Is Meghan Markle taking a risk as she aligns herself with new media outlet while suing another?
Meghan Markle is set to take to the stage for her first interview since she left senior royal duties - but she will be the one asking the questions.
Meghan, 39, is to interview the founder of The 19th*, a news agency which seeks to tell the stories of the underrepresented and underserved in the US.
The Duchess of Sussex is said to have got in touch with Emily Ramshaw, the founder, to ask if she could be involved with the project and if she could interview her as part of their virtual summit, which also pulled names like Meryl Streep, Melinda Gates and new vice presidential candidate, Kamala Harris.
Meghan and her husband Prince Harry have a fraught relationship with the press. They are currently involved in several legal battles with various papers, including Meghan’s case against the Mail On Sunday and the MailOnline and Harry’s case over alleged phone hacking.
Part of the reason they left behind their senior royal roles was a desire to work with a wider variety of newspapers and organisations.
According to one of the authors of the new biography about the couple, Finding Freedom, Harry was told 'no' when he approached the palace about involving US media, which pushed the Sussexes to set out their own path.
Meghan’s approach with The 19th* is one of the first and clearest ways of how this new model will work for the couple.
But it doesn’t come without risks - aligning with a specific news organisation is something that could backfire
Journalist Afua Adom noted that Meghan’s ongoing court battles could affect the perception of her as balanced.
“Can you really be objective when you are suing newspapers, when you have been talked about so badly by the press?
“I would be annoyed, I would be fuming, and taking people to court, but while you are doing that, are you going to be able to be a balanced member of the press, are you going to be able to tell those stories?
“She has been written about horribly,” she said.
On whether it could be risky, Adom said: “With everything that Meghan and Harry are doing, it has the potential to backfire.
“When they first made changes to the way they work, they talked about changing the way they interact with the media. They said they were not going to just engage with the royal media, they wanted to talk to lesser known journalists, brands and outlets. This is their way of doing it.
“It will be really, really good, or really, really awful. But at least they are being true to themselves, and saying ‘we said we would work with other media, and we are’.”
Read more: Nine things we learned about Prince Harry and Meghan as Finding Freedom is released
Most royal engagements are covered by the royal rota – a group of reporters from news outlets who cover events with the agreement that they will share material with the rest.
It includes, but is not limited to, papers like the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, and broadcasters like the BBC and Sky News.
There are occasions where members of the Royal Family work with non-rota publications. For example, Prince Charles and Princess Anne have both edited Country Life magazine, while Meghan and Kate have both edited Vogue.
Anne gave an interview to Women’s Weekly ahead of her birthday, and the Queen gave a rare approval of comments to Horse and Hound magazine in lockdown - the closest she gets to an interview.
Beauty journalist and commentator Amber Graafland said the Duchess of Sussex’s choice of media outlet “spoke volumes” about what she was willing to do.
She told Yahoo UK: “I think there is a risk, there’s such a spotlight on her and the serious accusations of breaches of privacy.
“She is saying she is anti certain types of media, but she is not shying away from showing what she will support.”
Former Buckingham Palace press officer Dickie Arbiter told Yahoo UK the duke and duchess should be sure to listen to their advisers.
He said: “They have got advisers, they are paying people a lot of money, and if they’re advising, they should listen.
“[Previously when] Harry was going to a conference on tourism and he made an error in judgement in taking a private jet. I suppose he has learnt a lesson from that.”
Meghan’s interview with Ramshaw closes the summit on Friday and it can be streamed via Crowdcast.
