Sunday 12 January 2020

Tom Bradby's Troubling Article For The Times

Often times in life when striving to resolve a difficult situation, it's wise to look back to the beginning to understand the journey. Since Harry and Meghan announced their intention to step back as senior royals Wednesday night, that thought has played on my mind frequently. Before we ask, what's next, we need to understand how the couple reached this point a mere 20 months after their wedding.


The volume of coverage, commentary and palpable anger has been overwhelming to see and deal with (even on this little corner of the internet). One article contradicting the next, media outlets producing a dozen articles per day and many using this opportunity to direct the full weight of their ire at Meghan in particular. Now, I'm not suggesting for a moment this was handled well. I was genuinely floored Wednesday night. It's been a disastrous week for the Sussexes. According to most accounts, Harry made his father aware of their hopes to make serious changes before Christmas. From there, Charles asked Harry to send him an outline of their plans detailing how they saw stepping back from royal life and dividing their time between the UK and Canada working. Harry and Meghan did not feel comfortable doing so as they were convinced it would be leaked. Upon their return to England, Harry requested a meeting with his grandmother which was swiftly blocked by courtiers. Somewhere in between these events they did send their plan to Charles and it was leaked to the Sun. The following day, against the Queen's wishes, they went ahead and released the statement and unveiled Sussex Royal, with a Q&A section filled with terms which had not been discussed or agreed upon with the royal family. I've struggled to understand the reasoning behind this decision. Did they feel there would never be a resolution or concessions made without doing it this way? Was being refused the opportunity to see his grandmother the final straw? I do know, this does not read like the cool, calculating, PR savvy move a good deal of people see it to be. It feel hasty, emotionally charged and perhaps the clearest sign family relations reached an all time low some time ago. The fact they thought it impossible to send a proposal without it being leaked speaks to a breakdown in trust.

I digress, this post is not about Wednesday night. We need to go much further back to understand what brought us here. On Twitter this morning, royal reporter Victoria Murphy (a lovely lady who provides fair and measured analysis) tweeted "If you only read one thing about Harry and Meghan today it has to be this honest and thoughtful piece from Tom Bradby." Of course, you'll know Tom presented Harry and Meghan's documentary filmed in Africa during the tour. As I continued to scroll on Twitter, reporters and commentators were suggesting Bradby's "against the monarchy" or "on their side". This troubled me quite a bit as I know it to be far from truthful and led me to immediately question why that particular narrative was being peddled out of nowhere.


Before we go any further, Bradby has been a friend of both William and Harry's for a number of years. He's one of the few in the British media they both trust implicitly and has been tasked with taking charge of some of their most important interviews over the years. When William and Kate got engaged, William only had one person on his mind to conduct the historic interview.


Tom and his wife Claudia were invited to both William and Harry's weddings. A talented jewellery designer, Claudia worked directly with Kate on designing pieces during Kate's time working at Jigsaw in 2007. I've spoken to her on quite a few occasions over the years and she's very fond of the Duchess to this day. Below the couple at Pippa Middleton and James Matthews Berkshire wedding in 2017.


To suggest there is a bias there is simply incorrect. Bradby is one of the very few people Harry and Meghan have confided in. This makes his piece both valid and deeply concerning. Penning his thought for The Sunday Times he wrote:

'The documentary was my idea, and they were consistent from the start in wanting it to be primarily, and preferably entirely, about their work in Africa. I said that, worthy as that was, I thought it would be odd for the public to tune in for an hour and discover nothing of how the past year had been for them personally. It took a great deal of persuasion to get them over the line.
I suspect the purpose was twofold: to prepare the ground for exactly the announcement we saw last week, and to act as a pressure release valve, in the hope that this, of itself, might alter the dynamic within the royal family. Certainly, when I inquired if Meghan was “OK”, I took her reply — “Thanks for asking, as not many people have” — to refer to the family itself, rather than the public or the media.'

He writes a family rift is at the heart of much of this:

'It is quite hard to know who is right and who is wrong in this, and foolish perhaps to even try to decide. Some other members of the family say Harry and — particularly — his wife come across as extremely difficult. They feel they have done their absolute best to create space for the newcomer.
Harry and Meghan, on the other hand, find some other members of the family (with the exception of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh) jealous and, at times, unfriendly.
The fallout began at the time of the wedding in 2018. Really damaging things were said and done. The atmosphere soured hard and early, but few meaningful attempts were made by anyone to heal the wounds.
It is pretty clear to me from conversations with both sides that this exit could suit everyone, at least in terms of narrow self-interest. But there is no doubt Harry and Meghan feel they have been driven out.'

Bradby continues "My understanding is that William did try, but the impression I have, for the moment at least, is that things have gone too far to be retrieved." He adds that while the couple would like to continue supporting the Queen and the Commonwealth, they are "philosophical" about potentially losing their titles and being entirely self-funded. Towards the end of the article, Bradby gives a revealing and worrying insight into the events behind-the-scenes:

'To state the blindingly obvious, we just don’t know what comes next. If their co-operation in the ITV documentary was qualified honesty, what would the real deal look like?
I have some idea of what might be aired in a full, no-holds-barred, sit-down interview and I don’t think it would be pretty.
I suspect the royal family would carry British public opinion still — perhaps only just — but its international standing is a key part of its value to the British state. If that were to be tarnished, it could be very damaging indeed.'

Bradby is suggesting a "no-holds-barred" interview with "qualified honesty" will leave the royal family "only just" carrying public opinion. Then the question it is incumbent on us to ask... What happened? What sort of treatment did Meghan receive within Palace walls? What does the veteran broadcaster know that could possibly lead him to this conclusion? Repeatedly this week, Bradby and multiple others cite the months surrounding the wedding when things went "too far". Roya Nikkhah reports courtiers fear the royal household would be branded "racist and sexist". Additionally as I previously mentioned former Chief Reporter for The Guardian Kevin Maguire said live on Sky News the true reason for the fallout "couldn't be discussed for legal reasons". Many of the answers to these questions lie in the months surrounding the wedding.

What happened in the beginning?

There are dozens of others points in this situation, however it would have felt utterly remiss not to touch on this one.

Talks between aides, advisers and government representatives continue apace. Tomorrow, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry will travel to Sandringham for talks with the Queen with Meghan dialing in. It is said they hope to do this right, whilst compiling a blueprint for future generations including Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. There is an enormous amount of ground to cover; from funding, to redefining their royal roles and the many issues associated with members of the royal family earning financially. There will have to be compromise all round. It will be far from easy, especially given the fractious state of relations, I only hope calm minds prevail and a way forward for all is found. We should hear an official announcement on progress around the middle of the week. This is a turbulent and challenging situation which will take time to work through.

Comment Update: Due to the unmanageable and vitriolic nature of comments, I've elected to close comments on this post. My apologies to those who presented reasonable and fair viewpoints on both sides. As I said, this post is merely focusing on one of many points. There's been no suggestion Harry and Meghan intend to give an interview. Bradby puts forward "qualified honesty" would be very damaging for the monarchy, which begs the question, what happened? And that is the purpose of this post. It's not a take on the full picture by any means.