>>> I DON’T KNOW HOW THEY COULD
EXPECT THAT AFTER ALL OF THIS
TIME WE WOULD STILL JUST BE
SILENT IF THERE IS AN ACTIVE
ROLE THAT THE FIRM IS PLAYING IN
PERPETUATING FALSEHOODS ABOUT
US.
AND IF THAT COMES WITH RISK OF
LOSING THINGS, I MEAN, I’VE --
THERE IS A LOT THAT’S BEEN LOST
ALREADY.
>> THE FALL-OUT FROM THIS
TELL-ALL INTERVIEW WITH OPRAH
HAS BEEN NONSTOP SINCE IT FIRST
AIRED ON SUNDAY.
PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN
REPEATEDLY REFERRED TO THE ROYAL
FAMILY AS THE TERM.
REPORTEDLY HE SAID, QUOTE, WE’RE
NOT A FAMILY.
WE’RE A FIRM.
HE MAY HAVE HAD A POINT.
JUST BUCKINGHAM PALACE HAS MORE
THAN 400 EMPLOYEES FROM THE
PRIVATE SECRETARY TO LADIES IN
WAITING AND SHAUFRS AND
GARDENERS AND MANY, MANY MORE.
AND IT HAS A NUMBER OF
CONSTITUENTS, INCLUDING ONE THAT
HAS PROVEN TOXIC TO HARRY AND
MEGHAN, THE TABLOID PRESS.
HOW DOES THE FIRM WORK?
AND IF IT IS BEHOLDEN TO THE
TABLOIDS, THEN WHO REALLY HAS
THE POWER.
LIFESTYLE DEPUTY EDITOR FOR
"INSIDER."
WELCOME.
>> HI.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO WHAT IS THE FIRM?
THAT IS CLEARLY NOT JUST A
EUPHEMISM FOR THE GRANDEUR OF
THE ROYAL FAMILY.
THIS FEELS LIKE A CORPORATION
THAT HAS INTERESTS THAT
TRANSCEND EVEN THE PEOPLE WITHIN
IT AT THE TIME.
>> YES.
IT CAN GET VERY CONFUSING, AND A
LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD QUESTIONS
FOLLOWING THE INTERVIEW WHILE
SHE WAS REFERENCEING THE FIRM.
THE FIRM IS A NICKNAME FOR
PEOPLE BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
THE ROYAL FAMILY WHO ARE TASKED
WITH PROTECTING AND MANAGING THE
ROYAL FAMILY’S REPUTATION.
SO IT’S CONSTITUTED NOT JUST OF
SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL
FAMILY BUT ALSO WITH
COMMUNICATIONS AND PR
PROFESSIONALS AND, SO, IT’S
INTERESTING BECAUSE
MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT THE FIRM.
AND IT ISN’T SOMETHING THE
ROYALS HAVE REALLY DISCUSSED.
SO THE FACT THAT MEGHAN
MENTIONED THE FIRM, SOME FOUND
ACTUALLY QUITE INSULTING BECAUSE
IT MARKS THAT SEPARATION FROM
THE FAMILY AND SHOWS THAT, YOU
KNOW, THERE IS THIS BUSINESS AT
WORK THAT PEOPLE AREN’T QUITE
AWARE OF AND HARRY AND MEGHAN
REALLY DREW ATTENTION TO THAT.
>> WHO RUNS THE FIRM?
WHO IS IN CHARGE?
IS IT THE QUEEN OR IS IT SOMEONE
ELSE?
>> SO TO UNDERSTAND THE FIRM WE
HAVE TO KIND OF BACKTRACK A BIT.
THE FIRM IS PART OF WHAT IS
CALLED THE ROYAL INSTITUTION.
AND THE ROYAL INSTITUTION HAS
HUNDREDS OF MEMBERS WHO PLAY
DIFFERENT ROLES.
THE QUEEN IS AT THE TOP OF THE
ROYAL INSTITUTION.
AND IT IS OF COURSE COMPRISED OF
ROYAL FAMILY MEMBERS.
IT HAS EVERYONE FROM FAMILY
AIDES TO COMMUNICATIONS.
AND WITHIN THAT INSTITUTION IS
THE FIRM.
NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT THE FIRM
IN DETAIL BECAUSE SO MUCH OF THE
ROYAL FAMILY’S INNER WORKINGS
AND BUSINESS IS REALLY SHROUDED.
IT’S INTERESTING HOW THE
TABLOIDS PLAYED A BIG PART IN
THIS INTERVIEW BECAUSE IT WAS
SUGGESTED, HEAVILY SUGGESTED,
THAT THIS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE ROYAL FAMILY AND THE
TABLOIDS HAS BEEN VERY SYMBIOTIC
AND A BUSINESSLIKE RELATIONSHIP.
WITHIN THE FIRM ITSELF, IT’S
IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THERE IS
AN INNER CIRCLE THAT’S KNOWN AS
THE FIRM OF EIGHT.
AS OF DECEMBER, THIS WAS
ANNOUNCED.
SO THE QUEEN IS OBVIOUSLY PART
OF THIS INNER CIRCLE AS IS HIS
SON PRINCE CHARLES, HIS WIFE
CAMILLA, THE QUEEN’S GRANDSON
MIDDLETON, THE QUEEN’S YOUNGEST
SON PRINCE EDWARD, HIS WIFE
SOPHIE, AND PRINCESS ANNE.
PRINCE PHILIP IS NOT A PART OF
IT BECAUSE HE RETIRED FROM ROYAL
DUTIES.
THE PEOPLE IN THIS INNER CIRCLE
ARE THE ONES MAKING DECISIONS.
AS YOU MENTIONED, THE PRIVATE
SECRETARIES HAVE A REALLY BIG
ROLE TO PLAY AND OFTEN ARE THE
ONES THAT ARE PULLING SOME OF
THE STRINGS IN THE ROYAL FAMILY.
>> I FOUND THE OPRAH
FASCINATING.
I WATCHED IT TWICE.
I TOLD ALL THE PRODUCERS ON THE
SHOW, YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS
INTERVIEW BECAUSE THEY DO A LOT
OF THINGS RIGHT IN TERMS OF
TELEVISION AND HOW YOU PRODUCE A
TWO-HOUR PROGRAM THAT SUCKS YOU
IN, AT LEAST IT SUCKED ME IN.
BUT IT LEAVES ME STILL WITH A
LOT MORE QUESTIONS, NAMELY WHAT
IS THIS ALL ABOUT.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
TABLOIDS AND THE MONARCHY FEELS
SOMETIMES SYMBIOTIC BUT OFTEN
PARASITIC.
AND ENTIRELY, OR AT LEAST
LARGELY, ABOUT MONEY.
WHEN THE ROYAL WEDDING HAPPENED
BETWEEN HARRY AND MEGHAN, THAT
WAS ESTIMATED TO BRING $1.5
BILLION TO THE UK ECONOMY.
BY ONE REPORT THE FIRM
CONTRIBUTED AN ESTIMATED 2.
BILLION A YEAR TO THE BRITISH
ECONOMY BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
I DON’T WANT TO BELIEVE THAT
MEGHAN MARKLE WAS KIND OF
TREATED WITH SUCH CONTEMPT AND
AT TIMES OUTRIGHT RACISM BECAUSE
THIS INSTITUTION HAD A BOTTOM
LINE TO WORRY ABOUT.
BUT I HAVE NO EVIDENCE TO THE
CONTRARY.
I MEAN, IS IT JUST THAT SIMPLE?
OR IS THERE MORE TO IT?
>> I THINK, AS WE SAW IN THIS
INTERVIEW, MEGHAN’S EXPERIENCE
OF ROYAL LIFE IS VERY UNIQUE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE DRAWN
PARALLELS BETWEEN MEGHAN’S
EXPERIENCE AND DIANA’S
EXPERIENCE.
WHILE I THINK THAT’S VERY VALID,
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT MEGHAN
FACED BLATANT RACISM FROM THE UK
TABLOID MEDIA.
WE SAW THIS SO CLEARLY IN
HEADLINES.
AND AS IT HAS BEEN SHOWN, YOU
KNOW, WE’VE SEEN THE ROYAL
FAMILY DOES NOT OFTEN COMMENT ON
STORIES OR ALLEGATIONS.
BUT THEY HAVE CHOSEN WHEN TO
INTERVENE IN THE NARRATIVE.
AND THEY DID NOT CHOOSE TO DO SO
WITH MEGHAN, ACCORDING TO HER
ACCOUNT.
AND, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT JUST
THE PLETHORA OF COVERAGE THAT
MEGHAN FACED, NEGATIVE, RACIST
COVERAGE IN THE UK TABLOID
MEDIA, THIS WAS UNACCEPTABLE.
AND I THINK THAT REALLY WAS THE
BREAKING POINT.
THIS STORY THAT MEGHAN MENTIONED
WHERE IT HAD BEEN REPORTED BY
THE TABLOIDS THAT KATE -- I’M
SORRY, MEGHAN HAD MADE KATE CRY
THE WEEK OF MEGHAN’S WEDDING
OVER A DRESS, MEGHAN WAS PAINTED
AS THIS BRIDE-ZILLA.
MEGHAN SAID ACTUALLY, THAT WAS
ME, I CRIED, AND KATE MADE ME
CRY, AND I FORGIVE HER.
BUT THEY DECIDED NOT -- AND BY
"THEY" I MEAN THE ROYAL
INSTITUTION, IT WAS DECIDED,
ACCORDING TO MEGHAN, THEY WOULD
NOT [ INAUDIBLE ].
AND WE DID NOT HEAR ANYTHING TO
THE CONTRARY.
ONE THING THAT TOOK ME NOT BY
SURPRISE BY WAS ALARMING,
[ INAUDIBLE ].
>> IT IS SUCH A FASCINATING
STORY.
I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE
INTERESTED IN THE ROYALS UNTIL I
SAW HARRY AND MEGHAN’S WEDDING,
WATCHING THE WHOLE DOGGONE
THING.
WATCHING THE EVENTS, IT’S NOT
SURPRISING, I HATE TO SAY,