Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan reignited their simmering feud with the press on Sunday as they cut ties with major UK-based tabloids.
In a letter to the editors of the four newspapers and their associated titles, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they would "not be engaging with your outlet" as they criticised “an economy of clickbait and distortion”.
The message from the couple, who gave up their jobs as working royals at the end of last month and have an increasingly tense relationship with the press, was sent to The Sun, Daily Mail, Daily Express and Daily Mirror.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex insisted they believed a "free press" was a "cornerstone of democracy" and their new policy is "not about shutting down public conversation or censoring accurate reporting".
"It is gravely concerning that an influential slice of the media, over many years, has sought to insulate themselves from taking accountability for what they say or print - even when they know it to be distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason," the letter read.
"When power is enjoyed without responsibility, the trust we all place in this much needed industry is degraded."
Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth's grandson and sixth in line to the British throne, has previously spoken of his fear that his new family could be exposed to the same media scrutiny his mother Princess Diana faced. The couple said reporting could not "be based on a lie".
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have watched people they know - as well as complete strangers - have their lives completely pulled apart for no good reason, other than the fact that salacious gossip boosts advertising revenue," they wrote.
Last year, Prince Harry said he would sue The Sun and the Daily Mirror over the media phone hacking scandal while Meghan began legal action against the Mail on Sunday over the publication of a letter she wrote to her father. The next stage of that case will be heard in court this week.
The couple now live in Los Angeles with their young son Archie.
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Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
