Prince Charles and Camilla are hiring a Daily Mail deputy editor to run their media operation—despite Meghan Markle and Prince Harry suing the newspaper's publisher three times.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are hiring Tobyn Andreae, deputy editor of the Daily Mail, as communications secretary to replace Simon Enright, according to The Sunday Times.
Meghan won privacy and copyright damages after the brand's Sunday edition, The Mail on Sunday, printed a letter she sent her father, with the three-year saga finally ending at the Court of Appeal in December 2021.
At the time, Meghan said: "These harmful practices don't happen once in a blue moon—they are a daily fail that divide us, and we all deserve better."
"Daily Fail" is a common nickname in Britain among detractors which is applied to both the daily and Sunday editions of the U.K. newspaper.
Prince Harry has also sued The Mail on Sunday twice, with his latest lawsuit still ongoing.
The Prince of Wales's office has confirmed the story, but has so far made no additional comment.
The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday are separate titles with their own editors and separate staff, but are based at the same office and have the same owner, while executives move between the two.
The Sunday Times reported Andreae was recommended to Camilla by former Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday editor Geordie Greig, who the broadsheet described as her friend.
The new appointment comes as Charles is facing a crisis in his charity, including a police investigation into allegations a Saudi tycoon was offered help securing a knighthood and citizenship in return for donations.
That scandal has deepened with further allegations he accepted €3 million in cash from a Qatari politician.
At the same time, he has been taking on more and more king duties as Queen Elizabeth II, aged 96, has been forced to cancel many of her engagements due to episodic mobility problems.
Elizabeth also announced in February that she wants Camilla to be known as Queen Consort, rather than Princess Consort, when Charles officially becomes king.
The queen's statement created certainty around Charles and Camilla's standing within the Monarchy beyond her reign.
The royal couple have long been viewed as less popular in Britain than other royals, dating back to Charles' divorce from Princess Diana in the 1990s.
However, Meghan and Harry's departure from the palace and bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview have left their public approval ratings far lower than Harry's father.
Charles was liked by 50 percent and disliked by 18 percent of U.K. adults in the most recent data from YouGov, collected during the first quarter of 2022.
Meghan was liked by 24 percent and disliked by 49 percent while Harry was liked by 32 percent and disliked by 43 percent in the same data.
They are also more readily targets for hostile sections of the British press, with newspapers like the Daily Mail saving most of their criticism for the California-based wing of the family.
However, reporting on the charity scandal by The Sunday Times has created consistent pressure on Charles for close to a year with both police and charity regulator investigations still ongoing.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
