In the latest chapter of ‘British Media, Get a Hold of Yourselves’, some pundits are expressing their offence at Harry and Meghan’s decision to keep details of their newborn son to themselves. Nicole Vassell explains how some negative public responses are an overreaction, and symbolic of something more sinister
Ever since the first press rumblings about Prince Harry having a new, actress girlfriend back in mid-2016, Meghan Markle (formally called the Duchess of Sussex) has been a firm staple of the UK’s news cycle. Since the couple announced that they were expecting their first child back in October 2018, there has been another angle for the media to put their focus on. ‘Where will she give birth? What will they name the child? When will she have the next one?!’
However, in a statement that also thanked the public for their messages of good will, April saw the Duke and Duchess announce their personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private: ‘The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family.’
And as Meghan gave birth on Monday morning, the world found out soon after, with a press statement made by a beaming Prince Harry. Fair enough, right? According to some, wrong – as unsurprisingly, this decision is one that has had a number of commentators feeling snubbed and personally affronted. Speaking to Sky News, occasional broadcaster Carole Malone said: ‘This is an unprecedented slap in the face for those legions of decent, ordinary people who love the Royal Family and who see the Royal birth as a joyous, national celebration.’
Now I hate telling women to calm down, but in this case, I’d say it’s more than warranted. Sure, it’d probably be nice to see newborn pictures soon after the arrival, but calling their decision to keep their birthing details private a ‘slap in the face’ is a real stretch of the imagination. We’ll eventually know more details about the child – what real difference does it make to anyone who doesn’t know the family personally, whether we find out five minutes, or five weeks after the birth?
However, there’s something that tells me that this is less of an upset about not being privy to every exact moment of Baby Sussex’s new life; if Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, had decided to keep details private with any of her three pregnancies, it’s hard to imagine there would have been a reaction anywhere near to this. Rather, this reads as a continuation of the hypocritical, biased and ill-willed coverage that Meghan has received from mainstream media from the moment she became a part of Harry’s life.
“For a section of the population, Meghan can’t do anything right – so she might as well do exactly as she pleases.”
If Meghan closes a car door for herself, there are think-pieces about whether she is going too far with flouting tradition. She wears a dress that exposes her shoulders (shock! Horror! Gasp!), and fussy royalists get invited onto TV to argue over why this is a sign of disrespect – conveniently skipping the occasions that Kate, and indeed her own late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, have done the same. Much of British media make it a frequent point to highlight her difference – how she ‘breaks from tradition’ at best, and how she’s ‘demanding’ or ‘divisive’, at worst. Funny how these descriptions are reserved for the only mixed-race royal, isn’t it? For a section of the population, Meghan can’t do anything right – so she might as well do exactly as she pleases.
The Duchess of Sussex owes us nothing. Royal or not, she’s a grown adult who has the right to do whatever she likes. Especially as a new mother, she deserves to prioritise her own wants, rather than to focus on the demands of a public prepared to tear her down, no matter the direction in which she goes.
