Duchess of Sussex after respected American celebrity bible Vanity Fair blasted her and Prince Harry in an 8,000-word caption entitled ‘American Hustle’. Some former employees described Meghan as a “Mean Girl” and some even said they needed long-term therapy after working for her.
No surprises here in Blighty after the allegations. Remember those claims that she bullied staff when she was royal, during the two years after she married Harry?
It must be said that the claims were vehemently denied by the Sussexes at the time. They were investigated by Buckingham Palace, but the report was buried by the Firm, which insiders said was desperate to ‘keep the peace with the couple’.
These latest allegations about Meghan and Harry in Vanity Fair have been dismissed as untrue by some close to the couple. Others defended them, describing the Sussexes as ‘caring’ bosses.
Maybe. But the claims are undeniably cruel. And what struck me, after reading the article, was how Harry is portrayed as something of a “useful idiot” in the way he helps further Meghan’s ambition.
To me, he comes across as a dim-witted prince in love who gave a small-time TV actress royal status and fame on the world stage. And while he provided the path to fame and fortune, he ultimately played a role in this sad saga.
Granted, the Vanity Affair article debunked rumors that the couple’s marriage is in trouble. In fact, former staff say they are so loved, that the sexual chemistry between them is still so strong, so palpable, that in their presence employees felt like they were invading them.
And yet Harry is far from the main character in their story.
Harry appears in one fell swoop to promote his wife’s Netflix series With Love, Meghan
What struck me, after reading the Vanity Fair article, was how Harry is portrayed as a kind of ‘useful idiot’ in the way he helps further Meghan’s ambition, writes AMANDA PLATELL
For example, he appears in the blink of an eye to promote her upcoming Netflix series With Love, Meghan, in which she transforms herself into a loving, homely “mom” who prepares meals for famous friends and family with thoughtfulness and tenderness. (No mention of her love for her father, though. Just saying.)
Just one photo of Harry tenderly embracing an adoring Meghan. Yet it’s only thanks to his royal status that she does the show at all. Only thanks to him did the couple get their Netflix millions for their self-aggrandizing and spiteful ‘docuseries’ Harry & Meghan.
Yet former employees of streaming giants who spoke to Vanity Fair said Harry was missing. A former Spotify employee who worked with them described Harry as untethered and “challenging to deal with.”
In other words, either not interested or having the attention span of a goldfish.
Even more damning, another former employee who was “in the couple’s inner circle” said it was their belief that Harry “would be happy if Meghan made all the money and that wasn’t necessary.” She felt unhappy. Harry’s attitude was, ‘Why are we doing this?’
One person interviewed for a job with the couple said: ‘I just felt like he (Harry) didn’t want to be there at the moment.’
Harry’s big idea for his series about the Invictus Games failed after just five episodes in 2023. His Netflix series about polo last year was met with universal ridicule: a posh guy who paid for a game for millionaires and who, despite his profile and royal status , failed to register in the charts of shows not to be missed.
The fact is, as the couple now discovers, Harry’s royal name can only take them so far. There must also be talent if they are to be taken seriously in their desire to make money.
Those who worked with them say they had no understanding of the podcast business, while Spotify chief executive Bill Simmons said the Sussexes were “bloody fraudsters” after the couple’s $20 million deal with the company in 2023 ended prematurely.
A former Spotify employee told Vanity Fair that the couple “had no ideas” when it came to producing podcasts. Rumors that Meghan would get stars like Taylor Swift and Beyonce on her show withered without a trace. Even her former best friends Sienna Miller and Amal Clooney who attended her wedding didn’t appear on her short-lived podcast Archetypes.
These days, Harry just seems to be playing the devoted dad who spends time with his kids, dogs and chickens, and occasionally snaps a photo for Meghan’s next venture.
Isn’t there something unedifying in this? He was the one who in times gone by was perhaps the most popular of all royals and had the world at his fingertips.
His mother, Princess Diana, reportedly worried that he wasn’t as “smart” as his brother William — and now he comes across as little more than a royal title and a cash cow for Meghan’s ambitions.
In many ways, it’s tragic to see this stupid boy floundering for a purpose. One thing is certain: he is not suitable for the media world.
His big idea for Spotify was to pitch a “sociopath podcast” in which he would interview Mark Zuckerberg, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump about their pasts, saying, “I had a very serious childhood trauma. Evidently. My mother was actually murdered. What is it about me that doesn’t make me one of these bad guys?’
He is certainly no Vladimir Putin. But I’m sorry to have to tell you, Harry, your behavior since you left the Royal Family has made you a bad guy. A prince who married a ‘con artist’ and became one himself. You sacrificed your family’s love and reputation to make millions in California.
The problem is that at this rate the millions will dry up and the role you are now reduced to is Meghan’s ‘useful idiot’.