It Wasn't a 'Mexit', It Was a Royal Push-Out
New Harry & Meghan doc. and a look back at the Sandringham Summit coverage
Over the weekend, a new Channel 5 series joined a growing list of documentaries about Prince Harry and Meghan. Unless you’re in the U.K., these documentaries are typically released a week later on YouTube.
Clips from Meghan & Harry: The Rise and Fall, “Episode 1 / Megxit: Inside the Sandringham Summit,” are flying around the internet. Referring to the event as “Megxit” is a choice. As the documentary points out, using the Duchess of Sussex’s own words, she wasn’t even a part of the negotiations.
She didn’t have a voice in the room. Attempts to have her call in were thwarted, or a non-starter, depending on who’s telling the story. So, how was it a Mexit at all, except as a device used by the press to place the blame on the American Duchess by marriage?
Charlotte Griffiths, Editor at Large of MoS, says Meghan was going to phone in, while the Editor at Large of DM, Richard Kay, disputes that story.
“Recollections may vary” is only possible if there’s no threat of a paper trail. Ironically, a large part of the couple’s complaint was the leaks to the media, often untrue, about them.
I searched for what Richard Kay wrote during the Sandringham Summit back in 2020.
At the time he wrote:
Yesterday, it was claimed that the Duchess of Sussex would also be participating in the discussions via telephone link from Canada, where she has been reunited with baby Archie. However, insiders say it is unlikely that there will be an open line from Sandringham to Vancouver.
‘While the Queen has no objection in principle to Skype or conference calls, for clarity’s sake it is more likely that Harry will break off from the negotiations to call the Duchess,’ says an aide.
At the time, insiders said it was “unlikely” and the reason given was for “clarity’s sake”. In the documentary, Kay is working from a 2025 framework. Why would there be concern about someone else taking notes or being in the room for—this is the unspoken part—a future interview, book, or documentary? There was no reason to bring that into the lexicon in 2020 before the couple left working royal life.
Besides, what could add more clarity than a woman participating in decisions that impact the rest of her life?
This is one of the reasons I love old articles, whether from a few years or decades ago. They offer a snapshot in time. I decided to revisit some other pieces from the 2020 Sandringham Summit, including a BBC piece that gives a VERY interesting read on Royal Security for the couple, given what’s happened since.