In the letter, sent by the couple's new PR team to the editors of The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Daily Mirror and the Daily Express, the couple wrote that they "will not be engaging with your outlet" because they refuse to "offer themselves up as a currency for an economy of clickbait and distortion".
The letter marks the latest escalation in a long feud between the couple - who quit Royal life earlier this year and left the UK indefinitely - and comes just days before Meghan sues the Daily Mail's sister title the 'Mail on Sunday' for publishing a letter she sent to her father. In these letters, which were splashed across newspaper front pages in the UK, Meghan tells her father 'you have broken my heart into a million pieces' by 'making the choice to not tell the truth' in his interviews with the press.
The couple write in their communication to the editors of the UK tabloids - which enjoy a large readership both in print and online - that it is 'gravely concerning that an influential slice of the media, over many years, has sought to insulate themselves from taking accountability for what they say...even when they know it will be distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason'.
Whilst this move will not necessarily come as a surprise to Royal commentators, who have been documenting the couple's deep unhappiness with the media's tactics and coverage for a long time, it is still shocking. The Queen's policy throughout her reign has to 'never complain, never explain'. Throughout her 68-year reign, she has weathered countless media storms, most notably the coverage of the 'love triangle' between Princess Diana, her son Prince Charles and Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall.
But in an age of 24/7 online news, social media and increasingly combative journalism techniques, Harry and Meghan have found themselves as the subjects of thousands of tabloid stories criticising their decisions and calling out what journalists have viewed as blaring hypocrisy. The couple write in their letter that they 'believe that a free press is a cornerstone to any democracy'...but that the press also have a 'first obligation to the truth'. The couple clearly do not believe the stories written about them - usually based on unnamed 'sources' - are not telling the truth.
They write that whilst the policy is 'not about avoiding criticism' as the press have 'every right' to report on the couple. But they add: 'it can't be based on a lie'.
Other Royals have taken a 'stiff upper lip' approach to the press - Camilla, now Duchess of Cornwall, was famously the victim of a never-ending torrent of bad press yet now enjoys glowing coverage in the tabloids. Yet Harry and Meghan are clearly not prepared to 'put up and shut up'. They are writing to the tabloid editors to tell them they will not be co-operating, they are suing the tabloids for what they have printed. They are responding to the tabloid's combative style with their own combative response.
Following the treatment of his mother Princess Diana by paparazzi, Prince Harry is known to have had an understandably hostile attitude to the press. He clearly wants to protect his wife, with some suggesting coverage of Meghan has had 'racist undertones'. Now that the couple have withdrawn from Royal public life, they may have grounds for demanding greater privacy. Yet in order to generate their own revenue, the couple will depend on media coverage in order to promote their causes and their projects - this led at least one commentator to ask why they would 'bite the hand that feeds them' in their attacks on the tabloids, who bring most of the publicity to their brand.
Following the treatment of his mother Princess Diana by paparazzi, Prince Harry is known to have had an understandably hostile attitude to the press. He clearly wants to protect his wife, with some suggesting coverage of Meghan has had 'racist undertones'. Now that the couple have withdrawn from Royal public life, they may have grounds for demanding greater privacy. Yet in order to generate their own revenue, the couple will depend on media coverage in order to promote their causes and their projects - this led at least one commentator to ask why they would 'bite the hand that feeds them' in their attacks on the tabloids, who bring most of the publicity to their brand.
They write that they look forward to working with 'grassroots media, regional and local media, and young, up-and-coming journalists' - and of course will continue to communicate directly through their social media channels. Will this grant them the privacy and protection they desire whilst at the same time they are able to maintain the coverage necessary for their brand to be profitable?
As Meghan and Harry carve out their new life away from the Royal Family, they are clearly keen to set boundaries and outline how they hope their brand will work. These are unchartered territories, and many unanswered questions remain. But one thing is for certain: Harry and Meghan will be doing it their way, on their own terms.
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