Daily News Roundup

March 8, 2021

 

MONDAY, MARCH 8

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex has held nothing back during her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

One of the most explosive claims is Meghan revealing it was the palace who didn’t want her and Prince Harry’s son, Archie, to have any royal title and it was an issue of race.

Meghan explained that when she fell pregnant and things started going badly for her, she realised she needed help and more security.

Meghan hasn’t held back in her interview with Oprah. Picture: CBSSource:Supplied

“I had been asking the institution for help for a long time … after we had gotten back from our Australia tour which was about a year before that and we talked about when things really started to turn and we knew we weren’t being protected, it was during that part of our pregnancy that I began to understand what our continued reality was going to look like.

“And that was when they were saying they didn’t want him to be a prince or a princess, which would be different from protocol, and that he wasn’t going to receive security. It was really hard. He wasn’t going to receive security. This went on for our last few months of my pregnancy.

“How does that work? He needs to be safe … but if you’re saying the title is what’s going to affect his protection, we haven’t created this monster machine around us.”

When Archie was born it was announced he would be called Master Archie, even though he could have had HRH or even had his name styled as Lord Mountbatten-Windsor or taken one of Prince Harry’s lesser titles, such as Earl of Dumbarton. It was believed the break in tradition was a decision by his parents but Meghan has revealed that it was not their decision.

The baby was not given a HRH, even though the Queen could have tweaked the rules, as she did for Kate and William’s children, to make him a prince.

A question about Archie’s skin colour was brought up before he was born. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

Meghan went on to explain how it was the potential of Archie’s skin colour being dark that also seemed to be a problem.

“I can give you an honest answer. In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin is going to be when he’s born..”

Oprah is momentarily speechless. “What? What? Who is having that conversation with you?”

Meghan says she won’t reveal who had the conversation: “I think that would be very damaging to them. That was relayed to me, that was Harry’s conversations with family.” Meghan says it’s safe to assume the concern among some royals was her mixed race child could be “too dark.”

Oprah asks Harry, the Duke of Sussex, about that shocking royal question before Archie’s birth, about how dark-skinned he would be. Harry’s reluctant to share much more than Meghan already has.

“That conversation I’m never going to share,” says Harry. “I was shocked.”

There were some obvious signs before we were married that this was going to be really hard,” says Harry, who insists that “without question” they’d still be there if they’d received the support they requested.

Meghan says they exited the royal family with “so much respect – we did everything we could to protect them.”

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Samantha Armytage has announced she is quitting Sunrise.

Armytage broke down in tears as she dropped the bombshell live on air this morning. Her last show will be this Thursday.

“I have some big news to announce,” Armytage said. “The time has come for the sun to set on my time at Sunrise. I have always been very brave and fearless in my life and my career and this decision is no different.”

Armytage said the death of her mum last November and her recent wedding to Richard Lavender contributed to her decision to leave the show.

“As many of you know, my personal life the last six months has been very bittersweet. Some bits have been very happy and some bits have been very, very sad and I want to step out of this public world for a while, take some time and calm things down, enjoy a bit of slow living and spend some time with my precious family and husband and Banjo (her dog).”

Armytage stressed she made the decision to leave and was not pushed out of the job.

“I go out of this job at a time of my own choosing and on top of the ratings which not many people in television can say they do,” she said. 

“I’m extremely proud of my almost eight years at the helm of Sunrise, my seven years before that at Weekend Sunrise and my almost 18 years with the Seven network.

“My mother used to say to me, ‘edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It is your masterpiece after all,’ and that’s precisely what I’m doing,” Armytage said.

“This is a chapter, it’s not the whole story and I have a few days left to say goodbye to you all.”

Armytage thanked viewers for “having me in your lounge rooms all these years” and added: “Now it is time for me to spend a bit of time in my own lounge room.”

“After I take a break, and only after I feel refreshed, will I decide on my next chapter,” she said.

Channel 7 said in a statement that Armytage will remain with the network and will return with new projects.

“We wish Sam nothing but the very best for her break and look forward to announcing some exciting new projects for her in late 2021 and into 2022,” Seven West Media managing director and chief executive officer James Warburton said.

Sunrise co-host David ‘Kochie’ Koch said in a statement that he was supportive of Armytage’s decision.

“Sam’s humour, work ethic and team first values have been an inspiration to us all,” he said. “But now it’s time for Sam to put herself and Rich first and we couldn’t be happier for, or more supportive of, them both.”

Speculation is already rife as to who will replace Armytage as Kochie’s co-host.

Industry site TV Blackbox is reporting that the job will be given to Natalie Barr who is currently the Sunrise newsreader.

Barr has been a part of the Sunrise family for more than 15 years.

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All eyes are on Meghan and Harry today, as the former royals lift the lid on the world’s most famous family during an unprecedented two-hour tell-all interview to Oprah Winfrey.

Earlier, the Queen spoke out just hours before Meghan’s Oprah interview, praising “dedication to duty” in a Commonwealth Day address alongside other royals on the BBC.

The hour-long program took place to mark Commonwealth Day on Monday – and comes ahead of Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, which airs on CBS in the United States at 8pm-10pm ET on Sunday (12pm-2pm Monday AEDT).

 The rival broadcasts by the royal family and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex land amid huge controversy over Megan and Harry’s decision to give a tell-all interview on Palace life.

The Duchess of Sussex is also facing allegations of bullying aides during her time as a working royal, which she strenuously denies, with a spokesperson for the couple saying it is “no coincidence that distorted several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining the Duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and the Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience.” 

Last month, the Sussexes officially stepped back from royal duties, after announcing they were expecting their second child. 

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The first sculpture of a female cricketer in Australia will be installed at the SCG, as Cricket Australia seek to address the imbalance of public recognition for women in cricket

The 73 known statues and sculptures of cricketers across Australia have one significant thing in common: each and every one celebrates a male player.

The first step towards redressing that imbalance has now been made, with the Sydney Cricket Ground set to house the country’s first sculpture of a female cricketer.

The player to be immortalised in bronze has yet to be determined and is sure to be the topic of much debate, with legendary allrounder Betty Wilson, former captain Belinda Clark and the Gregory sisters, who played in Australia’s first-ever organised women’s cricket match 135 years ago at what was then the Association Ground, among the leading candidates.

Addressing that imbalance of public recognition for women in cricket – not only in statues, but across all areas of the sport – will be a major focus for a new working group formed by Cricket Australia.

Australia vice-captain Rachael Haynes, journalist Angela Pippos, Australia great Lisa Sthalekar and Bradman Museum executive director Rina Hore, alongside CA Interim CEO Nick Hockley, are among the nine members who will form the first Recognition of Women in Cricket Working Group.

Few know better the importance of highlighting the rich history of the women’s game in Australia than Hore, who has worked tirelessly for more than two decades to ensure precious memories are not lost.

Hore, who does not have a preference around which player is honoured at the SCG, believes the announcement of the sculpture will open the floodgates for many more to follow.

“When I was told about the statue, I could have cried,” Hore told cricket.com.au. 

“It is such an important announcement because once you get that first statue, others will follow.

“Newcastle might now look at it and go, ‘we should have had a statue of Belinda Clark years ago’.

“It’ll open up discussion across all associations and towns that have produced some of these outstanding cricketers.

“This will be a game changer again for acceptance of women’s cricket.”

Long before 86,174 people watched Australia win the T20 World Cup at the MCG on March 8 last year, the national women’s team were making their mark on world cricket.

Since their first Test match against England in 1934, Australia’s women have claimed six ODI World Cups, five T20I World Cups and won more matches across the three formats than any other team.

Cricket Australia has also co-commissioned a piece of artwork with the Melbourne Cricket Club that will depict the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 Final.

The artwork will be painted by award-winning artist Vincent Fantauzzo and will begin to redress the imbalance of artworks that depict women’s sport at the ground.

The piece will be showcased within the Level 2 corridors of the MCC Members’ Reserve, where it will feature as a regular of the MCG Tour route.

“Just as this year’s International Women’s Day theme promotes ‘choose to challenge’, we are committed to challenging ourselves to continue to address gender inequality across our game,” Hockley said.

“Precisely one year ago to the day, we were celebrating a ground-breaking moment when 86,174 fans packed out the MCG for the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

“So many challenges have been presented since that day, and it is now more important than ever that we keep pushing for equality in cricket and keep building the momentum established before the pandemic.”

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The Australian government is making major changes to its diplomatic relationship with Myanmar and redirecting humanitarian aid in response to the military coup in the country.

The United Nations said security forces have killed more than 50 people to stamp out daily demonstrations and strikes in the South-East Asian nation since the military overthrew and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.

In a statement released on Sunday night, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne flagged the government’s “grave concerns” about the “escalating violence and rising death toll” in protests against the coup.

“We condemn the use of lethal force or violence against civilians exercising their universal rights, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” she said.

“We continue to strongly urge the Myanmar security forces to exercise restraint and refrain from violence against civilians.”

On Sunday, there were reports that live bullets, as well as tear gas, were used by security forces to disperse thousands of protesters in cities across Myanmar.

As a result of this sort of violence, Australia will pause a military program with the country.

Speaking on Monday morning, Senator Payne said Australia’s humanitarian aid program would be re-directed to focus on vulnerable groups, including the Rohingyas and other ethnic minorities, with an Australian development program no longer going through any of Myanmar’s government bodies.

“We have also looked at the development program and development support that we are providing, and redirected that with an absolute focus on the immediate needs of some of the most vulnerable and poor in Myanmar, which is one of the poorest countries in ASEAN,” she said.

It comes days after documents released under freedom of information laws revealed new details about Australia’s controversial program of defence cooperation with Myanmar’s military.

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