Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have blacklisted four major UK newspapers.
The couple – who quit as senior members of the British royal family last month and currently reside in Los Angeles – issued a strongly-worded letter to the editors of The Sun, The Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express, telling them that they will not engage with them in any way in the future.
Harry and Meghan stated that "there will be no corroboration and zero engagement," from their team towards any of the four outlets, along with their Sunday editions and associated websites and went on to attack the publications for printing articles, which the couple claim were "distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason".
The letter, issued by their US representatives, stated: "It is gravely concerning that an influential slice of the media, over many years, has sought to insulate themselves from taking accountability for what they say or print – even when they know it to be distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason. When power is enjoyed without responsibility, the trust we all place in this much-needed industry is degraded.
"There is a real human cost to this way of doing business and it affects every corner of society. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have watched people they know – as well as complete strangers – have their lives completely pulled apart for no good reason, other than the fact that salacious gossip boosts advertising revenue."
Addressing the editors of the publications directly, they added: "With that said, please note that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be engaging with your outlet. There will be no corroboration and zero engagement. This is also a policy being instated for their communications team, in order to protect that team from the side of the industry that readers never see.
"This policy is not about avoiding criticism. It’s not about shutting down public conversation or censoring accurate reporting. Media have every right to report on and indeed have an opinion on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, good or bad. But it can’t be based on a lie."
Harry, 35, and 38-year-old Meghan – who have son Archie, 11 months, together – added that this is not a blanket policy for all media and they will be happy to engage with "grassroots media, regional and local media" to highlight issues and causes they believe in.
They added: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are looking forward to working with journalists and media all over the world, engaging with grassroots media, regional and local media, and young, up-and-coming journalists, to spotlight issues and causes that so desperately need acknowledging. And they look forward to doing whatever they can to help further opportunities for more diverse and underrepresented voices, who are needed now more than ever."
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan blacklist four major UK tabloids
