Question

From media coverage last week you would think that Britain had been plunged into some truly terrible crisis.In the week in which a commercial flight was shot down by Iran in Iranian airspace, and when talk of a third World War being imminent was common, the same week in which three years of political paralysis ended as the parliament of Northern Ireland went back to work and power sharing was resumed, the same week in which the British ambassador to Tehran was arrested (briefly), the week in which a female broadcaster won a landmark equal pay claim against the BBC, the news headlines were dominated by news that the Queen’s grandson and his wife had decided to step back from royal duties and try to be “financially independent”.There was rather a lot of news hysteria in Britain (and the rest of the world) after this announcement by Prince Harry (Duke of Sussex) and his wife, the American actress Meghan Markle. The tabloids, particularly the Daily Mail51015and people like Piers Morgan went berserk (the latter writing a column depicting Meghan as a scheming social climber who had stolen Harry away from his family), and The Daily Telegraph ran a huge banner headline saying “A Royal Crisis” with four different columnists writing on different aspects of this ‘crisis’. Crisis? Really?[…] This tone of media coverage of course strengthened the couple’s point that the hostility of the media, the tabloids in particular, was poisoning their lives. […]But the fact that Sussexes’ move provoked such a bitter public and press reaction is perhaps unsurprising given the buildup of hostile news stories that for months have portrayed Markle as ‘difficult to work with’, ‘demanding’ and ‘rude’. It has also followed lawsuits filed by the couple against some tabloids and various statements they have made about the matter. Prince Harry has often spoken of how his mother (Princess Diana) had been hounded ruthlessly by the press and seemed determined to protect his wife from a similar fate.

Answer 1

The provided text discusses the media coverage surrounding Prince Harry (Duke of Sussex) and Meghan Markle's decision to step back from royal duties and become financially independent.

Despite significant global events, such as a commercial flight being shot down in Iranian airspace and political developments in Northern Ireland, the media focused intensely on the royal couple's announcement.

The text mentions that the media coverage contributed to a sense of crisis, with tabloids and certain individuals reacting strongly to the news. Piers Morgan, a prominent figure mentioned, wrote a column portraying Meghan as a schemer who allegedly influenced Harry to distance himself from his family. The media's response, including headlines like "A Royal Crisis," is portrayed as disproportionate to the actual significance of the Sussexes' decision.