The Royal family arrive at Westminster Abbey for the prestigious annual Commonwealth Services Day, global media are waiting. The main character had been Queen Elizabeth II but on March 9th, 2020, the focus was on younger grandson Prince Harry and his new wife, American bi-racial actress Meghan Markle, as they arrive to perform their final public appearance as royals.

The media has its place in society, and it is to report a story as opposed to creating one. January 8th, 2020, the Sussexes made the official announcement they would be stepping back as working royals and moving to Canada, after Meghan had been exposed to continuous harassment from the UK tabloids.

The couple received global attention; we look at how three different countries reported their last public appearance as royals.

Author Caroline Davies, writes with the UK Guardian newspaper and her sub-heading reads, ‘The couple were ushered to their seats before the Queen’.

This immediately portrays an image of awkwardness towards the couple. Davies describes Prince Harry as ‘solemn and pensive at times during the hour-long service’ and the chosen photograph strategically following that comment shows the royal family depicting the same emotions, except Meghan who is smiling. This article did not show the couple favourably, could this be reminiscence of the tabloid abuse Meghan had encountered?

Irish Times author Tanya Sweeney titles her article, ‘Farewell Meghan Markle, you’re finally free of the firm’.

Sweeney is complimentary about Meghan and identifies with the problems that Meghan had encountered trying to fit in with the British ideals and classism’s. She portrays a romantic couple embracing their departure from royal duties making them more free to be themselves. Sweeney may have been unconsciously influenced in her writing to favour the leaving of the monarchy on behalf of a society previously under British rule for centuries.