As you follow the reporting on #Sussexroyal, think about the absences and why they occur. Here’s a big one. And a short #MeghanAndHarry thread
The UK media is structurally racist and sexist as reflected and reinforced by pay and employment gaps. Misogynoir directed at #MeghanMarkle hasn’t just been constant but systemic. However the problems with celebrity & royal coverage, very different, go much deeper
I don’t expect you to feel sorry for celebrities. It’s hard to empathise with their emotional turbulences when so many people are struggling to eat or live. But dehumanising celebrity coverage damages everyone. I wrote this to explain theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2…
So that’s another absence to consider: the one that allows us to view people in the public eye as less than human. Royal reporting shares this feature but it’s another absence that is really striking: the absence of direct sources
The layers of secrecy surrounding royalty serve nobody well. The press that Meghan & Harry complain about is partly a creation of the Royals. In denying access & accountability, the monarchy inadvertently gave license to fanciful & fluffy coverage though not to racism & misogyny
One other notable absence: Charles. There’s been speculation about what the Queen might think & how William & Kate are responding, but it is Charles who is in many ways most impacted by this move. The succession was always going to be difficult; now it will unfold in crisis
So to the final absence: Prince Andrew. His encounter with @maitlis showed why royals & their advisors prefer to avoid direct interviews. It also showed why direct interviews with Royals are important. The lack of attention to Andrew in connection w Meghan & Harry is instructive
The #Epstein revelations are potentially hugely damaging to the monarchy, as I wrote theguardian.com/commentisfree/… But the royal media management of that story has been to portray him as a bad apple in a good barrel
By “him“, I mean Andrew, obvs
The reason that I tweeted as soon as I had the Meghan and Harry news that they may do more damage to the monarchy than Andrew is that they are implicitly suggesting the apple barrel itself is not all that good
