Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Barely Discussed Their Decision to Boycott British Papers With the Queen

• Earlier this week, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) announced that they would no longer work with four of Britain's most popular papers, Daily Mail, the Sun, the Express, and the Mirror.
• The couple sent letters to the papers' editors explaining their decision, which they said was "not about avoiding criticism" but about disengaging with outlets that they believe participate in "clickbait and distortion."
• According a royal source (opens in new tab), Harry and Meghan didn't tell Prince Charles about their decision at all before sending their letters and, while they did call the Queen to discuss the move, they didn't give her details about the plan.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) surprised editors at four of the U.K.'s most popular papers—Daily Mail, the Sun, the Express, and the Mirror—this week with letters announcing their decision to formally cut ties with the outlets (opens in new tab).

Apparently, the news also came as a surprise to some of Harry's royal relatives (opens in new tab).

"We have been left stunned," a palace source told The Times (opens in new tab). "They have not taken any of our advice."

The source added that Harry did not tell his father, Prince Charles, about the plan at all and that, while he did call his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II (opens in new tab), from his new home in Los Angeles to discuss the letters before sending them, he "did not go into specific details."

In their letter, which you can read in full here (opens in new tab), Harry and Meghan explained their decision and stressed that it's a response to inaccurate reporting—not blacklisting outlets that are critical of them.

"This policy is not about avoiding criticism," they wrote. "It’s not about shutting down public conversation or censoring accurate reporting. Media have every right to report on and indeed have an opinion on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, good or bad. But it can’t be based on a lie."

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