Harry and Meghan interview ‘adds fuel to fire’ for countries seeking to drop Queen as head of state

The fallout from the Harry and Meghan interview could be felt far from the UK and across countries in the Commonwealth, reports Kate Ng

In the wake of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this week, there has been speculation that countries which currently have the Queen as their head of state may reassess formal links with the UK.

The Queen is head of state of 15 countries besides the UK that are part of the Commonwealth realm. These include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the Bahamas, Tuvalu, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The hashtag #AbolishTheMonarch quickly went viral on social media following the interview, with many people saying the palace’s problematic treatment of Harry and Meghan was the main reason why the monarchy should no longer exist.