The US media are 'not that happy' with Meghan Markle

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published 3 September 2022

The US press have dubbed Meghan Markle 'spoilt' as royal commentators urge her to 'read the room' before complaining about her life experiences.

The tide has turned for Meghan Markle as the US press tire of her 'whining about [the] royal family' while millions of people across the globe face an unprecedented cost of living crisis
The controversy was sparked by Meghan's recent interview with New York Magazine's The Cut as well as comments she made on her podcast, Archetypes
In other royal news, Meghan Markle has revealed adorable details of life at home with Prince Harry, Archie and Lilibet

Since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left the Prince's home country for America, the couple have made friends with the US media and used this relationship to record their tumultuous life as royals in the UK.

For the most part, the US media has loved every second of the scandalous exposes and click-baiting headlines the pair have gifted them, but now it seems the tide is changing.

A Los Angeles-based reporter recently commented that had 'definitely been a change in tone' in the US coverage of Meghan Markle that shows they are 'not happy with her'.

Ross King MBE, who moved to America in 2000 and has since worked as a LA correspondent for many UK news channels, suggested that Meghan's recent interview with New York Magazine's The Cut coinciding with the anniversary of Princess Diana's death, alongside the controversy surrounding her remarks about Nelson Mandela, has generated a negative reaction amongst the press.

Appearing on Lorraine, King remarked, "I definitely have noticed a shift out here, and I think a lot of that has to do with the timing of the things we've been hearing.

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"A lot of the news programmes and the entertainment shows were about the 25th anniversary of Diana's passing, and there was so much there about how much joy she brought to the world.

'And then of course came along the Meghan podcast so a lot of people were going 'what was Meghan hoping to achieve with this'? Certainly from her employer's point of view they were hoping the podcast would do well, and it has been the number one podcast out here.

"But I think a lot of people are asking questions… in the past there hasn't been a lot of negative press for Meghan out here because she is, to all intents and purposes, their princess.

"I got the feeling, this time, certainly in terms of the TV shows and media coverage here you can certainly see they're not that happy with her so you can definitely see a change in tone here."

King said Meghan would have been wise to 'read the room' before complaining about her life during a cost of living crisis while she was living in a £11million mansion.

He also mentioned how Dr John Kani, a South African actor and friend of Nelson Mandela had said he was 'baffled' by a suggestion in Meghan's interview with The Cut that his country, South Africa, had 'rejoiced' when she married Prince Harry.

The actor clarified that Mr Mandela's walk to freedom after 27 years in prison was a 'landmark moment' while Meghan's marriage to Prince Harry was 'no big deal' in South Africa, adding that the two events 'cannot be spoken in the same breath.’ In contradiction, Meghan claimed, "'He looked at me, and he’s just like light. He said, 'I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison'."

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Looking to the recent American press coverage surrounding Meghan Markle, King's claims are backed up and even made to seem like understatements.

Meghan's interview with The Cut led to a damning front page in the New York Post with the headline, 'Toddler And Tiara: Spoiled princess Meghan STILL whining about royal family' plastered across a photoshopped image of Meghan as a pageant winning toddler.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post attempted to give their princess some advice, writing, 'to succeed in the media, [she] needs to leave royal traumas behind'.

Meanwhile, CNN host Don Lemon focused on a claim Meghan made in the second episode of her Archetypes podcast. Meghan spoke about her experience with racism while dating Prince Harry and mentioned that she only really began to be treated 'like a black woman' when she started seeing the royal. Lemon may have praised Meghan for speaking out about 'colourism', but he also said she must acknowledge that she was speaking from a position of privilege given she 'did not have to deal with racism' until she married Prince Harry while most black Americans experience it everyday.

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The UK press have also noticed the change in sentiment towards Meghan with the Daily Mirror editor, Alison Phillips, agreeing with King that Meghan had started to see her popularity decline in the US.

She told Lorraine, "I think in this country her popularity was starting to wane a good year ago when they first left the country.

"I do also think though we've got into a situation where everything around Meghan and Harry has become an incredibly negative conversation, which seems quite sad as well," she added before concluding, "I kind of think the best thing we can do is let them stay in the States making her podcasts."

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.