Prince Harry Compares The Monstrous British Tabloids To ‘Game Of Thrones’ Dragons

Prince Harry’s two TV interviews, tied to the release of his memoir Spare, highlight the toxic relationship the royal family has with the British tabloids, with Harry jokingly comparing the tabloids to the dragons of Game of Thrones.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s media blitz has shone a light on some small palace scandals, but the two have saved most of their criticism for the British tabloids, highlighting their capacity to inflict reputational damage.

The British tabloids are notoriously aggressive publications that perfected clickbait before the invention of the internet; their perverse insults and wild accusations could easily match the “mean girl” tweets of Former President Donald Trump.

The tabloids introduced Markle, who has never lived in Compton, as “(Almost) Straight Out of Compton,” and heavily criticized her for, well, existing, as Markle doing everyday things like touching her own baby bump, and eating avocados, somehow became headline news, always with a negative slant.

A 2016 column for the Mail on Sunday written by Rachel Johnson, sister of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, described Markle (who is biracial), as having “rich and exotic DNA,” and introduced Markle’s mother as a “dreadlocked African-American lady from the wrong side of the tracks.”

Recently, The Sun published a column by former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, in which Clarkson conjures a repulsive fantasy about Markle being forced to strip naked, before being pelted with “excrement.” Clarkson later apologized for writing such a deranged piece, and requested that it be removed.

Clarkson was making an exceedingly distasteful Game of Thrones reference, but the fact that he, along with editors of The Sun, believed his words were fit to publish surely shows a severe case of “tabloid poisoning.”

Unlike former Jeffrey Epstein associate Prince Andrew, Meghan Markle has not been accused of any crime – she has done nothing but voice the discomfort and alienation she felt inside the palace – and still, the tabloids continue to viciously attack her. Notably, Prince Andrew has not been subjected to the fury of the press.

Harry’s “dragon” metaphor seems apt; the tabloids are ferocious beasts that poison the discourse, breathing molten hot gossip and fracturing the UK with terrible takes. According to Harry, they like to be fed fleshy scraps of gossip by the royals themselves, who allegedly attempt to tame the beasts in their favor, and even sic them on their rivals.

Harry and Meghan have always maintained that the palace never pushed back against the tabloid’s hate campaign against Meghan, while other family members were explicitly protected. During his interviews with ITV and 60 Minutes, Harry hints that “certain individuals” within the royal family have a symbiotic relationship with the tabloids, using them to “rehabilitate their image” but that came to the “detriment of others.” Dragons, after all, have to eat something.

Harry goes on to say that he understands why certain members of the royal family have cultivated this relationship with the tabloids, but now wants it to stop, citing his own family’s safety as a concern.

While Harry does not specify who, exactly, is “feeding the dragons” in his ITV interview with Tom Bradby, a leaked excerpt from his book heavily implies that Harry suspects his stepmother, Camilla, has been leaking negative stories.

While Harry and Meghan’s PR overload can feel a bit tiresome, Harry’s description of the royal family plotting, exchanging secrets and ordering character assassinations is oddly fascinating, and provides context to the couple’s decision to remain in the media spotlight.

Harry and Meghan see the tabloids spinning a damaging narrative, and are desperately tying to correct the record, to tell their own story. It’s a classic tale of a prince attempting to defend his princess from a dragon, or two; there’s even a wicked stepmother in there (at least, according to Harry).

It is unclear if Harry’s revelations are ever going to forge peace between him and the royals, but the prince has stated that the public deserves to know the truth behind those tabloid tales. While the public loves to see the dirt behind the immaculate facade of the palace, Harry believes there are more important matters at stake.

In his ITV interview, Harry stated:

“I think what’s a matter of public interest is the relationship between the institution and the tabloid media.”