Harry and Meghan lash media’s ‘narrative’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have insisted they always intended to keep up public duties after quitting the royal family, and say a “distorted narrative” had been created to “trap” them into silence.

Harry and Meghan never cited privacy as the reason for stepping back as senior working royals more than two years ago, a spokeswoman said.

A statement from their global press secretary accused the tabloids of creating “an entirely untrue narrative” around privacy, and said the royal couple “are choosing to share their story, on their terms”.

The statement on Friday comes after the first three episodes of the couple’s Netflix series aired.

In it, Harry accused the royals of having a “huge level of unconscious bias” when it comes to race, and Meghan alleged that the media wanted to “destroy” her.

On Friday, a statement from the couple’s global press secretary said: “The Duke and Duchess have never cited privacy as the reason for stepping back. This distorted narrative was intended to trap the couple into silence.

“In fact, their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties. Any suggestion otherwise speaks to a key point of this series.

“They are choosing to share their story, on their terms, and yet the tabloid media has created an entirely untrue narrative that permeates press coverage and public opinion. The facts are right in front of them.”

The couple have received criticism over the six-part series – the final three episodes of which will air on Thursday – for apparently attacking British institutions as they discussed their experiences including racism.