Harry and Meghan. (And Why Their Saga Matters.)

In a moment of national insecurity, with the future of the United Kingdom seemingly hanging in the balance, a new royal couple offered the vision of a unified, progressive future. But the same forces that pushed for Britain to leave the European Union have now pushed Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to leave the country.

Guest: Mark Landler, the London bureau chief of The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• A wish to carve out more “progressive” roles has led to the loss of perks, privileges and titles — a more thorough break than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex seem to have expected.
• The couple’s push for greater independence has resurfaced the same questions that animated the Brexit debate.
• Black Britons expressed support for Harry and Meghan. “Thank God they are free,” one Londoner said. “All of this is about her race. I know it because as a Caribbean woman who did not grow up here, I have experienced it myself.”

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.