For centuries, the members of the British Royal Family prided themselves on their ability to maintain a “stiff upper lip” in the face of adversity.
Be it the death of Princess Diana or rumors of marital discord between Prince William and Kate Middleton, the royal response remained the same:
Any public display of grief was regarded as a sign of weakness; any acknowledgment of an unflattering rumor was seen as stooping to the level of the tabloid press.
This week, however, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have forever altered the relationship between the Royals and the global community.
Sunday night saw the premiere of Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, a documentary that chronicled the couple’s recent 10-day trip to Africa.
As expected, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared their thoughts on the ongoing humanitarian crises in Africa as well as the many cultural and geographical treasures the continent has to offer.
But what came as a surprise was the blunt fashion in which both Harry and Meghan opened up about their various personal struggles.
Speaking with journalist Tom Bradby, Meghan spoke candidly about her feelings of isolation and the difficulties she’s faced in trying to assimilate to life as a member of the world’s most famous family.
“I think I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip,” Meghan said.
“I tried, I really tried. But I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging and the biggest thing that I know is that I never thought this would be easy.”
For his part, Harry opened up about the challenges he’s overcome in the past year, including reports that he’s feuding with his brother, Prince William.
“Inevitably stuff happens. But we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers,” Harry remarked, somewhat cryptically.
“We’re certainly on different paths at the moment. I’ll always be there for him and as I know, he’ll always be there for me. We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy but I love him dearly.”
This is not the sort of commentary British royals typically offer with regard to their private relationships.
So perhaps it’s not surprising that Monday morning saw media reports that William was “furious” about the documentary.
Speaking with the BBC, a palace source downplayed those reports, but admitted that William is “worried” about Prince Harry and hopes he and Meghan “are alright.”
Harry and Meghan were likely well aware that their decision to speak so candidly would be met with a mixed reaction.
But it seems that after weighing the pros and cons, the Sussexes felt that they were left with little choice but to speak out.
Harry has made it quite clear, after all, that he regards this as nothing less than a matter of life and death.
The Sussexes’ comments come on the heels of a lawsuit that Harry filed against a UK journalist whom he accuses of violating Meghan’s privacy.
The suit was accompanied by public remarks in which Harry dressed down the British media for what he feels is relentless mistreatment of his wife.
Only time will tell what sort of difference Harry and Meghan made by speaking so bluntly about the poor treatment they’ve received from the press.
But they made one thing abundantly clear throughout the documentary — they felt the need to clear the air so that they can devote the bulk of their time to what they see as their true calling:
“The rest of our lives, our life’s work with be predominantly focused on Africa on conservation,” Harry said.
“So there’s a lot of things to be done, there’s a lot of problems here, but also a lot of solutions.”
We wish them all the best in those efforts.