Expect to see a whole lot more of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Los Angeles-based couple formerly known as senior royals, in the tabloids from now on. This won’t come in spite of their sweeping declaration that they’ll no longer corroborate or recognize Britain’s top four tabloids. It’ll be because of it.
Part of this will be by design. After all, if Harry and Meghan really didn’t want to escape the limelight, would they really trade Canada for Calabasas, California, where they’re reportedly house hunting? (My bet: They stick to Bel Air or Beverly Glen, which offers easier access to paparazzi hot spots such as Craig’s and Catch.)
Harry and Meghan made clear last weekend that they’re happy to take center stage. The Daily Mail, one of the four tabloids named by the couple as persona non grata, got the seemingly planned pictures of Harry and Meghan delivering food for Project Angel Food. How can we surmise this was planned? The charity suspended volunteers to support laid-off workers financially last month instead. (Hat tip to Hollywood blind item king Enty for that find.)
But more importantly (whether they realize what it means or not), Harry and Meghan have sacrificed whatever veneer of protection the tabloids had previously reserved even for B-list royals.
Buckingham Palace has long secured media blackouts on anything from pictures of the royal children outside of official events to drunk and disorderly photos. There’s a reason why those photos of a young Harry first appeared at TMZ and not the Sun. But now, that protection is gone, not just by the Palace no longer caring, but from the outlets themselves. Luckily, the couple is preternaturally photogenic, because any picture at a bad angle or a source with a naughty scoop is now fair game.
Harry and Meghan wanted to be global celebrities, and now, it’s probably happening. Hopefully, it’s everything they wished for.
