Writer warns Harry and Meghan about dangerous tabloid culture in the US

In a new opinion piece on the NZ Herald, writer Daniela Elser explains how Harry and Meghan's decision to leave the Firm and relocate to California has left them open to becoming prey to American tabloid culture.

• The royal couple is warned that their children Archie and Lilibet are already considered "valuable prey" by American news outlets
• The writer compares the U.S.’s tabloid culture to the “politeness” of the British press
• In other royal news, Queen 'slapped' Royal Family member 'across the face' says Elton John, who witnessed the 'bizarre' moment

Although Harry and Meghan decided to step away from the public spotlight two years ago in the hopes of protecting their children Archie, now 3, and Lilibet, 1, from the perils of public life, writer Daniela has just penned an essay arguing that, perhaps, the couple has miscalculated the demands of living in America as a famous duo and what freedom would actually look like for the family.

"Harry and Meghan might not be enjoying Beyonce-levels of popularity (the most recent polling shows that less than half of Americans view them favourably) but there is no end to the fascination with the nation's very own branch of the Royal Family," Daniela writes in her article. "What will it mean for Archie and his little sister Lilibet to grow up in a country where there is a ready market for iPhone snaps of them? The Sussex family might live on a seven-acre estate but the minute they set foot outside those gates, they are unprotected from the glare of lenses, both professional and amateur."

"A huge backyard, children's playhouse, tennis court and a pool might provide more than enough entertainment and space for little ones to play and roam safely away from the gaze of the public and press, but the couple can't keep Archie and Lili cooped up at home forever," Daniela writes matter-of-factly.

The writer goes on to compare Charlie and Lilibet's upbringing to that of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, Prince William and Kate's kids. 

"For the last five years these kids have been raised in the very centre of London (and less than 1km away from the head offices of the Daily Mail) and yet they are by and large left totally alone to get on with the business of growing up," Daniela argues. "It's not that eagle-eyed locals lack opportunities to record or photograph the Cambridge Three, but be it out of politeness, British reserve or an abiding desire to respect their privacy, people just don't seem to ever do so. So, what about in the so-called 'land of the free'?"

Calling out tabloid culture in the US as a "far cry from that in the UK," the journalist then mentions websites like TMZ and Radar Online, "which will happily pay the public for smartphone images of celebrities out and about doing such scintillating things as standing, walking and stocking up on loo paper."  To put simply, Daniela writes, "the whole family is [...] valuable prey for anyone who might come across the family out and about."

Whether Daniela’s warnings will turn into reality or amount to unwarranted panic is yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure: there is something about members of the royal family, no matter where they live, that turns them into perennially interesting news subjects.