A veteran royal photographer has shared a glimpse behind the scenes of Meghan and Harry’s contentious royal presence, and it looks like our suspicions may be confirmed.
Royal watchers might be thrilled with the prospect of getting a proper introduction to the royal bub on the couple’s upcoming tour of South Africa, but this royal insider is markedly unimpressed.
Photographer Arthur Edwards has snapped the world’s poshest family for The Sun for 40 years and is repeatedly referred to as the closest photographer to the royal clan.
When Kate and Wills introduced Louis to the world, Arthur was singled out by the Prince in his speech, he’s often photographed interacting with members of the family, and was once on the receiving end of one of Harry’s pranks.
Now, however, he has published a personal account of the reality of working with Meghan and Harry, and the pair don’t come off in the most favourable light.
The reality behind the cameras
While rumours have swirled for months around the Meghan’s difficult behaviour, Edwards described the pair as both projecting a poor attitude to their royal duties.
He says recently, Harry has ‘sulked’ almost incessantly, and he no longer recognises the sweet young royal he watched grow up.
“The old Harry is no longer there, and he seems to have forgotten that being a royal is a two-way street,” he writes.
He also slammed Meghan’s absence from the state dinner with President Trump, saying he ‘couldn’t believe’ her decision to stay away.
His prognosis isn’t positive for the new family. Photo: Getty Images
Edwards says behind the cameras Harry and Meghan are difficult to work with. [Photo: Getty Images]
“Harry seemed to sulk all the time he was with the Trumps and it was Meghan’s duty as an American member of our Royal Family to support the Queen and welcome her President,” he says.
However, let’s not forget that Meghan is still on maternity leave, and was only four weeks into motherhood when the Trumps came to town.
Royal snub
The photographer also weighed in on the confusion surrounding Archie’s birth, saying he was so personally offended by the couple’s decision to allow only one press photographer, that he deliberately sat it out.
The long-time snapper described that he chose to follow Charles’ trip to Germany in order to photograph royals who ‘wanted me to photograph them’.
This is all the more significant given Arthur has photographed eight royal births according to his Twitter bio, one of which was Harry’s own.
He’s previously spoken out about the couple’s decision to skip the traditional photo opportunity outside the hospital, criticising them for bucking over 40 years of tradition.
Others meanwhile, praised the decision as it meant Meghan did not have to bring in hair and makeup teams and squeeze into a dress and heels just hours after giving birth.
New perspective
It’s no smear campaign from Arthur however, the trusted photographer was previously enthusiastic about Meghan, giving her the benefit of the doubt by putting any issues down to ‘nerves’.
“I think she’s absolutely lovely, I’ve covered almost all the engagements she’s done,” he told a Foreign Press briefing earlier this year.
“I think she’s just a joy to work with, she’s very nervous obviously, but she’s doing a brilliant job.”
Looks like there’s been a tectonic shift in the relationship, and now Arthur is calling for the couple to engage directly with the press to clear the air, although he doesn’t seem overly confident about the prospects.
“It would be great if Harry and Meghan had a clear-the-air reception for the royal press corps and tell us what’s really been going on,” he concluded his piece.
“But I don’t suppose they will — because it’s not what Meghan wants.”
