Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah actually managed to live up to the hype, giving us lots of hot gossip about the Royal Family. But dishing about their relatives came with a cost, and Meghan and Harry have lost quite a bit since that interview first aired.
And whether you love or hate these royals on the run, nobody can deny they are now paying a major cost for daring to speak out against the Royal Family.
Distance From the Family
Perhaps the most obvious price for the interview was the trust and relationship of the Royal Family. But according to Meghan Markle, that trust might have already been lost.
During the interview, Oprah asked if they were worried about the fallout from their family. To this, Meghan answered, “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.” Furthermore, “if that comes with risk of losing things … there is a lot that has been lost already.”
While Harry was a bit more reserved about criticizing his family, it looks like the couple is increasingly aware that they might never be able to go back to the ways things were.
No Way Home
Even before Meghan and Harry left royal life behind, relationships in the family were strained. This included many stories about alleged feuds between Meghan and Kate Middleton as well as ongoing beef between Harry and his brother, Prince William.
It seems unlikely that the interview has done anything to smooth these relationships over. To Oprah, Meghan and Harry described an “invisible contract” between the Royal Family and the British tabloids and that the family doesn’t want to upset the tabloids over this matter.
Considering that British tabloids attacking Meghan were a large part of why they started a new life in America, it seems this couple is still nurturing a grudge against the royals for not speaking out against the tabloids back when Meghan was suffering from their relentless coverage.
RELATED: Meghan Markle Was Warned Against Marrying Harry By Her Childhood Friends
Lost Hollywood Connections?
A major part of Meghan and Harry’s new life involves making Hollywood connections. To this end, they are working with Netflix on various programs and generally trying to blend in among America’s elite in their new Montecito, California home.
However, their willingness to share dirty details about their family on television may hurt their Hollywood reputation. In an industry that values keeping details of private lives hidden, Meghan and Harry may have committed a major faux pas and lost the respect of Hollywood’s movers and shakers.
Less Support From the Public
Most interestingly, Meghan and Harry seem to be losing the respect of the general public. The National reports that support for the couple dropped an average of 10 points after the interview aired.
The loss of public support is even worse in England, where Express reports that support for Meghan dropped 13 points and support for Harry dropped 15 points, giving Harry a net negative rating for the first time ever.