Us Weekly has an answer to a question I had following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s whirlwind African adventure. Meghan and Harry spent a little less than a month in Botswana, where he likely proposed to her but shhh, we’re not supposed to know that yet. They returned to London in time for Harry to participate in the “garden remembrance” thing for his mother’s death, which he did with William and Kate (although he doesn’t even remember seeing Kate). Meghan only returned to Toronto this week. So I wondered: what were Harry and Meghan up to in those days between the return to London and Meg going back to Toronto? As it turns out, Us Weekly claims that Harry took Meghan up to Scotland to introduce her to the Queen. Whoa.
She had met the parents and charmed her prince’s older brother. But there was still one looming introduction that gave Meghan Markle pause. A friend says the Toronto-based Suits actress was “a little nervous” at the thought of meeting boyfriend Prince Harry’s beloved grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. And though it had taken Duchess Kate five years to score face time with the 91-year-old monarch (they chatted at a 2008 royal family wedding), Markle knew she would be curtseying to Her Majesty before year’s end. “He’s keen to make an introduction,” a Harry pal said this spring. “It will happen when it’s the right time.”
That perfect moment came September 3. Fresh off their three-week vacation in Botswana and Zambia — a getaway one source dubbed “the trip of a lifetime” — the royal whisked 36-year-old Markle 500-plus miles north from his two-bedroom Kensington Palace flat. With his dad Prince Charles and stepmother Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall staying at Birkhall, their 53,000-acre estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, “Harry decided to take Meghan to visit as he hadn’t been up yet all summer,” a Harry source explains in the new issue of Us Weekly.
Another motivation for the two-day trip, says the source: “He wanted to introduce Meghan to the queen.” So 24 hours after they arrived September 2, the duo popped over to Balmoral Castle, the queen’s summer residence, seven miles away. “It went well,” says the source. “It’ll no doubt be the first of many encounters.”
The next could involve the logistics of a royal wedding. While a source says Harry intended to propose during the African holiday — he created a ring using diamonds from a brooch that once belonged to his mom, Princess Diana — another insider says the former Apache helicopter pilot, 33, “wouldn’t tell anyone for a while.” Keeping his desire for secrecy in mind, select palace aides have already begun preparations for making an engagement proclamation. “These things are planned well in advance; it’s not easy to roll out that kind of news,” explains the source. “Everyone knows how happy Harry is and is excited for the day it’s announced.”
For now, the pair are reveling in a triumphant visit. “The entire weekend was a success,” declares the source. For Harry, notes the source, “he was able to introduce someone he loves to someone he cares for deeply.”
And the L.A.-born actress received rave reviews. Though the source notes much has been made about the fact that Markle is a commoner, raised by clinical therapist Doria Ragland and former Married. . . With Children lighting director Tom, “she fits perfectly into the family,” says the source. “The difference in backgrounds means absolutely nothing.” The Northwestern University theater and international studies double major, wed briefly to talent manager Trevor Engelson, “gets on fabulously with Charles,” says the source, “as do she and Camilla.”
I actually buy that Meghan gets along very well with Camilla and Charles – Harry doesn’t have the same struggling relationship with his father that William has with Charles. Harry and Charles are reportedly pretty close, and Harry spends more time with Charles and Camilla than William and Kate spend with C&C. Plus, Charles gets along well with Americans and… I don’t know, I kind of think Meghan is Charles’ type too. I could just see Charles really liking her. As for the introduction to the Queen… well, who knows? It will be interesting to see if the royal courtiers have some sh-t to say. If the meeting went down, I suspect it happened as Us Weekly said – that Harry took Meghan to Scotland, that the meeting was pretty brief and at Balmoral, etc.
Photos courtesy of Getty, cover courtesy of Us Weekly.
We should start a drinking game every time they mention her degree from Northwestern and the fact that she is trilingual.
‘Triumphant visit’ ‘rave review’, i was neutral towards MM, but it is so annoying the way the ram her down her throats. I would have been just as happy hearing that she is a regular woman with a nice personality. Oh no, she is the incarnation of Mother Teresa and Marilyn Monroe combined with also Madame Curie for the intellect 🙂
One of the things Kate and William got right was Kate essentially disappeared for 6 months before the engagement announcement. She moved back to Bucklebury to cut down on the daily pap photos and stayed out of sight except for a few weddings and a polo match. It helped with the pr reset and let the engagement story stand by itself.
But to be fair, there are different pr concerns and protections for the girlfriend of third in line versus the girlfriend of sixth in line.
Don’t forget the degree from Northwestern was with a double major. That makes her doubly smart.
I side-eyed the bit about the “difference in backgrounds means absolutely nothing”. Of course it means something, but they have no choice but to accept it.
I like Meghan, and I hope it works out, but, can we lay off the adoration a bit.
Or it means that she works hard and is well organized. Double majors require fulfilling the requirements of two departments, which doesn’t usually allow for a casual attitude toward coursework. I’ve never known a slacker to manage it.
Minoring in another subject is much easier than a double major, if the minor is related to your major and so you’re taking those courses anyway.
Maria F., how dare you. You forgot she has all the cooking talent of Escoffier, BUT BETTER because all her food is wholesome and healthy. Just like her.
So if you combined Mother Theresa, Marilyn Monroe, Madame Curie, and Auguste Escoffier into a single person that also had topless photos floating around online.
Yeah, Meghan Markle doesn’t actually have any topless photos floating around online. Pretty sure Marilyn Monroe does, though.
Do the Harry stans genuinely believe the more they repeat their viles lies, they can somehow make them the truth?
@omg,I totally agree meghan didn’t have to do a waity.Ready for them to announce it already.
hey Gibee, you coming back to provide links to the topless photos you insist Markle has floating around online? Can’t just toss that out and run away
@lobbit: oh yeah – Marilyn before she made it big did a famous nude calendar shot, and when it came out after she was a star, it didn’t make a bit of difference. Someone asked what she had on when the photo was taken, and she famously replied, “The radio.” And that was that.
There’s also a famous story about Jane Russell, who was actually a devout Christian, at a press call about her latest film with Robert Mitchum (you want to talk MEN?!) in which she wore a lot of revealing clothing. Some smart-a** reporter asked how she squared her Christian beliefs with her, er, decolletage, and Russell gave him a hard stare and said, “Christians got t*ts too, Mister.” Mitchum nearly died laughing.
I don’t think this stuff makes a damn difference even if it were out there. Take Monroe and Russell as fine examples of that!
I still get mad at Diana being continuously linked to Mother Theresa, as if she was somehow Mother Theresa’s equal in charitable living so welcome to my world!
@see – oh, that Jane Russell bit is wonderful!
I have no problem with them constantly listing Meghan’s accomplishments. She’s a brown woman, and a foreigner, who was met with a lot of hatred and prejudice online. She’s still getting the vile attacks now. I say, show ALL that’s good about her, and those who don’t like it, can suck it up. 🤷🏽♀️
Exactly!
@Peeking In, the problem is that over egging the pudding has the opposite effect. It sends eyes rolling among those who do like her and pushes those who don’t into extreme positions.
She is a lovely woman with many accomplishments. Harry loves her. That’s enough.
Fair comment @Peeking In. If it’s sending the stans and naysayers into paroxysms of rage, then good, that’s certainly a plus.
Still though, I agree with Suze on the downside of overegging the pudding. I wouldn’t mind the syrupy nature of it so much if they at least interspersed it with a bit of humorous speculation eg. an ‘insider’ said the Queen and Meghan downed 3 bottles of wine while watching an episode of Suits…. You know, something to keep us entertained.
The overly reverential tone is just so snore-inducing.
Skylark and Suze – I get what you’re both saying, and I mostly agree. I think some of the stuff can be dialled back a bit, but a lot of it I’m reading for the first time, and I’m curious. People who truly feel goodwill towards Meghan may roll their eyes a bit, but they won’t be turned off.
Skylark, I must say I have never heard the expression overegging the pudding, but I love it. I did go to university but studied French.
LOL, the Queen and Meghan downing three bottles of wine, while watching Suits.
Hilarious!
Yeah, the tear down of her here has started already. I LOVE that she’s not “only” a vapid actress. I love that she has a university education and is a thinking woman. That’s who you would want to see marrying royalty!
@Peeking In – Just to be clear, I know it’s not Meghan’s fault that the media has gone into overdrive here. It’s them I’m eye-rolling and sighing at, not Meghan, but I’m also sighing on Meghan’s behalf because it’s Meghan who’s getting the backlash, not the media. As Suze says, she comes across as a lovely, accomplished, thoughtful woman and Harry is lucky to have her and that should be more than enough,
@Maria – right? “And then Meghan entertained the Queen with insider Hollywood dirt and the two were heard laughing raucously into the early hours until a fretful Charles came down in his pjs and asked them to keep the noise down”, said a source, with a disapproving sniff.
It’s not much to ask, surely? 😀
@PEKKING- why can’t when be black? Why brown?
Newkay – why are you nitpicking? She can identify as black or brown, brown is what I chose for this post. So what? I said what I said!
The real problem is that anything positive said about Neghan is considered overegging the pudding. Maybe it’s not her pudding that is overegged.
@jwoolman – We are talking about the ridiculous over the top write up here, which can be hardly classified as a run of the mill, generic positive article.
Reveling! Fabulous! Proclamation!
It’s over the top hysterical, not a ding on Markle herself.
I’m always glad when her education is mentioned because there are so many Harry fans on Twitter, Tumblr, et al that make it a point to deny that she graduated at all. It’s not enough to call her a “D-list actress from Compton” – they want to erase her academic achievements as well.
Where has she been called a D list actress from Compton?
@Suze: Daily Mail has written stories about her mother now living in Compton.
Suze, on online forums, comment sections of various website, tumblr, twitter, etc.
Oh, I thought you meant here. Those places are vile.
To clarify, to me, Markle is all good. She has more accomplishments under her belt than most of the royals or their spouses. Harry is lucky to have her.
It’s the press coverage that is over the top.
You probably should stay away from those Tumblr haters since they anger you so much.
If only avoiding racism was that easy.
@sarah, it’s a bit of a challenge to engage you in discussions of social media “discourse” because your experience with it is so limited – you don’t actually understand how Tumblr works, for example. But anyway, I enjoy all the ineffectual rage and wild conspiracy theories I encounter on Tumblr and other platforms – Call it a morbid fascination. Added bonus: shining a light on the dog whistle racism and misogyny is always a worthy exercise.
@Helen – 1. Yeah, I don’t think Meghan is a victim of any rollout. 2. I don’t know that a roll out is happening at all. 3. Meghan is a Leo with a pompous streak, water is wet. I like her anyway but ymmv.
Lobbit,
I know how Tumblr works. I just dont go there cause I dont like it and I dont understand why people would go there over and over to see how their idols are abused.
Seems like an exercise in frustration and futility.
My sister got her degree from Northwestern. Probably hasn’t mentioned that in the last 40 years.
I mean, there are several scenarios in which mention of one’s undergrad institution would be appropriate, if not compulsory – a job interview, a networking event, any conversation in which background biographical information is exchanged… But maybe your sister has never had to do any of these things?!
In any case, for the most part, Meghan isn’t the one mentioning Northwestern – the press is.
Oh, she certainly has had jobs and job interviews, etc. She doesn’t hold it over me even though my degree was from a state university 😉😄
LOL! I’m a state school grad, too!
@ Lobbit
It is naive to think Meghan is a victim of this roll out in the sense that she has nothing to do with what is emphasized.
Even Meghan’s own words in her VF interview showed a self-grandizing plan. She called her own relationship “a great love story” for example. She wasn’t being meek and humble in her choice of words at all in that interview and those were her words.
@minx…..was your sister ever about to get engaged to a royal prince?….No, I thought not. ‘eyes roll’.
It doesn’t bother me because there are multitudes of actors who have no college education. There’s nothing wrong with being proud of that.
Have you ever met a Northwestern grad? Not saying that she is forcing that “stat” down our throats, but one of the biggest stereotypes about NU grads is how proud they are to have attending the University. I know many, and they insert it as frequently as possible-along with all the other famous grads 🙂
those types of people are so obnoxious. Bragging about your university is just sad – it’s like bragging about your IQ. Doesn’t mean anything on its own, it’s what you do WITH it that matters.
I don’t know if you were asking me or someone else, but I’m from Illinois so I know many Northwestern grads, including my former brother-in-law and his wife, who met there and went from undergrad through MBAs there.
I still have no shade for someone proud of taking the time and effort to become educated especially with all these Instagram-famous dolts who don’t even finish high school.
there’s nothing wrong with being proud of a college degree. it’s when you start fixating on your university being so much better than all those OTHER universities so you’re superior because you got your degree here that it turns into something else, something snobby.
i’m only 30 and i already don’t want to hear about your high school or college accomplishments. move on!
She’s also the first in her family to graduate from college so I can see how it would rightfully be a point of pride for her, to graduate from a great university known for its academic rigor.
All of these positive stories are being put about to counter all of the gross racist and sexist comments and lies coming from some quarters. If Meghan was not being subjected to all of this I very much doubt there would be such a public relations offensive, which I think is being supported by the Palace. Hopefully things will settle down a bit. But actually Meghan is going to continue to be very big news for a very long time, and I am sure the attention will worry Harry but it seems they know how to stay undercover.
Maria,
I wonder if all of Harry’s swell friends also think nothing of the difference in backgrounds?? And I thought Meghan couldn’t meet the Queen (and curtsy???? I threw up a little in my mouth at an American woman curtsying to someone.) until they were engaged formally??? I am SO confused cause E told us they were engaged at Pippa’s wedding, and Meghan and Harry were going to stay at the Middletons. SO confused!!!
And I am sure the Queen, if she met Meghan, gave her “rave reviews.” Certainly, she probably called up the Daily Mail and gushed over Meghan. I’m not saying she wouldn’t like Meghan, cause at least she has (had) a better work ethic than her grandsons and Kate, but I doubt she would rave about her to anyone outside the family.
This is getting really, really silly. It reads more and more like over-the-top fiction.
You ‘threw up in your mouth’? ….hmmm…people on DM say things like that. Not very nice thing to say, I suggest you don’t use it anymore.
Maria F, I think they have to ram her down the throats of the British. Americans may think this is great, but every time I look at comments on this in any paper, many of the British are irate, and many are even saying that if Harry marries “this American,” he needs to take himself out of the line of succession.
I do think they are underestimating the backlash. From what I see, people want “their” Prince to marry an “English rose.”
We’ve been through this five billion times.
No matter how many times the Harry stans/Meghan haters repeat it (and it’s interesting that it always comes from the same people), Meghan is not loathed by the British public. The vast majority of the British public have zero interest in the Royal Family one way or the other. Harry and Meghan are generally well-liked here and his involvement with her and his recent charity work has gone a long way to rehabilitate his previously dodgy image (party prince, Vegas nudes, Nazi dress up). No one here gives a shite that the soon to be sixth in line to the throne is marrying a brown girl, sorry.
The rantings of a minority of obsessed trolls means nothing. Anyone can go online and pretend to be British, and most of the ones I’ve seen claiming she’s hated either use American spellings and grammar, appear to have English as a second language (which admittedly doesn’t mean non-British), or do the most laughable bad impression of Brit slang (hi we don’t say “bloody wankers” every five seconds). There are a lot of longterm CBers who are British and not a single one has ever agreed with this “British public hate Meghan nonsense.”
Meggles, just because you say that the British either ignore Harry and Meghan or love them doesn’t make it so. Go look at comments on any story – and calling people names because they don’t worship Meghan as you do also doesn’t change facts. That is a very ineffective and simplistic way to make an argument. You actually analyzed the language of people who criticized Meghan to see if they were really British???? Wow!!! That is quite the commitment you made to protect Meghan!! 🙂
I would encourage readers to check it out themselves – check out a couple of different papers to see. Then decide.
BTW, I don’t hate Meghan. I like her education and her independence. I don’t like her as a role model who is going to give up everything for a wealthy Prince who can’t hold a candle to her in terms of maturity, erudition, and being her own person. Seems like she sees a good deal here as she is a mid-30s actress w an uncertain future.
+1 all of the way. The PR spin doctors tried making Kate into the fairest, smartest maiden in the realm and look at how that fell on its face. Why are they trying again with Meghan?
For example, Meghan is trilingual? Is she fluently trilingual or is she trilingual like I am quatra lingual? I am fluent in English, can order dinner in Russian and French and know when soneone is cussing me out in Spanish but don’t ask me to write a speech in any other language than English because that is the only one I know well enough to write and speak like an educated fluent speaker.
Maybe the press are pumping Meghan up to knock her down later like Fergie? Or maybe it is Meghan’s PR people feeding these stories? If that is the case they need to tone down things. They are setting up unreachable expectations. Meghan has to show that she can actually do these things at the level her PR claims.
Being an educated hard working person who was in the right place at the right time is how most people make it. Nothing wrong with this truth in Meghan’s case.
Really every article about them (or really anything that will get clicks but the media has limited actual news information on) is heavily padded with any extra background info available. So I think it’s hardly shoving someone down people’s throats if you are clicking on and commenting on the articles, you are basically chugging the koolaid and then complaining how they’re forcing you to drink so much.
Um…if Kate first met TQ in 2008, that would’ve been 7years into the relationship? And wasn’t Will not there at that wedding? I know this has nothing to do with Harry, but I’ll forever side eye how long it took Will to introduce Kate.
Will was at Jecca’s brothers wedding in Kenya instead of his cousins. Harry was at the wedding with Chelsy and Kate and introduced them both to HM. So actually Will didn’t even introduce her at all. Which is pathetic.
Exactly.
That’s awful. Sounds like Kate put up with so much of PW’s bs for the ring.
@omg and you can bet that the bs hasn’t stopped from William either. I will criticize Kate endlessly for being lazy, but she is married to a petulant boy and that can’t be fun.
But they were still in their 20s. And it was on and off.
I hate the first sentence. She did not meet the parents but only his father. And i am not sure Harry loves his grandmother that much considering how she crusified his mum. RF is messed up. Uncle Gary seems more like a normal person compared to lot of them
Puh-leze. Many grandmas meet their grandsons’ on off girlfriends, even in their 20s. Why is TQ so damned special she can only meet the girlfriends after years/ of serious dating? As you say… RF is messed up.
His grandmother who took international fire for keeping him safe out of the public eye after his mother’s death? Look at photos and videos of Harry and HM; those two adore each other. I’m hoping the rumor is true, that he’ll be accompanying her on some engagements this year as a substitute for Prince Philip.
” Why is TQ so damned special she can only meet the girlfriends after years/ of serious dating?”
She’s the head of state.
She adores Harry as does Phillip. The Michelle Obama video for Invictus was proof of that, and there are photos of them together. He just isn’t as tortured as Bill which makes him easier to get along with.
do you really need someone to explain to you why the queen is special? don’t be daft
Hasn’t the Queen met Chelsy? I thought she had. Anyway, Kate not meeting the Queen until 7 years in had less to do with the Queen not wanting to meet her and everything to do with William not taking Kate seriously as a gf and keeping her away from the family. William is the one who hates his family whereas Harry seems to have solid relationships with his father and paternal grandparents.
Do you really believe everything you read about the RF? I bet they are laughing their heads off at some of the things people believe about them. I actually think Meghan has already met the Queen. I was pretty sure that after Botswana they would spend a couple of days or so at Balmoral because the whole extended family seem to have been up their at some stage. Also Meghan has been to Balmoral before and so it was just another opportunity to get used to the place and the family. But I do not think its her first meeting with the Queen. I believe Meghan’s mother has also met members of the RF.
Official meeting vs unofficial meeting.
According to biographers the queen was aware of Kate much sooner than that and apparently liked her quite a lot but both she and the courtiers thought it was in poor taste to meet her officially until it was appropriate. she eventually grew concerned with the fact that Kate never seemed to do anything but hang around waiting to do things with William and she quietly let it be known that Kate should get off her ass. The queen did, however, give them use of her properties so they could relax on weekends away from reporters. Kate met Charles and Camilla much sooner, however, and they got along rather well. There is some gossip that says Camilla found Kate to be charming but was known to snicker about the Middleton’s middle class roots. Eventually Camilla grew to dislike Carol because she felt she did not show enough deference. Charles did not begin to actively dislike Carol until Kate had George. Royal relationships are often more complicated than gossip fodder would have them.
Apparently liked her quite a lot? When she has the Palace leak her comment, “What does she do all day”?
William and Harry were given the use of a cottage at Balmoral years ago. Whomever they choose to take with them is their concern, not ratified by HM. Ditto Birkhall, which is under Charles’s control and was where W&K spent some weekends while they were at St Andrews. That wouldn’t have been approved by HM but allowed by Charles, because it was his property.
Despite people wanting it to not be the case, the Queen does seem to like Kate. Especially since she has loaned Kate the bracelet that Prince Philip gave the Queen as a wedding gift when they got married. An unusual loan from the Queen, since it is a piece that she still wears and is sentimental.
That kind of makes me like Carole — that she didn’t show deference to Camilla. Er, and I wouldn’t be judging anybody’s middle-class roots if I was the most famous mistress who married the prince. Does anyone have self-awareness these days? That question is rhetorical…no one has to provide me with a list.
I’m not saying there’s no possibility she doesn’t like her; I’m doubting the idea that she likes her “quite a lot” or has no concerns regarding her, her complete lack of work ethic, or the shady as hell Middleton family.
I’m convinced she remains afraid of the A word, and William having his mother’s petulant nature means neither she nor Charles knows how to deal with him. She wouldn’t stand in the way of him marrying Kate Middleton, not only because she lets you make your own mistakes, but because she didn’t want to deal with William’s backlash.
HM loans out multiple pieces of jewelry, including sentimental favorites like that bracelet and the four bracelet set from her mother. I’d see it as her trying to welcome someone, putting forth the effort even when she gets next to nothing in return.
The Queen does loan a lot of jewelry. But often not pieces she actively wears herself. The necklace Kate wore at the Spanish state dinner was a loan, but the Queen herself hadn’t been seen in it in a few decades.
Maybe William is turning over a new leaf. He has been keeping up with the new busier schedule that was promised. That needs to continue.
It is what it is. The queen liked Kate and frankly, even if her hopes For or admiration of her have waned I’ve seen nothing to indicate she actively dislikes her. It seems irrational to pounce on every opportunity to disparage her, even if she is spoiled and flighty. She’s not the worst woman to ever marry into the arcane and dysfunctional institution known as the royal family.
They didn’t want Bill to marry Kate, but I don’t think the reasons are as simple as it seems on the surface. She predicted it would not end well and it wasn’t a good decision. It isn’t about liking her or disliking her. It is about if she is good for the monarchy and can she handle the duties with a difficult husband. She would also think about her family and if Kate would be happy in her role. Charles thought she wouldn’t, and he has been proven right. I believe that it is as much about Bill if not more so. They know him and his shortcomings.
Her family as I said to do her no favors. Go for the ring, but they didn’t push her to learn other things. Carole having a say in anything has to rub the way on every level. She has the nerve to snub Camilla when she can tell Charles to yank the strings and close the purse. Her instincts are crap.
Carole did not teach any of her children the concept of noblesse oblige, which basically means to whom much is given, much is expected. The aristos were always expected to participate in charitable endeavours and the BRF essentially codified that behaviour by the early 20th century. Bill and Kate’s laziness is a problem that will only get worse because if they are seen by the public as leeches from the taxpayer tit and give nothing in return, the clamour for a republic grows. And if Brexit creates the hardships that many say it will, then the peasants won’t admire Kate and her 200k yearly wardrobe for under 100 visits.
No argument from me about the ramifications of Will and Kate’s lack of duty and responsibility. They take everything their station affords them and do the barest of bare minimums in return. I simply point out the lunacy of the oft-expressed notion here that no one ever, anywhere ever found it possible to like Kate or her family for any conceivable reason from former classmates to the queen to Charles to Harry etc etc. It’s just untrue and clouds the narrative. These ridiculous jabs at her on every possible front is what creates so many Kate sugars. If we stick to what is likely and often verifiably true there will still be plenty to criticize, believe me.
@Nic919
I thought about Brexit.
It may actually signal the end of the monarchy. I think it will have dire consequences that may be worse than the public thinks. Bill and Kate behave this way now with cover but when they move up the line so will the scrutiny.
The Middleton’s IMO do not behave ‘middle class’ at all, if they did they would keep quiet and stay in the background. Instead the Middleton’s are very ‘nouveau riche’….there are so many examples of this type of behaviour from them, most of all was Pippa’s cringeworthy wedding which was sold to ‘Hello’ and deals made on the back of that with most of the suppliers. It was all very tacky and the RF must have been aghast. Lets face it, Pippa failed to marry into one of the aristocratic or upper middle class families because they did not want to be caught up in the Middleton circus. Her present husband was very far from her first choice and he must know it.
The Middletons are laughably gauche but Pippa’s wedding seemed surprisingly charming. Besides, the queen’s grandson sold his wedding spread to Hello! As well and let’s not forget brand ambassador Zara or the notoriously grifting Yorks. Even Charles struck a “deal” with a good friend to have a small fleet of custom Range Rovers and Audis delivered to Highgrove. And don’t leave out Edward’s media company being called out for trying to get taboo shots of William at St. Andrews. Will never understand why social standing creates such a double standard and alternate expectations. Instead of hating the way the Middletons play the game why not hate the game itself? The lot of them, royal and otherwise, need more integrity and some class.
Princess Diana’s brother has always seemed a bit like Pippa, just more upper-crusty and Oxbridge-educated. Her two sisters have always remained silent and stayed out of the media, but Diana’s brother used to show up on the Today show regularly to give media commentary about the royals. No one ever seemed to criticize him for it.
Anyway, anytime I’d see Charles Spencer on tv, I’d be surprised because Diana’s family is the poshest of the posh. I wasn’t sure if he needed money to run the Spencer estate or something.
Yeah yeah, whatever. Can we talk about his “two-bedroom flat”??? That dude does not live in a two-bedroom flat, does he??? Does KP even have one that small? How very normal.
And Kate must be sh*tting bricks whenever the barfing stops for a hot minute. She went through a 10-year circus and this woman breezes in, meets everyone, and marries the guy almost immediately. Unless we’re still thinking they’re taking it slow or some sh*t.
“Two bedroom”, meaning they didn’t bonk.
Hahahaha. I loved the comparison with Dolittle. Kate Dolittle.
He lives in a two bedroom cottage inside the Kensington Palace complex. It’s rather small.
Eh, it could be two bedrooms plus who knows how many other rooms. It’s highly doubtful that it’s as modest as they try to make it seem.
It is. It was Kate and William’s London home for a while when they were still living at Anglesey but were already married. It’s quite small and both Will and Harry have complained about the ceiling height before.
It is small. You can see maps online that show the layout and how big the various apartments and cottages are.
Yes, it does. He lived in a one-bedroom flat in KP before W&K moved in to the massive 1A. As others have written, he moved to the two bedroom Nottingham Cottage after W&K moved out of it. Nott Cott is smaller than the 3-bedroom Ivy Cottage Eugenie is moving in to at KP, but it has the advantage of being a stand-alone building.
I can never get links to go through. If you do a google image search for kensington palace map daily mail, you’ll get the two maps of KP the DM has labelled. One of them is labelled incorrectly (from the article about Eugenie moving in to Ivy Cottage), but the one with the numbers labeling the property is accurate. That gives a clearer picture of Nottingham Cottage under the # 10. It is next to the staff apartments and W&K’s garage.
Alright, I did and I see what you all mean. But … I mean I live in a two-bedroom apartment. Here that means two room, kitchen, bathroom and a very small entry area. That’s 50m². Tell me this cottage is larger than that. I mean come on. And my apartment is a pretty standard size for a two-bedroom.
I’m not saying I don’t believe it’s small by royal standards but aren’t they all super normal? I don’t know why I’m so hung up on this. LOL
@ littlemissnaughty….well according to gossip Camilla too is very put out that a fellow divorcee is being fast tracked into the RF and that no one in the Palace is allowed to say a word against Meghan…..but as I always say Camilla is a deluded woman.
I really like Camilla. Not only has Charles seemed much happier since they married, she always seems pleasant, does a lot of events and always has a smile; she also seems to like people, and is always willing to raise a cup with one or another elderly gentleman! I think she works hard and does a lot of good for the monarchy, as does Charles.
Also, it was said that in comparison to Kate on her India trip, where she wouldn’t go near any of the press, Camilla would walk from one place to another with the press in India, chatting with them as they walked. She seems like much more of a people person than Kate is and a very nice, very warm and fun woman!
Yeah that screams fake.
As a Brit I laugh my head off whenever I see American tabloid covers about our RF.
You guys don’t actually believe this nonsense, do you? Hasn’t Camilla been at death’s door and feuding with the Queen (Dynasty style in a fish pond) in between making secret deals to steal the crown and probably like Ouija board feuding with Diana’s spirit like 20 times by now?
By all accounts Camilla is a very nice woman to meet and talk to (obv not nice in terms of her morals in sleeping with a married man, but in general) who gets on well with her stepsons but has little to do with them. I highly doubt she has much to do with or even thinks about her thirtysomething stepson’s girlfriend.
Well, Camilla would, wouldn’t she . She is very desperate to be liked.
I wonder if she curtsies? She’s an American-but it’s his grandmother. I’m guessing yes.
@CynicalAnn – curtseying isn’t, so far as I understand it, required even for British citizens. It’s a matter of custom. That said, within the family itself, I imagine refusing to curtsey isn’t the way to win friends and influence people. If MM is marrying in, she is taking on the system her husband functions in and that is providing all those perks and status she hungers for. Not curtseying would show massive disrespect, especially as she’ll probably take on UK citizenship when she marries him. I don’t see how you can have Princess of the United Kingdom on your passport and still retain American citizenship AND not curtsey.
For the moment of course, it’s not such a big deal. But once the engagement is announced, not curtseying would get her one tidal wave of bad PR in the UK.
Ugh. That would really make me think much less of her. How much is she willing to give up to catch a Prince?? Even her dignity?? Americans do NOT curtsy to anyone.
@Sarah, they do if they’ve married said Prince, because they will no longer be American and will have to adapt to the customs of the circle they’ve married into.
Americans don’t have HRH in front of their names, either. Do you think MM will turn down her upcoming title of HRH The Duchess of Whatever out of her American dignity? No? Neither do I. What’s the difference between accepting the perks of becoming royal and the obligations that go with it? None.
If she’s too American too curtsey to her HRH hubby’s grandmother, the sovereign of the country she will be adopting, then she should be too American to become a Royal Highness.
So then by this logic, you would happily enter another country and not abide by their conventions and customs? Like, would you eat quietly/chew quietly / ask for fork & knife in China or Japan? Eat with your right hand in India/Middle East/some parts of Africa???
Remember the adage, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do?” It is basic politeness.
The difference between taking a title and curtsying? One of them shows you think someone is above you to the point that you bow down to them. No, we Americans don’t do that. And I would never take a title either. It is just silliness in the year 2017.
And in Korea, I wouldn’t eat dogs. Would you? Do as the Romans do! I wouldnt eat monkey in Asia, or whale in Scandanavia. And curtsying has nothing to do with betraying your birth country and I’m not screaming. Stop with the straw men arguments. It has to do with the fact that we got rid of all that when we threw Britain out – we Americans believe all men are created equal and while we dont always or even often live up to that, we also dont believe the nonsense of royal blood, blue blood or anyone being better than anyone else and bowing down to anyone.
If she marries in, it becomes part of the job, along with playing by HM’s Order of Precedence. Plenty of other women have married in to royal families, including those from countries that have no monarchies of their own. They manage to curtsy without people online screaming about how they’re betraying their birth country by doing so.
@Sarah – “we Americans . . . dont believe the nonsense of royal blood, blue blood or anyone being better than anyone else and bowing down to anyone.”
Unless one of them blue bloods proposes, and then just watch that particular American girl gladly take on the title the curtseys the money the palaces the gowns the jewels the influence and the status. . .
The fact is, once she marries Harry, she will become a UK citizen, a citizen of a country that retains and respects a constitutional monarchy, just like Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein . . . all of which are considered modern and progressive democracies.
Do I want it here? No. Do I think it’s way past its sell date? Yes. Do I think no American girl worthy of the name will turn down Princess status on principle?
Oh, please – my aching ribs.
How I wish there was an engagement interview, like soonish. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I like the speculation. It’s fun in a very guilty way. But plz gimme the interview to have something real to talk about. LOL.
I agree. Just announce it already.
This. And she’s going to look gorgeous-I can’t wait to see her clothes. I need something happy to look at.
Show us the ring!!!
It might be they are no where near that point. The VF article could have been an attempt to counter some of the more extremist/ridiculous lie-filled rants in social media. Just to give them a breather. If there is no announcement in the next few months, we’ll see what happens re. Suits Season 8 or her being seen auditioning for acting work in London.
NAS, whybdoss a royal engagement tale so long to prepare??? Not sure what goes into I think besides editing???
Will she wear royal blue for the engagement announcement?
A lot of royal reporters speculated on twitter that this might have happened during that time frame, said maybe this story isn’t totally made up. I could actually see Charles getting on w/Meghan in the same way that Sophie gets on with her in laws, he’d probably appreciate that she’s held down a job prior to meeting Harry.
Meghan is smart, engaged in charitable work, and is comfortable with a public life. I would imagine Charles sees those as good assets in a royal wife.
This. Which is why I eye roll when people suggest she’s some kind of fame whore. Really, if she didn’t like public life, she would be miserable marrying Harry. I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t be a big hit with his family-she seems smart, and engaging. Two qualities Charles seems to appreciate.
I’ve watched some of her interviews, plus one or two vids of her chatting with fans – and at the risk of sounding too reverential, I must say that she is impressively charming and eloquent. And maybe I’m just impressed because I am an awful conversationalist, but she seems like the sort that can speak articulately about any number of topics, and I can see Prince Charles responding well to that.
She’s quite self-assured as well – though sometimes her confidence reads as self importance, but I can let that slide because she’s seems like a genuinely warm and thoughtful person.
The only “ding” I come up with against Markle herself is that she can come across as rather self consciously “actory”.
By that I mean her stories are a little too polished, a little too rehearsed and delivered with what could either be considered as too much self regard or a healthy dose of confidence.
But she’s an actor and that is what they are trained to do.
Oh for pete’s sake. They just need to announce the engagement already. Everyone knows they’re engaged (there’s no way she would have done that VF cover if they weren’t), they just need to announce it.
All these pro-Meghan stories are starting to have the opposite of their intended effect, in my opinion.
Rant aside (lol), I can see Charles and Meghan getting along. and even Meghan and the queen. she already has some charitable interests (so we probably wont have that year or whatever where Kate was “choosing” charities) and knows how to work, and she probably isn’t (overly) intimidated by star power. I can see all those being positives for Charles and the queen, and I’m sure she is very nice and pleasant.
Oh lord, just get the ring. This is getting silly.
Well apparently, they are already making preparations to draw up an “announcement proclamation”. What is this? The Bill of Rights? It’s a bloody announcement. One or two sentences. Just give it to me I’ll do it.
lol
Who needs a written announcement these days anyway? Just post a photo on Twitter. With a close up of THE RING. Maybe Meghan just needs some more time to assemble a suitable wardrobe for her new role.
Or maybe even more staffers have quit. Or Poor Jason had a nervous breakdown. He already had prepared glorious announcements of all the engagements Kate was soooo keen to do and then – pregnant again. He probably wonders if he is stuck in a temporal loop.
@Maria….loooool!!!!
Who wrote this drek?
Reveling in a triumphant visit! Engagement proclamation! No problems at all! Gets on fabulously!
Do these folks have side jobs writing for Days of Our Lives?
Don’t hate on me you guys, but I think MM’s got GAME!!! Think about it – A divorced American commoner seemingly out of no where snags a prince! She was able to infiltrate the BRF and get her ring in less than 18 months. Well played, Meghan! Looking forward to more!
I agree – no hate here. I don’t think there is anything wrong with acknowledging that she’s played this pretty well so far.
“She was able to infiltrate the BRF and get her ring in less than 18 months.”
I don’t think this could have happened as quickly if she were 22.
I don’t think her age is the issue, but rather where both of them are in their lives at this point.
Or if HE was 22. They both appear to be at the right place at the right time.
I do wonder though why Harry couldn’t find anyone from his own circle after all these years? Is it really THAT unattractive a perspective to marry a prince?
Same with Wills, by the way, who I’m sure had a pick of many aristo gals but ended up marrying Kate. But she was like the last last one, who was willing to wait and put up with anything…
“I don’t think her age is the issue, but rather where both of them are in their lives at this point.”
Er, isn’t that basically the same point? Where they are in their lives was the point. A 33 and 36 year old who have had life experiences and somewhat know what they’re going into can hurry things up in a way 22 year olds thinking of subjecting themselves to a 1000 year-old institution and where one of the parents tragically died amidst photo lenses capturing the death might not want to.
AGE does factor into TIMING.
No, it isn’t the same point. The way it was phrased implied (to me) that only her age is a factor, not his. If he was 22, this wouldn’t happen quickly.
I referenced her because it was mentioned that SHE had game who was able to “infiltrate” the royal family. My post wasn’t made on it’s own without context; it was made in response to someone else’s post where ability to “game” was mentioned.
Maybe I should have referenced him too, but he wasn’t really mentioned originally for anything. Thus, since she was on the on my brain from reading the original response, I mentioned her. Being 36 helps her make a decision faster whether she wants to commit to this family where your every move is watched. She also has to commit to making the decision, not just him. And since both William and Harry have been turned down by other girls before and both have mentioned the difficulty of finding someone who would even want the “job” (what other men on earth refer to being married to them as a “job”?), I don’t think it’s strange to mention her age as being as much of a factor as his.
But basically, yes, both their ages help in hurrying this whole thing up overall. Although with the way this roll-out is going, we may not find out for some time with these two either whether they’re engaged or not ( I tend to think they are, but the wait is getting a little boring. Someone asked how Kate and Will fans did it, and now I’m wondering too, because the wait doesn’t make either Harry or Meghan seem more fascinating as it has with previous royals, and we’re only a few weeks into all of this with the VF cover. Or maybe we’re only into a few days, I can’t even remember at this point).
Agree notasugarhere. To reference that one episode in SATC – Harry’s light was “on” (meaning he was ready for marriage). Timing is everything.
@ OMG
Yes. I have thought of that screne from SATC throughout Harry and Meghan’s relationship.
Even with Kate she was standing there Waitying when William flicked on his light. Her marathon wait was over and no one else wanted William from his upper class, aristocratic set, so Kate became his wife.
What’s sad is that in just a few years, the press will begin to tear her down. That’s how it’s done: build someone up then tear them down a few years later. Royalty, actors etc.
As long as she doesn’t do anything dumb like Fergie did, I think she’ll be fine.
No toes! 😂😂
Look how the press treat Eugenie and Beatrice and both their parents were beloved by the press and the public. Go watch their wedding video. They were adorable!!
Any kids Harry has, with anyone, are the future Beatrice and Eugenie. Add in the American and mixed race and I think the press are going to be very hard on her. I don’t think that the British are pleased w this from articles and comments I read, add in Brexit, and potential economic hardship, and I think the Lazy Duo and Harry and his “American” bride may spell the end of the monarchy.
And maybe that should happen. Who bows to another human being in 2017? It’s archaic!!
Yeah we heard you the first 50 times Sarah.
Plenty of people bow and scrape, whether physically, vebally, or emotionally. No one in the UK is required to bow to the monarch; members of the family follow the rules because HM is the head of the family and those are her rules. Even if they might think it silly, they will respect her and do as she asks. It is as much to keep the peace in the family as anything else.
Andrew and Fergie dug their own graves. They also dug graves for Beatrice and Eugenie, for failing to prepare them for life outside of the royal firm. I think that decision was made recently, but they still should have prepped the girls just in case.
As long as Harry and Spouse 1) work work work work work 2) keep their heads down 3) raise their kids to be productive members of society outside the royal firm ? They aren’t going to be hated by more than a handful of people on the DM who appear to hate everyone.
Yes, Meggles, and we heard from you defending your idol at least double that. 🙂
@Other Renee – when Mary Donaldson married the heir to the Danish throne, his mother said, “Everyone who comes into the family does so in a shower of rose petals; but sooner or later, the thorns start to emerge.” Paraphrasing slightly, but you get the idea.
So far though, Mary seems popular. And Letizia and Maxima. The one who seems to have surprised her critics is Princess Sofia of Sweden. There was a fair amount of criticism against her because of her “interesting work experience”. She appears to have adapted well to her position and is popular.
@Maria
Regardless of bloggers on the internet Mary is extremely popular in Denmark. She consistently ranks in top 1 or 2 of the DRF and even beats out Queen Margethe sometimes. They feel that she works enough and presents herself nicely while having 4 kids. Maxima and is popular in her country as well; Letizia is the only one that seems to get more love on the internet and in the US (and South America) then she does in Spain.
https://www.google.com.ng/amp/s/www.gossipcop.com/meghan-markle-meeting-queen-elizabeth-made-up-prince-harry-engagement/amp/. Gossip cop claims the story which also appeared in Hollywood life is made up.
GC has been debunking alot of these stories lately – including engagement.
I wonder why they called out Hollywood Life but not US Weekly. It’s essentially the same story, no? Their reasons for why the story is fake are kind of weak though… because an insider would use royal titles instead of their more known names? I mean, if I was an editor of a tabloid with a mostly American audience, I’d use the more common name that Americans know them by too.
I am sure the Queen took time out of her day to meet some grating American Princess Wannabe. Right.
I wonder how well the other married-ins would have fared in the days of social media, especially Kate Middleton during the 10 years of dating. This is the first high-profile royal romance in the full glare of social media, which would make for interesting sociological or pop culture study.
These two are seeing each other. If they marry, we’d see if she’s any good at the royal job. Given her training in acting and PR, a lot of the royal job would be an easy transition for her.
HM meets the people her family members date if they are introduced to her. Notable exception being Kate Middleton, whom she met without William at Peter Phillip’s wedding. She met Autumn Philips and Sophie long before they got engaged to members of the family. They both went through the Balmoral Test, ie. going to Balmoral and spending time with the royal family during their annual retreat. HM also met Koo Stark when she was dating Prince Andrew, when Andrew brought her to Balmoral.
Nota, I think Waity had plenty of publicity falling out of bars at two am. There may have been less social media but we certainly got the picture.
Yes, but her decade of partying and not working wasn’t gossiped about ad nauseum in online forums by anonymous posters. Much of the news about that decade has been scrubbed away and not made available online.
Trying to wrap my head around the queen and Koo Stark in the same room having tea. I hope Koo was in sequins.
@notasugarhere
Scrubbed from where? You can still see a lot of the articles DM wrote during that time period online if you look for them.
Clearly got the picture of what? She was 22, 25 years old. She seemed like she was having a good time.
I hate on Kate plenty, but going to bars in her 20s is not something I’m going to give her a hard time about.
But Sophie had a big topless photo scandal, and it all turned out fine.
You make it sound like falling out of bars at 2:00am is a bad thing. I enjoyed my partying years and I regret nothing.
Some articles, yes Jessica, but many others have been scrubbed. The text of many deleted articles are saved on different royal forums, when they are no longer available online.
The difference remains. If she had spent a decade doing nothing but partying, vacationing, and never working in the full glare of tumblr? Things would have been very different, especially in the Middletons PR game plan of employing the DM editor as their PR guru.
bluhare, were you supporting yourself at the time? Or were you living in a 1.5 million apartment paid for by your parents while you spent a decade doing nothing BUT partying and vacationing in pursuit of a particular husband?
I don’t think Kate did much after university, but it was never really clear to me what William did either. I don’t think any of the drunk pictures of either have been scrubbed though. If I go on to Google images, I can find them. The picture of William with his hand on someone’s chest in a bar is still up there. These pictures can still be referenced in articles.
Generally, the heir and his wife get positive press. I think that’s just the way it goes. Andrew and Fergie suffered in the press, but they were also both kind of dumb. Unless you make really monumental mistakes like they did, I don’t see why Harry or Meghan would suffer the same fate. Meghan doesn’t seem dumb enough to get photographed while having her toes sucked on (of course, that was pre-social media.)
What I was doing besides falling out of bars at 2:00am is beside the point. So what if she went clubbing. That was what I was commenting on, not what she was doing when she wasn’t clubbing.
Look, I’m all for criticism when it’s due. But partying in her 20’s and enjoying herself? So what?
Partying without ever working while being supported by her parents in the family’s pursuit of a royal match at any cost. They aren’t separate issues; they are all tied up together and leave a bad taste in my mouth.
My overall point is, it would have been a very different environment had she been doing all of that now, in the full glare of tumblr. This is the first high-profile royal relationship fretted about unceasingly in social media that I can think of.
In theory, the “grating American princess wannabe” in question could be a potential spouse for her grandson. If the relationship is serious, she probably would take time out of her day to meet her at some point.
IDK, my grandfather “met” her twice, and he was just some Canadian air force guy. I’d assume it’s a lot more likely that she would want to meet the woman her grandson seems intent to marry.
If her grandson wants to marry her, he needs her approval. So yes, I can believe she met her.
I never once saw Sophie falling out of bars at two am. And she was still in her twenties when she started dating Edward. Lots of pics of her going to work though.
And going to bars in your twenties might be fun if you can afford it. And having a hangover the next day at work is no fun. Of course if you don’t have to work, it’s a different story.
The more they seem intent to push the she’s wonderful we all adore her narrative the more I think the opposites true. If she were so accepted she would have been photographed with them she was at polo with William for Christ sake and he didn’t go anywhere near her. She still hasn’t met Zara and he’s said to value her opinion even koo stark was photographed with HM what the hell is going on.
But she isn’t a typical potential Royal spouse. She is the first person of color to be married into the British Royal Family. The United Kingdom Empire which colonize and enslaved people who look like Meghan and her family. With all the racist vitriol, they cannot come off as aloof or hostile to Meghan. They have to push a narrative that she’s accepted fully by all. This makes perfect sense to me. Anything else would be miscontrued as them not accepting her for reasons other than her commonor backgrouund.
A lot of them aren’t typical royal spouses. Gary Lewis is a Maori from New Zealand, and is divorced. He is married to Lady Davina Windsor, the Duke of Gloucester’s daughter. He in turn is the queen’s first cousin.
Boys like, boys like, boys like me! Na, na, na, na, na!
@ Sally:
“she was at polo with William for Christ sake and he didn’t go anywhere near her”
With all due respect, that’s the narrative you guys at Tumblr and certain “royal insight” websites have spun for yourselves. No amount of pictorial evidence seems enough for you to accept that they are in a relationship. The event your referring to has a number of pictures showing William and Harry listen to her describe some challenge or the other that she’s having.
But according to you guys (out in planet cookoo land, she stalked him at the event, and had to be forcefully evicted with William watching from a distance with nothing but disgust and disdain on his face. (By the way, this way the same event they were pictured kissing at fir the first time).
But out here in the real world, this couple is steadily progressing with their relationship and hopefully one of these days, will formalize things once and for all.
Not that that will make the slightest difference to you “Royal forumers”.
@Sally……how do you know William did not go near her, were you there?
if he was with her he would have been pictured, why is that so hard to understand.
Ah the “pics or it didn’t happen” line so beloved of tinhats the world over.
Doesn’t matter what celeb you’re obsessed with, you only ever see 1% of their life and a very choreographed 1% at that. Maybe a bit more if it’s a Kardashian. For a royal it’s more like .001%.
Fact is you know nothing of these people’s lives. No fan does, of any celebrity. Royals have far better security that your average TV actor and generally won’t be photographed unless they want to be. Harry and Meghan obviously made the decision to keep their relationship private in the early stages, and in terms of her being seen to be meeting other royals there is etiquette to be observed.
Andrew introduced many women to the Queen.
I doubt she has any problems with meeting the partners of her family members. She will accept Meghan (marriage or not) as she did with the other spouses.
Also she is very fond of Kate. Yes i know it bothers some of you here. Yada yada over one decade ago the Queen asked about Kate’s job. So what? That is a normal question when your children, grandchildren and Co. tell you of the new girlfriend/ boyfriend. The first question is often “What does he/she do for a living?”
There are pap pics of the Queen and Kate cheek kissing instead of Kate having to curtsy. In private the family is friendly with each other.
Kate can’t be the first unemployed women of means that the Queen has met. Lots of young women in the aristo set are fully supported by their families, so I just can’t see the Queen being scandalized by her granddaoughter-in-law’s scanty work history.
Kate isn’t a country living aristocratic wife who doesn’t need to do anything though. The tell is that she doesn’t have The Royal Family Order given by the Queen. Camilla has it, and Sophia has it. She doesn’t. It speaks for itself.
@ magnolia rose – To be fair the last time the Order of Queen Elizabeth II was given was 10 years ago to Camilla. Its not like she recently awarded it to someone implying that Kate was overlooked.
HM awards the Royal Family Order to women she thinks have done her personal service as a monarch, and awards it when she feels like it.
Diana received it at 18 months into the marriage. Sophie at 5 years (but only 2 years as a working royal). Camilla received it at 2 years into their marriage. Fergie didn’t receive it, but the marriage had already imploded by the 5 year mark. Duchess of Kent received hers the year she married the Duke of Kent. Duchess of Gloucester received hers the year after she married in to the family.
W&K have been married 6 years, no royal family order. Princess Michael also has no RFO. Could be because HM doesn’t like her, or it could be that since Princess Michael isn’t technically a working member of the Firm, HM thinks that disqualifies her.
@ Notasugarhere
Well, Princess Michael is a bit if a stuck up b*tch, so I’m not fainting away with shock at the thought of her not having the rfo.
I can imagine her being one of the many “insiders” who will be sure to try to make Meghan’s life a living hell.
do they? I thought many titled young women were sent to prestigious boarding schools and then off to Cambridge or Oxford. Granted, they don’t have to study something practical for job security, but I get the impression that many of them pursue their passions and get paid.
Or Some people with old money and who have titles still have their kids work for pocket money at university. Or some aren’t as rich as it looks as much of the money is tied up in the estate.
Idk. I actually have no idea.
My family are low level aristocrats (ie used to have a title and castle but it passed out of direct line of descent a few generations ago). Most of my family did go to Cambridge (Trinity, for maths), though I went to UCL.
In my experience really rich upper classes don’t bother with uni, or maybe they go to a less challenging uni. I don’t think you’d go to Oxbridge if you wanted to do an arts degree, get married, and maybe run a little gallery somewhere. I actually find Oxbridge more affluent middle class. My partner went to Oxford (LMH) and her family are solidly middle class.
A lot of upper classes are in relative poverty so it really depends on so much.
@magnoliarose: yes, but what I was getting at in my comment is the notion of Queen Elizabeth disapproving of Kate’s crap CV before she married into the Brit Royal family. I just don’t really buy it. Kate parents subsidized her lifestyle so that she never had to support herself, and that’s true of many women from wealthy families. Nothing the queen hasn’t seen before.
Everyone curtsies first, and then hugs/kisses. Kate doesn’t skip that.
Don’t forget the Queen rode with Dale Tryon, Charles’s other mistress in the seventies and eighties. She also met Chelsy Davey.
I have also heard that the Queen loves Kate.
The Queen does like Catherine; she’s everything she wanted Diana to be she just doesn’t have aristo blood. Honestly I’m sure she would have replaced Diana with a Camilla or a Catherine if she could.
Err ..pretty sure The Queen and other senior members of the royal family were busy watching the Braemar Gathering that day. She also attended her weekly church service Crathie Parish Church that day too. So unless it was a sublimely quick meeting I don’t think it happened.
Also skeptical because there are always paps at Balmoral at this time of year but these two were not caught once! – ok then.
I’m hoping that the delay is due to the ring being re-set, if it’s reworking some of Diana’s jewels.
But Harry is coming to Toronto next week so maybe there will be an announcement after that.
Photos or it didn’t happen. And some folks should try writing a novel. 🙂
I do wonder why Meghan and Harry have only been photographed, what, three times together?? He was always photographed on the streets or at sporting events with Cressida and Chelsy. Why not Meghan?? Why do they hide out in his “cottage”? Why not go places and be seen? It just seems odd. I’m not saying they aren’t dating, or won’t marry, just that he was out and about a lot more with his other girlfriends.
Because they obviously made a decision to keep it private, which may easily have been her decision rather than his.
Well if they want to keep it private. Fine. But don’t go blabbing to Vanity Fair that the two of you are in love etc. And then insist that this is your time.
Ah, the classic tumblr claim. He isn’t hiding her; he made an unprecedented (and much maligned) statement announcing her as his girlfriend. He made it clear after Cressida that he was going to do things differently this time.
The VF interview was a clear message from both of them against the tumblr crazies referenced above.
ffs,he isnt hiding her and if they were seen out together a lot,some of y’all would claim they dont spend enough time together properly(y’all still do) There have been lots of sighting of them on twitter and lots of places they’ve gone without anyone else knowing,just because they arent photographed doesn’t mean they are hiding.they let you see them when they want to
@Sam, some people just don’t like Meghan. This one, in particular, has mastered the faux concern and dlist-American-don’t-curtsy-he’s-not-good-enough-indiscreet-fame-ho-queen-of-leaks-Northwestern-ain’t-shit narrative. It’s so repetitive, so cyclical that it’s even not worth a response.
@Nota, To your point. And I bet you ten bucks that when they do photos togethehr, some people will still claim red lines, metadata, photoshop and similar nonsense. SMDH
Not taking that bet because that is a given 😉
That’s what happened with the pics of them in August for the Botswana vacation. The Tumblr crazies, some who also post on twitter in the Prince Harry hashtag, were posting over and over again how that pic of them together on the tarmac was totally fake.
It was really bizarre to read those delusions.
I have never seen anyone on this site claim any of that. Your straw man isnt standing up straight.
Yay! I adore them together! I really have had so little interest in the royals- save critiquing KM’s fashion and biscuit-flashing habit- but these two? Cannot get enough news/stories. Following the rollout is going to be so fun. I really like her, and her humanitarian efforts- she is a bit like Diana in that way. I’ll bet she will be a very active royal, and will bring out the best in Harry.
She’s nothing like Diana. Diana had humility. This woman comes off as pretentious. Her humanitarian efforts? PR driven. I watched her on a talk show and I thought she came off as so phoney. Sorry I disagree.
Pretentious? Really? Google her name with humanitarian efforts. Why are you really gunning so hard for her? What talk show are you referring to, who was the host, and what was the questioning?
If they married, I expect she would show up prepared, give good speeches, and get on with doing the job. Her charity work has been in a new area for the BRF, so it would be interesting to see if she could continue with those themes.
Diana didn’t have a humble bone in her body. She was self-conscious and reveled in her PR power all at the same time.
I think Diana knew how to at least appear like she had humility. She was complicated. I don’t think she was unaware of her ability to get people to like her (i.e her charisma), but I don’t think she was completely without humility or some form of self-deprecation either. The self-deprecation came out in her mannerisms sometime (like after she gave a really bad piano recital and she knew it).
I agree she did revel in her PR power, but I do also think her particular circumstances were unusual (she was the most famous and popular woman in the world — no other woman has come close to capturing her immense fame, not even the big movie stars – whose husband also didn’t want her. So, that was certainly a contradiction for her to deal with. I doubt I’d be normal either, under the circumstances). Both Kate and Meghan may have the chance to be more normal psychologically since neither will ever be as famous and the men they’re with are at least likely to try and appear as if they like them on some level. Maybe the fact that Charles didn’t want her is precisely why she was able to appear somewhat humble in public. Anytime she did talk herself up, that seemed to be more in retaliation against what her marriage had become or what her husband desired (Camilla, and not her). .
When Diana was 19, she definitely appeared like she had a lot of humility. Maybe some of that disappeared after she became bitter about life. Although she still knew how to fake it in public really well (if she was being fake). I mean, she did walk through landmines to highlight an issue. That would have to take a certain level of authentic humility, I think. If Donald Trump tried to fake humility on something like that, he’d probably send in a stunt double and then lie to everyone that he actually walked through the landmine.
Diana’s ability to fake it so well negates her having any true humility. She loved her power and reveled in her ability to manipulate from early on.
Meghan’s press people need to quit calling the tabs and trying to make Meghan sound like a genius. It is really not hard to double major. Pick two majors with a lot of overlap and then the classes cross count toward both majors. I did it with a history and religious studies double major easily. For example, I needed a three class series on European history and a three series of American history. I took the three series of religion and Western Civilization and the three series of religion in America and thise six classes met the requirements for both majors without taking an extra class. It really just takes sitting down with your college counselor, mapping out a plan and choosing two majors with a lot of crossover. Then, the few outliers that don’t cross over? Make sure with your counselor that they meet your general education requirements and boom. ✅ You look like an ambitious smart student who took twice the classes and still graduated on time when in reality you didn’t have to take any extra classes at all.
I don’t believe theater and international relations have a lot of overlap but I could be wrong. I still think it shows that she went the extra mile.
You don’t have to take double the classes though. You just take a certain required number of credits for each major that can count toward the overall count of the credit series required to get the degree. At least that’s how it worked at my university. If people took double the amount of classes, they’d be paying double the tuition, which I doubt most people want to do.
I don’t think there really is going the extra mile when it comes to majors. I’ve seen Ashley Judd go on about her triple major, but you’re not literally getting three degrees (that’s how she makes it sound, and it always, uh, well, perplexes me). What she would have done is take the required credits for each major, and reduced the number of electives. Or she used her electives to count towards another major. When people talk about a double major as it it’s a double degree (I’m not saying Meghan is doing this, but rather other people interpreting how a degree works), I get confused.
Maybe there are universities that do give out double degrees, but I was under the impression those degrees lead to a Master’s degree (a B.A,/M.A. 5 year program).
If Meghan’s other major was astrophysics, I could see why everyone is getting excited. Not that there’s anything wrong with theatre (or international relations), but the only majors where I could see people going “whoa, you majored in that?” is whatever Stephen Hawking might have studied. To me, her degree seems like a standard degree to me, though from a more reputed university.
I have no issue with her being proud of her degree though, but sometimes it feels like Natalie Portman loaned out her publicist to Meghan Markle. In the world of acting, where perhaps one’s intelligence gets underestimated, I suppose I could see how you’d be proud of your degree though. And she did study more than Prince Harry so maybe that’s impressive to him. It’s never been clear to my why the spares don’t have to go to university. Take away his title, and there’s absolutely nothing of note to say about him. At least the degree would give him something to stay about himself like it does for her. I’m surprised he didn’t go to university even just for the partying which I’m sure the rich kids can get away with.
I checked HELLO this morning and find it interesting that they are studiously ignoring the story about MM meeting HM, which leads me to believe the story may be suspect. In fact, logically, if they are already, as we suspect, engaged, wouldn’t Harry have had to seek the Queen’s permission and therefore have introduced MM long ere this? Just sayin’ . . .
Good point.
They wouldn’t have to be engaged for her to meet HM or to spend time at Balmoral. Sophie, Autumn, Mike, Koo Stark – all met the Queen and spent time at Balmoral prior to (or without ever having) an engagement taking place. And really, HM could give her permission for them to marry without ever meeting her. Again, back to the Palace leak from last fall, that Harry’s happiness is paramount. HM isn’t going to stand in the way.
@notasugar – I totally agree that HM wouldn’t stand in Harry’s way, especially given how far down the line of succession he is now. My only point was the detailed story of how swimmingly it all went and the aides commenting, and what day it took place on, etc., seemed a bit suspect.
Harry might not need to introduce MM to HM to gain approval but out of courtesy to HM I cannot imagine that he wouldn’t. My guess is that he did so long before this story if they are already engaged privately, which is also my guess. It’s the detailed story I’m questioning, not the engagement or HM giving approval.
It looks like another made up story, that any of us could have written really, with no proof either way that a meeting did or didn’t take place.