THE BBC has been slated for dedicating an entire Newsnight episode to the return of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to the UK, while the story was blasted all over the front of British and Scottish newspapers.
The whole 30 minutes of the BBC political news show on Thursday night was focused on plans by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – known as the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton in Scotland – to live in a non-royal residence outside of London having enrolled their children in English schools.
The story and the royal family's response to it was also on the front of almost every UK newspaper bar the Guardian and the Financial Times, while Sky News has been running a live blog.
The Scottish Sun, The Times in Scotland and the Scottish Daily Express splashed on the story too.
Graham Smith, CEO of anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, criticised the level of coverage, telling The National the "soap opera" was "fundamentally unimportant".
"A more sensible and appropriate reaction would be a collective shrug of the shoulders," he said.
"It’s fundamentally unimportant.
"That said if they [Harry and Meghan] lead a public life in the UK, it’s going to be a challenge for William and Charles, whose thin skins and fragile egos might not welcome the unflattering comparisons with the Sussexes or the competition for attention.
"If that undermines the royal narrative then I’m all for it, but we’d all be better off if the whole soap opera was cancelled so we can focus on more interesting issues."
The Newsnight episode focused on whether Prince William and Harry would be able to settle their differences after publicly falling out following the publication of Harry's explosive autobiography Spare.
"A distraction... fundamentally not what people actually care about." Harry Quilter-Pinner of the IPPR says inflation and bills are bigger issues to the public than whether Harry and Meghan return to the UK. #Newsnight pic.twitter.com/GugW5v3G5b
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) August 20, 2026
It then moved on to discuss what the security arrangements would be for the Sussexes, with questions remaining over who will pay for this.
Harry has faced a protracted legal battle with the Home Office over the security arrangements for him and his family while in the UK, after his level of protection changed when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020.
Francine Love, of the Republic Edinburgh local group, said: "It's worth taking a step back and asking why Harry and Meghan are attracting so much media interest. They're private citizens and wherever they choose to live will have absolutely no impact on any of us.
"The media coverage is a reflection of the relationship between the royals and the media. The media force this on us, they manufacture interest when most ordinary people don't really care about the royals.
"The fact is, the royals need press and all the tittle tattle that goes along with it because, without that, they just wouldn't register with most people."
A Newsnight panel featuring ex-BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt, historian Tessa Dunlop, Poppy Coburn of the Daily Telegraph and Harry Quilter-Pinner of the think tank IPPR shared their thoughts on the Sussexes' move, with Quilter-Pinner arguing it is "not what people care about".
He said: "I think for a lot of the public some light entertainment, a bit of a distraction from what's going on in their lives but fundamentally not what people care about," he said.
"Inflation went up yesterday, that's higher bills for families. These are the things that are going to be worrying families."
On social media, viewers blasted Newsnight for covering the "soap opera" so extensively.
On Twitter/X, Darren J. McDermott posted: "Quite sad to see what #newsnight has become. Does anyone who watches it really care about the royal soap opera?"
Tara O'Connor added: "Harry & Megan as top story sees a once great programme hit super lows…."
