I still remember the dawning realization I had, circa 2018, that the British media operates in a bubble, and they didn’t realize that media is global and the whole world could see their open racism and abuse of the Duchess of Sussex. In the past five years, little has changed – while royal reporters code-switch for international audiences, I’d like to believe that royal-watchers and even casual observers understand what’s happening and what was done to the Sussexes by the unholy partnership of the British media and the Windsors. So, imagine the Daily Mail’s surprise that the Sussexes and the Invictus Games are getting wall-to-wall coverage in the German media. They shouldn’t be that shocked – many “royal photographers” and royal reporters managed to get media credentials for the games, and the Sussexes are getting tons of coverage across British media and European media.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bowled over the German media with their charm offensive on the first day they were seen together at the Invictus Games. Only positive headlines are being used to describe the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, such as ‘Finally A Prince Again’, with much of the attention focused on Meghan and how she reacts to the crowds and what she wears. There have yet to be negative comments about their public appearances, including when they attended a wheelchair basketball match. The couple’s often contentious relationship with the other members of the royal family has not been mentioned in any of the coverage.

‘I think people are very interested to see how they are together and their dynamics as a couple,’ said one reporter for Bild newspaper. ‘They are very popular here. You only have to see how hundreds of people waited in the market square outside the town hall to try and see them. It was the same the previous year when they came to start the countdown to the games.’

The popular Gala magazine website devoted five stories to the couple as well as carrying a live blog to update readers on their activities. Harry’s biggest coup was to be invited on to the hugely popular show ‘Sports Studio’ – the German equivalent of the BBC’s Match of the Day.

Meanwhile, the Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) network devoted the entire hour-long show to allow Harry to talk about the Invictus Games and its impact on the mental health and rehabilitation of wounded war veterans.

Meanwhile, the glossy Gala magazine – which devotes pages to celebrities and other VIPs – carried a blow-by-blow account of Harry and Meghan attending their first Invictus Games events together. They had a live blog on the movements of the couple along with other stories about their life. The magazine will devote its cover in this week’s edition published on Thursday with a photo of Harry and the headline ‘Finally A Prince Again.’ Inside there will be three pages of coverage.

‘There is a lot interest, and much more now that Meghan is here. They are behaving very well and I think a lot of people will have a positive impression of them,’ a reporter for the magazine told Mail Online. ‘People are fascinated with Harry and his family, but they all know about Meghan,’ they said. ‘There are two camps here in Germany – team Harry and Meghan and Team Kate and William. It has been interesting seeing them together.’

The reporter said people in Germany has seen plenty of stories about the couple and their decision to step back as senior members of the British Royal Family. The reporter said: ‘Now they are here people see that they are happy.’

The rival Bunte magazine carried a story about Meghan sporting a $62,000 ring when she attended a friends and family event on Tuesday evening. TV news carried extensive reports on the Invictus Games with regular round ups of the day’s events. Bild newspaper have had a reporter covering the games while others in the Berlin office have been involved in their coverage.

[From The Daily Mail]

Do you get the sense of outrage from the Mail that they can’t control what the German media is writing and saying? The Mail’s editors are like “wait, you mean the Germans aren’t even going to mention Kensington Palace’s talking points? Where’s the requisite statement about how William will never, ever speak to his brother?” They’re shocked that their six-year hate campaign has turned Harry and Meghan into sympathetic global celebrities who get a rock-star reception wherever they go. Plus, people are just really excited to see Meghan. She’s outside! We want to talk about her clothes!!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.