Reporter who busted Meghan’s bullying allegation says don’t blame her

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But Times royal correspondent Valentine Low admits the Harry and Meghan saga is “complex”, with the Duchess of Sussex harboring a sense of victimhood and blame on both sides.

“Meghan came in and thought she could beat the system, she could have been a little revolutionary, giving it a little push, but she’s not that kind of person,” he says.

Times Royal Correspondent Valentine Low will give a talk on her book Courtiers at The Proms at the light-filled St Jude Festival on June 24. (Image: Richard Pohle)

“It’s pretty obvious from Spare that long before Harry met her, there was frustration and wondering if he wanted to be a member of the royal family. You can’t blame everything on Meghan, but I think she also had a sense of victimhood and maybe entitlement and the two fed off of each other.

“There is fault on both sides; their strong sense of not being listened to, combined with a fundamental inability of the Palace to know how to deal with them. There were ways they misbehaved, but the Palace l spoiled I question Meghan’s narrative of asking for help and being denied but there was an obvious sense of doom a year before the Megxit and the Palace failed to notice it was a big problem.

Low says a year before the Megxit, at the time of the Cirque du Soleil fundraiser in January 2019, there were signs of displeasure from the Duchess, but the palace failed to realize how bad it was. severe. (Picture: PA)

Low thinks the strategic failures lie with Charles and the Queen’s private secretaries during the Megxit negotiations, but wonders if there was ever a compromise that the Queen would have tolerated.

“They were too far apart.”

“I don’t think it was a disaster that they left the royal family, their departure was really inevitable, that’s the damaging way to do it. It could have been settled in a more conciliatory way without all this hard feelings.”

He says being a royal correspondent is “a funny job” because “the people you write about don’t speak to you”.

“Sometimes it’s not very exciting, and sometimes you’re absolutely at the heart of the newspaper, writing on the front page of incredible dramas like the Andrew scandal and Harry and Meghan. When big events happen like the death of the Queen, it’s quite important, a bit of history.”

Contrary to all the political leaks and briefings, those closest to the Royal Family – their private secretaries – rarely speak.

“It’s very frustrating, sometimes it drives you crazy, that’s why when you get something, it’s even nicer.”

The key events in the intimidation accusations against Meghan happened two and a half years before Low’s story, and it wasn’t until Harry and Megan’s impending interview with Oprah that brought them to light.

It’s ‘not a disaster’ that Harry and Megan left the Royal Family, but the way they left might not have been so damaging. (Picture: PA)

“The fascinating thing is that quite a few people knew about it, but no one had chatted. If it had been a private secretary accused of bullying, they would have known how to go about it, but with a royal, they didn’t know how to deal, so he stayed buried for years.

“These people felt they had been victimized by Meghan, who was about to impersonate Oprah to pose as a victim of the Palace machine. Meghan would have taken hold of the narrative and if their claims came out after that, it would have been too late.”

Low Courtiers: The Power Behind The Crown’s gripping and well-researched book examines what Princess Diana called “the men in gray suits.” The workings of a constitutional monarchy and the so-called “Golden Triangle” between Number 10, the Cabinet Office and Buckingham Palace.

Brokers The Hidden Power Behind The Crown is published by Headline (Image: Courtesy of the publisher)

“Who are these people we are complaining about? What is this relationship, how does it work and how powerful are they?” He asks.

The answer depends on which member of the royal family, in which period. The Queen’s relationship with her private secretaries changed even during her reign, while King Charles is said to be hardworking, demanding, with an explosive temper, which responds well to humor.

A good courtier, says Low, must listen to his boss, but “have a sense of the real world because that’s not the case.”

“You have to be a supreme diplomat and manipulator, convincing them to do things that they don’t realize are in their best interest – to save them from themselves. They are very powerful but the ultimate decisions are taken by the royal family. You cannot manipulate them against their will. The halls of Buckingham Palace are littered with the bodies of private secretaries who disagreed with their boss.

He thinks the recent coronation was “a good show” and believes the much-vaunted “lite monarchy” will come about through natural waste rather than layoffs.

“If you look at Andrew and Harry, they’ve slimmed down quite effectively already.”

Some will be happy to know he thinks we’ll hear less about Harry and Meghan in the future: ‘People in their camp have said they want to move on and do other things’, while the Princess of Wales could show more steel than her “stern, unchallenging” images suggest.

Low believes Prince William’s desire for more informality is at odds with the royal family’s USP of being special. (Picture: PA)

“I think we’ll see more change under William’s reign than under Charles’, he might challenge the fundamentals more,” Low says.

“In a way, the royal family is ridiculous; who are these people and why do we admire them? The fundamental challenge is that you see with William a desire for more informality, but the whole premise is based on their special character.

“The more you increase informality, the more you lose the idea that they are special. It creates tension and a question about where are we going.”

Valentine Low is at the Proms at St Jude’s Lit Fest on June 24 at Henrietta Barnett School, Hampstead Garden Suburb.

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