Omid Scobie at Harper’s Bazaar is one of the “friendliest” journalists towards the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Most of the Harry & Meg fans know him to be reliable, and we know that he’s got a good bulls–t detector when it comes to the fake news about the Sussexes. Scobie wrote a lengthy piece for Bazaar about Harry and Meghan’s You Coulda Had a Bad Bitch farewell tour, with an emphasis on one of Meghan’s final, solo events for the Association of Commonwealth Universities. He used the piece to basically say what many of us have said for months: it didn’t have to be this way, the Windsors are losing a bright, interesting, youthful couple, and Harry and Meghan were treated so poorly by the Windsors and the media. You can read Scobie’s full piece here. Here are some of the most interesting parts:

The Sussexes were crushed to leave: To say they were crushed is an understatement. It’s a decision that the couple still feel wasn’t necessary, but also wasn’t a surprise, given the lack of support they received as they were relentlessly attacked by sections of the British press with almost daily mistruths and hateful commentary. While recent tabloid coverage has made it seem like the Sussexes’ half-in-half-out bid was about wanting it all, the reality was a couple who were left with no other choice but to create their own change after being left to fend for themselves against impossible circumstances—even during her pregnancy. They knew something had to change, but they also didn’t want to stop supporting the queen. One can’t help but wonder if things might have been different if a family member or two had stood up for them during the darkest times.

Harry is gutted about losing his military titles: [One of Harry’s first tasks is] bringing the work of the Endeavour Fund and Invictus Games, both of which he helped establish, closer together. Harry’s lifelong commitment is why Saturday’s Mountbatten Festival of Music was a particularly difficult moment, wearing his Captain General of the Royal Marines uniform for the last time. Giving up his royal duties has resulted in his military honors coming to an end—a particularly tough pill to swallow and something that has been just as difficult for his wife to witness. It is, a source close to the couple tells me, a wound that will take time to heal for Harry.

They are hurting: Getting on with the work has always been what it’s been about for Harry and Meghan, but behind the smiles of the photos has been a vulnerable couple who are still very much hurting.

Omid says goodbye: Back at Buckingham Palace, the ACU students now en route to Westminster Abbey and Harry quietly slipping through the door to say hello, the reality—and the emotions—finally set in as I give Meghan a goodbye hug. She’s flying back to Canada on the last commercial flight of the day, eager to be back in Vancouver Island by the morning before Archie wakes up. For a couple who only ever wanted to focus on their work and bring good to the world, it seems like an unnecessarily cruel ending to their royal lives. Forced to give up roles they’re incredibly proud of after sacrificing so much to get there.

They’re free now: While the weeks and months ahead will no doubt present new challenges for the Sussexes, the couple genuinely feel a sense of excitement about what’s to come, which includes the freedom to work at a pace that suits them, no longer weighed down by protocol or threatened by toxic agendas. And while much has been (incorrectly) speculated about specific commercial endeavors they might be taking on, both Harry and Meghan are eager to get stuck into their work, which will still revolve around their humanitarian efforts and helping amplify the voices of young people around the world on a wide gamut of issues.

[From Harper’s Bazaar]

Yeah, I still don’t understand why the Queen took away Harry’s military ranks and patronages other than as a petty, punitive measure? Is there any kind of law or rule or make-believe protocol which says that a royal prince and war veteran should be stripped of his military titles when he moves overseas? Or was that – hear me out – just one of the many ways which Liz of House Petty tried to punish Harry and encourage him to abandon his wife and child? Thank god Harry and Meghan are out of that toxic family. While it would be nice to see Scobie’s words lead to some kind of internal reckoning within the royal press and the royal family, it won’t happen.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid.