A thread on the Duchess of Sussex. I started on Twitter back in 2009 because I thought it would be fun to give readers a glimpse of life as a royal reporter. Lately, it has not been much fun at all.
At least one of my colleagues has called in the police after threats were made to relatives; another was told she deserved to have acid thrown in her face. We have all faced unpleasant and unfounded accusations of racism towards Meghan.
As a liberal journalist and trade union activist, I can't think of much worse than being called a racist, apart from being accused of murder, rape, and paedophilia.
Trolls on social media are an uncomfortable fact of life for many, especially journalists. Some of my colleagues talked about this earlier this year in interviews with Australia's ABC. abc.net.au/news/2018-03-0…
You might remember that when Prince Harry lashed out at some sections of the media over its treatment of Meghan, he also criticised social media trolls, accusing them of racism and sexism. Many of those defending Meghan are as bad in my opinion.
I think there were stories that went over the top and I don't blame Harry and the palace for pushing back. But I also think Harry and the communications team at KP went over the top and bear some responsibility for the way that royal corrs are now treated on social media.
I'm happy to tell Harry that to his face. I really like him and think he is a huge asset for Britain but I think this has gone far enough now.
As someone who likes engaging with readers and believes in being as transparent as possible, I feel I often get blamed for stories that I have never written or that haven't even appeared in my newspaper. Many journalists with similar approaches are now disengaging from Twitter.
So, if this just unleashes a load of foul-mouthed abuse, I might withdraw more and just post links to stories (except I am unhappy with our website's approach to royal stories and as a result the only ones of mine appearing online are versions of stories already in print).
So, to the Duchess of Sussex. Like every royal corr and photographer I know, I am delighted she's joined the Royal Family. She's a breath of fresh air, beautiful, and - let's be honest - a new character in the royal soap opera. It all makes for good copy.
Her estrangement from her father and that side of the family is a story. It's what people are talking about. To be honest, I can't think what else there is to say about it but if there is a genuine new line, I will happily write it.
It's not difficult to see why she has frozen that side of the family out. I suspect the story will fade away if she doesn't fuel it.
She does seem to be someone who moves on and discards people from her past so I have no idea if she still wants to be close to her father and half siblings. If she does, I'd suggest (a bit like in a peace process) there needs to be some confidence-building ie no leaking stories.
Some in her family openly admit they see a money-making opportunity here. They're pretty brazen about it but of course there are plenty of others both inside and just outside the Royal Family who have traded on the name.
Princess Diana's brother may have been an excellent US television reporter but might his connection have helped him get the job? How has the former wife of Prince Andrew made a living all these years? How many royals have sold interviews, wedding pictures to magazines?
As for the Duchess of Sussex, I'd like to make a couple of other observations as a reporter who's covered her engagements. Royal rota journalists are being kept further away from her than we were before the wedding. That means we can't hear what she is saying.
If you can't get direct quotes from members of the Royal Family that often makes for dull stories. You go up afterwards and ask what she said. Mr Bloggs said: "The Duchess expressed the hope that women would eventually get the same opportunities as men in this profession." Boring
So, just as with Kate, that inevitably leaves you with little else to write about except what she wore and looked like. They are too lovebirds so it is quite sweet but these stories have limited shelf life.
My hope is that when they come back from their summer break, Meghan will be given a bit of a freer rein to express herself (within earshot of the media) and get stuck into some of the serious topics she wants to tackle. She has the soft power to help many people in this world.
What she wears will always be of interest to some readers, of course, but it doesn't have to be all of the story.
