I guess I’m still capable of being surprised by which royal stories “blow up.” I could not have cared less about the stupid “Meghan wore nail polish and cupped her belly, clutch yo’ pearls” story, so I didn’t even bother to include it in my coverage of Meghan’s appearance at the British Fashion Awards. I swear, like 80% of the comments were about her damn nail polish or Meg touching her own body. Earlier this week, I was also surprised by the strong opinions about Samantha Cohen’s exit as the Sussexes’ private secretary – we knew, months ago, that Cohen was a temporary hire, but that didn’t stop so many people from theorizing that Meghan is a terrible American diva who needs to stop being so American. Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair claimed that Meghan is looking to hire her own private secretary – rather than share one with Harry – and she hopes to hire a woman. Now Us Weekly has an exclusive about Cohen’s exit and what’s next, with some quotes from royal reporter Omid Scobie:
Various reports suggest Samantha Cohen is leaving her post because of discord with Meghan, with the news coming just weeks after the resignation of Meghan’s personal assistant Melissa Touabti. But the real reason is that Cohen only intended to help the royal couple for a certain amount of time, an insider tells Us.
“She’s not leaving because of any drama with Meghan,” the insider explains of the 50-year-old’s upcoming career change. “She agreed to stay for six months to help post-wedding and because Meghan and Harry were hoping a baby would come soon after that and knew they needed extra help. Samantha has a lot of respect for Harry and Meghan and enjoyed working for them. But her time is now up.”
Meanwhile, a Kensington Palace source tells Us that Cohen will be very busy in upcoming months, especially with the search for her own replacement. “It’s certainly a much longer post than six months,” the source says. “She is still working on Meghan’s first patronages, the baby, and more announcements in the months ahead.”
Royal expert Omid Scobie, who says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have an “extremely warm and respectful” relationship with Cohen, also vouches for Meghan’s character. “I’ve gotten to know the people who Meghan has in her work world, and I’ve never heard a bad word said about Meghan,” he explains to Us. “Whether it’s members of charities going into the palace for meetings to work with her or household staff, everyone has a pleasurable experience working with her. They’ve really enjoyed her energy and personality. When you hear reports that she’s demanding or a diva, it’s hard to see where any of that comes from.”
Scobie adds: “I’m sure there are people in other royal households who don’t agree with some things that she does or with her delivery, and that is solely based on cultural differences. Americans are direct when it comes to business, and Brits are reserved. So, of course, some things can be misread at times. But I have yet to come across someone in the Kensington Palace household who has a bad word to say about Meghan.”
“When you hear reports that she’s demanding or a diva, it’s hard to see where any of that comes from.” It comes from racist a–holes. It comes from several different royals and royal-adjacents who have a vested interest in smearing her. I appreciate this though: “I’m sure there are people in other royal households who don’t agree with some things that she does or with her delivery, and that is solely based on cultural differences. Americans are direct when it comes to business, and Brits are reserved.” As I said on Monday – Meghan comes from the American entertainment industry and American business culture. She asks for what she wants and she has expectations of staff. And they can’t handle it.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I felt like ppl where pretty rude when questions were asked about the nail polish yesterday. Its rare to see a member of the BRF in a non nude polish and I honestly thought it was an unofficial, official protocol to only wear nudes. I know I’ve read it mentioned on this site so it being discussed shouldn’t be unexpected. It was an honest question that seemed to annoy a lot of ppl.
Also she is stunning and good for her for standing up for herself and asking for what she wants, even though its terribly gauche and **shudders** aMeRIcIaN
Amen to both of you. Meghan is a breath of fresh air.
IMO, just because the queen is quite conservative and makes very safe style choices, doesn’t mean it’s protocol. I think she just personally dresses a bit safe because she’s the queen. What the wife of 6th in line to the throne does? Shouldn’t matter. Nail polish should not matter. And if it does? Perhaps that’s more the queen’s issue than Meghan.
Agreed. People also forget that the Queen’s style in her youth wasn’t super conservative. She rocked her share of strapless gowns and glamorous looks. Of course she was going to make safer choices as she got older.
It doesn’t matter. Ironically I’ve not seen one bit of press in the UK comment on her nail polish. Only on this site. Also, the belly cupping is just annoying, my best friend double cupped constantly and it drove me crazy. Its not personal just odd.
I think it’s just that she seems to be getting attacked for minor things and so some people are defensive of her. Personally I thought it was another attack on her so I probably took it the wrong way when now it seems you were just asking a question. Sorry if we seemed to jump on you.
I think people just felt hyperdefensive of her because she’s being attacked from all directions. I agree with you about the nail polish though, I also thought it was a real rule. I don’t remember where I picked that up. I don’t follow the royals that closely (especially not before Harry and Meghan became a thing) and I thought it was one of the Queen’s established rules.
@Meowuirose – it’s because search engines exist and old photos of other royals exist on those search engines. Literally, in the time it takes for people to post their “innocent” question, they could have googled the answer! I mean, there are many many photos of other royals, from Diana to Margaret to Eugenie, with colored nail polish.
So, when someone poses “an innocent question” or an “I love Meghan, but I’m just wondering why she is breaking a (nonexistent) rule” question, to me it’s just seen as a concern trolling way to attack someone. It’s just so easily disproven that there are any protocols that Meghan has broken, or ones that relate to nailpolish colors, of all things. So, then it just becomes a let’s pile on Meghan for things other royals have done…and why is that?! It just makes me, and other people, frustrated and angry. Why is there one rule for Meghan and a different rule for other royals? Although, on the bright side I suppose, if all people have to get on her back about is her nailpolish color then she’s doing an amazing job in her new role.
If you want someone knowledgeable to follow regarding royal protocol and rules and norms, Victoria Arbiter is a good one. She’s spent her entire life around the royals and knows the system well.
Victoria’s father doesn’t like Meghan – never has.
What has that got to do with Victoria or anything Royalwatcher wrote?
I wonder if she is trying to understand what is common among Brits and change her delivery so as not to cause offense or does she expect everyone to change to suit her American style. If it is the first give her time. If it is the latter then I would consider that rude.
There are probably a lot of things she does that cause tension that she has no idea she’s even doing. These people around her sound incredibly passive aggressive. How is she supposed to know she has offended if they say nothing then run to tabloids and leak stories about her being demanding? She seems to have some emotional intelligence, so I think she’d pick up on it if they gave her some reaction, I just don’t know that they are.
Harry should be the one telling her if she’s being too brusque with people. He’s the one closest to her and he knows what’s culturally acceptable over there.
True story: the state dance of North Carolina is called the Shag, and it’s really a thing here. On a multicultural exchange trip, the British teacher was enraged when one of the American boys asked one of her students if she knew how to shag! At the girl’s look of dismay, I think the boy made it worse by helpfully offering to teach her all the steps! It took a few minutes to sort out the cultural misunderstanding.
They do it South Carolina too… it always made me wince when my relatives down there talked about the “South Carolina Shag” and how they would go “shagging” or go to “shag dance parties.” I’m American but I closely associate that word with its other meaning, not some dance!
I think scobie is right – good deal of it could be cultural differences – but you can’t overlook the role racism is playing here.
Still it’s nice to have a royal insider come out and say that she is lovely to all.
Scobie has also been funny on Twitter with the #mypalacesource so he gets points from
Me for that. Some of the reporters don’t think it’s that funny lol
I agree. I think some of the harsh judgement is due to racism and also classism as well. In some of the articles and reports, there seems to be an underlying attitude of “who does she think she is”?
Just a question: What does Scobie have to do with or say about #mypalacesource?
He just jokes about it and sees the humorous nature of the hashtag. Very different from Richard Palmer, who ranted about it and wanted to doxx anyone involved.
He just has a sense of humor about it, like he knows how ridiculous some of the stories are. He tweeted about a private meeting Harry and Meghan attended and someone asked “how will we know how she broke protocol if it was private” and his response was “#mypalacesource.”
So that kind of thing. Richard Palmer…..different story ha.
Lol. Richard Palmer can stay mad.
I love Scobie and he is one of the few reporters who actually keeps things honest, doesn’t go into the crazy gossip and can get real news and real info on Meghan.
Many of the other royal reporters have agenda and one even said his editor wants sensationalism for clicks!
I believe much of the hater aid is pure racism.
I even notice a lot of Trump supporters who never cared a inkling about royalty, show up on Twitter with hate Meghan tweets. IMO it’s racism.
Many people who are racists will lie and say oh it’s NOT THAT, when it is that!
P.S. One of Trumps friends bought US Weekly around the time of the election. Remember those Ivanka the great Covers. Lol
My theory about the whole ‘Meghan is demanding’ thing is that she is… in comparison to the previous work culture. I suspect that some staffers have become very complacent in a bit of a ‘relaxed’ workplace because they’ve maybe not been given much to do, and Meghan’s entrance is a bit of a shock to the system.
…and that’s exactly the problem: Will and Kate have done so little that their staffs also have relatively little to do. Meghan isn’t asking anything of her staff that she isn’t doing herself. She does more events, so her staff has more work.
Amen. Some people don’t understand the concept of leading by example.
+1
Amen +1
William and Kate are plain lazy.
I think it’s a solid sexism thing. I think she probably is demanding. Demanding is NOT a bad thing. Let’s stop talking about it and defending her for it, because defending makes it seem like demanding is bad. Every time a tabloid brings it up, we all shrug and say, “and that’s bad?” That’s the only way this is going to change.
Good for her for knowing what she wants and how to get it.
@BroodyTrudy yes, this^, so much.
So what you’re saying is they expected Meghan to be lazy like Kate lol.
Meghan also does not have any office work experience as she is coming from acting in the entertainment industry. I am sure there will be differences in how she can refer and delegate tasks to royal staff members versus production staff on a set. Management skills take time and direction from knowledgeable individuals to grow. Hopefully she can find some good resources!
Cultural differences can be so subtle but still so powerful. It’s better to have them acknowledged upfront, my main issue is when people of the locally majority culture don’t acknowledge them and just assume they’re “right” and there is only one way of doing things.
I agree and it will probably take her a while to pick up on all the subtleties. But, at the same time, I would think that once she realized she was going to marry Harry and spend the rest of her life living in the UK, I fully believe she would have brushed up on British culture and British/aristocratic/royal norms and etiquette.
I know it’s not what you are suggesting, but I seriously doubt she’d be busting in there like, “I know best, bow to my American ways!” She just seems too diplomatic for that. I think the fact that she was part of an ensemble show – not the lead – would automatically teach her to be flexible and diplomatic (not to mention she was interested in literal diplomacy at one point!). Plus she lived in a foreign country for 7+ years, so she’s had experience learning new cultures and adapting or noticing subtle cultural differences. And, finally, of course I don’t know her, but she also just seems like the type of person to be interested in different cultures and learning about other cultures and people…so none of this rings true to me that she would go into her new role with an ‘I know it all’ attitude. AND, you’d also think her staff would know that she’ll have a learning curve with cultural differences and cut her some slack.
Okay, lol, I’ve rambled here…I guess my point is just that I think the character assassination is coming from somewhere else than staff *coughCambridgesandracisttabloidscough*
Well, you’re a huge Meghan fan so you’re obvs going to think its all false.
I think it’s an oversimplification to call anyone who dislikes her style a racist. Does everyone have to like her and think she’s wonderful? And if they don’t they’re racist?
Fair question. I wonder however if it’s the nature and tone of the criticisms that give us a clue they are racist in nature. I’ve been listening to women of color voice their opinions and they claim to have heard them all before and that they are stereotypically racist. We only have to look recently at how Serena Williams was depicted after she angrily challenged a referee and Meghan has been depicted in a similar light.
One of the problems is that so many of the comments are just pure racism (the comments under Meghan’s articles at an establishment paper like The Telegraph, for example, are just straight up, disgusting, racism and the paper doesn’t remove them) it’s difficult to filter through which ones are legitimate criticism and which ones are attacking Meghan because of her race through other ways, such as the constantly calling her out on protocol when Kate, Sophie and Diana did the same things and it was fine.
You are being deliberately obtuse. Disliking her style or personality is your right. But when the criticism is coded in racist/misogynoir language, you should expect to get dragged. To be fair, sometimes people aren’t aware that their criticism is straying into uncomfortable territory. One glaring example is when the discussion turns to Meghan’s hair. I avoid these conversations like the plague because we haven’t collectively come far enough to feel it is wrong to shame black women for not erasing their black hair.
Other times, people have a sense they are wrong, and they do it anyway. I was certainly not laughing over DM’s “niggling worry” about Meghan. Not cool at all.
@Lithe, preach it! Some people are just straight up racist, but others have their bias and don’t even realize (or acknowledge) it. That’s still racist.
Who is doing that, Louise? Who is calling someone who only commented on disliking her style a racist? I don’t see that happening. I agree 100% with Lithe’s comments above mine (and Susannah and Mego as well!).
I think it’s racism and many who are racists will ALWAYS HIDE BEHIND Other words, such as demanding.
IMO William and Kate are just lazy and don’t want to work , but there is someone (Meghan) who wants to do her role and actually WORK!
Louise, I agree, but to some, yes it is. The true racist comments on places like the DM don’t help the situation.
There are racists and people who still have no idea why harry and meg get so much space, like me. It isn’t fun anymore and they are not gonna change the world or make it a better place.
Fact is that we are all quilty, calling kate waity is super sexist since no one said anything about jack, eugenies now husband. Similar to that, people hate on meg, cos no one will touch harry or will. Camilla is another example. There’s a lot of things to take into consideration, but racism is one of them, not the only one of course.
Worshipping someone just cos they got a title is beyond me. But at the same time i feel bad for women of Windsor.
Agree with a lot you say. I’m not sure we Brits worship the Royals (some really don’t) because they have a title, it’s more like they’re our talisman. We feel like we have a share in the pomp and ceremony , they literally are OUR Royal Family. Their weddings feel like our family weddings. I don’t care that W&K aren’t doing hundreds of engagements yet or that Kate isn’t fashion forward. She blends in. Meghan has also blended in during the family events (apart from the wedding coat stunt) . I hate all of this PR office politics. It’s absolute crap, who gets 30 more minutes exposure on Instagram because of post times. I don’t know anyone who looks at the KP Instagram….apart from on here. Most people don’t care or would only look for the baby pics. Seriously. Their PR should almost be invisible.
Go look at things people are saying about Nancy Pelosi and come back and tell me that the criticism of Meghan’s lack of work, her possible rudeness, her spending, etc. are racist. People often hate women, period. If you are powerful like Pelosi, or an outsider marrying in, like Meghan, you are going to get a lot more of it.
I think that the British are protective of Harry and William and that Harry choosing someone from outside his own country unconsciously angered a lot of Brits. Add in HOW different she is, the actressy ways she has, the love of fashion and glamorous events like the fashion awards, and it is easy to see why the common British man/woman may not like her.
“Meghan isn’t the American diva devil!” This is refreshing, and I bet it’s true.
Kate Middleton wore dark polish on multiple occasions, she just didn’t get the coverage Meghan did. Meghan is a goddess, I love her. Kate does her best, and I still love her, too, but Meghan is the princess of our dreams.
Meghan is beautiful and charismatic on her own as a person and she’s also got the whole “married a prince, became a duchess and doing a damn good job already” excitement of her story as well. I think those two things are fueling the desire for more stories and information about her. (And if she isn’t doing something to write about, making things up or talking sh*t still gets clicks so…)
Kate, on the other hand, is not a naturally charismatic person. She does have the appeal of her role working for her but she has shown herself to be less interesting on her own- her public speaking has come a long way but it’s still not natural for her, her clothes look like she’s either 60 or 12 most of the time and she’s displayed some unprofessional behaviors (flashing her ass, not being prepared, her damn hair flying all over the place and/or her hands all in it).
I think there is an added element of excitement about Meghan because of her contrast with Kate who has been 7+ years of varying degrees of meh, disappointing or less than impressive in her role.
Cohen as former Press Secretary to TQ has a lot of contacts with the press and they respect her, so these comments being attributed to her carry a lot of weight.
IIRC her leaving TQ was due to her boss SIr Christopher Giedt being effectively pushed out due to Chuck and Andrew – he resigned and then she did in support.
Pity she isn’t staying with them as she could do some great things with them.
Kaiser, I love that you posted a picture of Meghan cupping her belly. I laughed. It’s probably triggering the haters.
She looks gorgeous!
In the video footage, it looked a little overdone and awkward though. I chalked it up to a possible nervous habit?
The baby (possible babies??) could have been kicking & that’s why she cupped.
Also possible, any of the thousand reasons people have or have not thought of. I used to be annoyed by any belly cupping until I realized it doesn’t matter what I think if the mother and baby are happy & healthy, then cup away.
Someone in another post mentioned that Meghan looked like she was reacting to a painful kick in the video. Either way, it’s her body and her baby (or babies) to cradle as she sees fit.
Hee, Beach Dreams, that was me. Yay.
Lol…I’m a nerd.
It does seem that twins are a possibility, though l would rather it was just one, because of the predictable reactions. All bets on twins are off because someone put a huge bet on twins.
@Laura: when I saw her from the side I was like whoa! That bump did seem to grow a lot in the last few weeks.
OMG if she has twins the haters will freak for weeks. I’m praying she does, just to see all their heads explode.
Yes, Twins would be great but then the trolls would go on and on about IVF and frozen eggs etc just like with Amal and other celebrities.
Pregnant here and sometimes I hold my belly to steady myself because a wave of nausea or heartburn hits me or my center of gravity is off. Sometimes I feel so uncomfortable or crappy that rubbing my belly makes me feel a tiny bit better. It has become a nervous habit too as it feels comforting, like I get a hit of oxytocin, when I rub my belly.
I was just at a bridal shower last weekend where I met a young pregnant woman who is 4 months along and just starting to pop. While we were talking, she kept subconsciously cradling her belly. I found it sweet. I truly can’t wrap my head around all of the fuss over Meghan’s nails, or body language, especially with so much REAL shit going on in the world.
Not liking the cupping is not hating.
Cultural? American directness? Her delivery? The only question should be – what is Meghan’s intention(s). If you believe her intentions are wholly nefarious then I guess you would have this line of thinking. If however, you believe her intentions are connected to being a hard working royal dedicated to the Firm then what’s the problem?
One of the problems might be, that Americans communicate differently than Europeans (and there are huge differences between european styles of communication as well). The fist time I worked with people from the US my impression was, that everybody was overwhelming gushing and friendly at the beginning, to the point of disrespecting my personal boundaries and rude the next with their direct commands. I think it was the first time somebody told me directly to to something since I was six or seven and refused to tidy up my room.
On the other side, my coworkers found me cold and standoffish and had the impression of a pushover.
It took a while to get accustomed and I think it might be polite to adapt to the style of the company you are working for.
Maybe a cultural difference, but I read the text as almost a glowing praise with a small hint what she maybe should chance to adapt better to her new role and company. Especially compared to all the other leaks who where plainly racist and sexists.
Double post oops
Thank you!
It took me quite a while to understand the different ways of communication. And that Americans do not consider a sentence beginning with “Sorry to bother you, but if you have a spare minute, could you please…” a direct work order.
Back home, if I say “could you maybe do this and this as soon as possible” everybody knows I am really angry…..
Samantha Cohen was specially appointed by the Queen to guide Meghan as she was the former secretary to the Queen and her nickname at BP was Samantha the Panther, so it’s clear to me she and Meghan have no problems whatsoever.
Exactly
Well I’m going to play devil advocates here a little. I think Meghan probably has a great work ethic but American work ethic should not be the norm. We have horrible hours, expect our employees to be constantly monitoring their emails and essentially always be on call, our vacation days are two weeks maybe three weeks at best and then we are guilted by our bosses if we actually want to use them. Coming in sick is the norm because we don’t want people to think we aren’t hard workers. I don’t think these are good things. I really like Meghan but she is now living in another county and should respect their work culture if it is different. I worked with German expats and they could not believe that we only had two weeks of vacation whereas they were mandated by the government to take 6 weeks off. I worked with the German offices and once the German employees were off they were off for the day. I think it’s important to separate work and something us Americans could be better at. We should aspire to be like Europeans. My boss emails me at 10 pm and 5 am and yes maybe she doesn’t expect me to answer but I immediately read it and start thinking about what I have to do the next day and my brain goes into work mode. It’s not great but that is the norm here in America and I don’t think that it should be.
Very good point. American Work culture is definitely very toxic for the workers. We don’t do enough to protect our workforce and it shows through a variety of different chronic diseases and illnesses.
Not always true. It depends on the company and if the company promotes a culture of work/life balance. My employer promotes this balance. How overworked someone chooses to be is a personal preference, in my opinion. My director chooses to connect work email to her phone and read/respond to emails in the evening and on weekends. I refuse to do the same and it’s not expected of me to be connected on non-work hours.
I work less than full time now, but my friend and co-worker still is very ambitious and works very long hours which our job requires. She began dating a man from Europe when he was in America for a while, who is extremely successful in his career and very driven, works hard, but has tremendous balance in his life and attitude towards work. He is back over there now. So she visits a lot and travels often with him around Europe when she visits. She said dating him and being over there so much has really opened her eyes about America and the differences in how we view working and a workday, vacations, on and on, the whole work culture. I won’t go into detail, but it’s been touched on here many times , and the negative was definitely towards America. She still works hard, and you can’t always get away from the long hours, but her mentality has changed and shifted in how she is constructing her life regarding her worklife and personal life. She is far healthier and happier.
P.S., I don’t understand where some posters think America has a better work ethic. I’ve never head that nor believe it.
“My boss emails me at 10 pm and 5 am and yes maybe she doesn’t expect me to answer but I immediately read it and start thinking about what I have to do the next day and my brain goes into work mode.”
This is what I’ve said on a few different threads. You can have all the good intentions in the world when you’re contacting someone and honestly not expect a reply. But it’s VERY hard to disconnect from work when something pops up out of work hours and you happen to see it. My husband has a work phone and is on call for the week once every 5 weeks or so. He had booked his birthday off. It wasn’t a time when he was supposed to be on call. He received two texts and two phone calls about work that day from his boss. His head goes immediately into work mode, and starts thinking about what needs to be done, or worrying that something had gone wrong, or whatever – and it’s ridiculous. He tries to push it to the back of his mind when it’s not urgent, but because he’s a dedicated, hardworking, conscientious person – it’s incredibly difficult to not want to deal with it or worry about it in some manner. Other employees will outright ignore messages/calls even when they’re on call, and then that will mean there’s potential he’ll get called out when he shouldn’t. Which – is ultimately managements issue, but still. Some people can completely disengage from work with little effort, but a lot of people cannot. I know if I check my email on vacation I end up getting super annoyed pretty quickly.
And I’m not saying Meghan does this. But there’s this screwed up idea that the American kind of work your self to death attitude is the correct one to have. There’s more and more issues coming up with an employee’s rights to disconnect and really trying to get back some work life balance.
Depends on your job, and probably the area as well. I live in London. I work from home but my partner’s office job is 60-75 hours/week. Some people at his office work even longer. Plus a typical London commute, over an hour each way. Emails answered almost any day or time. Brits do get more holiday time than in the US, I will agree there. But perhaps the royal office (court?) keeps more 9-5 hours? I don’t know.
@bren that’s nice you have the choice. My first job out of college where I was paid hourly not salaried, mind you, my boss said hand me your cell phone I am getting IT to add your work email on there. No choice in the matter at all.
@Franny Days – I agree that she should adopt to UK work standards and American work ethic/expectations can be too harsh. I’ll always remember during a Bush 43 town hall when an old woman stood up to say she was working 2 jobs to survive (and how could his presidency help her) and he completely (intentionally?) misunderstood and started to praise her as “wow, isn’t that just such a good example of the American work ethic, you love work so much you have TWO jobs, blah blah blah…audience give her a hand” And I was like, WHAT?! 70 year-olds should have to work 2 jobs to survive?! What is this madness?!
But, anyway, that’s just an aside. Back to Meghan, she has already worked for many years in a foreign country, so I’d imagine she will have no trouble adjusting to the idea that work standards vary from place to place (and, that’s true even throughout different states in the US as well) and would take her lead from the hardworking queen and Charles (I hope) rather than William and Kate.
But Pss. Diana worked hard and so does Prince Charles , so does the Queen, so do Pss Anne, Prince Edward and Countess Sophie. All have strong work ethic.
So there are hardworking royals.
William and Kate need to stop being so lazy.
There’s nothing wrong with Meghan or her work ethic. But it’s naive to think she will not get serious blowback if she upsets the courtiers.
I wonder how Harry feels about all of this? Because his father, brother, and sister in law have treated him like trash for years in the press. Now he’s happily married, deeply in love, expecting a baby, moving out of KP, and has a life partner that has zero ducks to give about playing the game by the rules of the courtiers and other racist arses in their orbit.
Probably frustrated himself. No one can really go against the firm. The only thing they can do is just carry and do their job unfortunately.
Harry and Meghan can take their visibility and leave the royal family if they don’t like following the rules of the royal family. It’s like joining a new company, and then trying to change everything about that company. Except that this company Meghan joined is hundreds of years old, hierarchical, sexist and rules by heredity, not worth.
Meghan supposedly knew this when she joined the Firm. Harry has always known the rules. I think they can leave, live on their own money and do the good works “changing the world” the way they want to. But they won’t, because they would have to pay for their own housing, their own clothes, and their own security. Harry would never give up the gravy train and I doubt MEghan would give up her instant fame.
On the plus side, Meghan and Harry could talk freely about anything they want, they could hobnob will all the celebrities they seem to want to hang with with no criticism, and they could do whatever charities they choose.
Sounds like a good change to me.
@GiveMeABreak, “It’s like joining a new company.” No. It’s really not. It’s really really not. It’s like if you’re owning the company, are on the board of directors, and are a major shareholder in the company–all of which means you can provide your input and opinions regarding the direction and working culture.
The monarchy didn’t survive this long because nothing about it changed, ever, at any point throughout it’s history. The BRF is a fundamentally adaptable institution, except for a few core tenets, and it’s subject to public opinion. As long as public opinion changes in a certain way, so too will the BRF, especially given that in their past experience, digging in their heels and dragging their feet about these things has only harmed them immensely, not helped.
The Prince of Wales travels with an entire bedroom suite and umpteen personal attendants, and yet it is somehow gauche for Megan to ask for something? Feh.
And a yeoman!
LOL, right?! Damn American, wanting to actually do some work and be supported by her staff! Who does she think she is.
@GoPlacidly, right!! And people go out of their way to point out how Charles isn’t ACTUALLY a snob, oh no no, he’s really very NICE you see in spite of it all, etc, etc, etc.
Sussex PR is on the warpath 🙂
I also think that a lot of the issues she’s had is down to cultural misunderstanding, because i’ve experienced it first hand.
The British give directions in (to my eyes) a very roundabout, extremely polite way, that is very different to all the other places i’ve worked so far. It’s just a different style.
However to characterize all the courtiers as lazy and not having the American work ethic is incredibly arrogant. Everytime this topic comes up, i’m perplexed as to why a lot of Americans here (and in previous comment sections) seem to be think they have better work ethic than the rest of the world.
Ive never felt that the Americans ive had the pleasure of working with, were exceptionally productive compared to others. Come to think of it, i can’t think of any country i’ve worked in (5 so far) where the people were unilaterally exceptional at something, but they all have their unique way of doing business.
They really are kicking up the counter narrative—I’m curious to see what the reaction is from courtiers. Also, they should just hire Omid to work for them at this point.
PR warpath? OMG. The article was just a defense, a PR war would be if they criticized WK to prop themselves up – which they didn’t. They also clarified why Cohen was leaving, because a “reputable” publication ( the sunday times) said it was because of Meghan’s “diva” behaviour, when previous reports said she was already leaving in 6 months, but Cohen is still here and helping them find a replacement. I understand perhaps there were a cultural misunderstanding, but isn’t it also better for these people to approach her or her private advisors to talk to her about this. I don’t think Meghan was intentionally trying to be rude to anyone, but for these people who seem to be offended by her and instead go to the press to bring her down is ridiculous IMO.
I saw on IG a clip of Meghan standing on stage, looking at Clare, when she suddenly grimaced a bit and double cupped her belly. The baby was clearly kicking her and she applied pressure. But no, she’s a performative diva. Some people are a-holes.
The baby must have been kicking the cr*p out of her all night!
Belle – I think you mean the twins kicking the crap out of her!! Haha, kidding…but I do think/wish she’ll have twins.
It’s her body, so pooh on conversations about her belly cupping. The nail polish looks good with the outfit, is it protocol or practice to wear nude nail polish?
These articles are like a snippet of something new, a lot of speculation and a lot of something old to sell papers..
I find the attacks on Meghan actually pretty refreshing. It’s just straight-up b*tchiness from some snooty courtiers. Belly-cupping? Nail polish? Early-morning emails? This is all so, so petty. Given all the crazy drama we’re dealing with in the US these days, these little attacks are so quaint.
I don’t doubt there are some cultural differences at play here. But Meghan is a successful professional woman who previously succeeded in one of the toughest industries in the U.S. She’s got some hard edges because she needed them. That’s not going away. Kate didn’t need any edge because she never had to make her away in the world on her own or hold a job. Unless Meghan tries to attempt some sort of political coup and take over as Prime Minister etc. I don’t see how any of these “issues” are relevant.
The disdain for belly-cupping is just so flabbergasting to me, lol. And the complaints that Meghan is too demanding…most of which I’m assuming are coming from some British aristo/aristo-adjacent staffer working for the ROYAL family is even more astonishing. People are actually angry that she’s likely earnest and committed to her position. Would they rather have another tax-payer funded vacationer whose dad regularly rings up his mummy to demand more favours and attention? Idgi.
She looks beautiful.
Look, she’s been (and continues to be) instructed in how things work in the BRF. I’m sure there’s an adjustment but she’s expected to work and she’s doing just that. I’ve worked with many Brits, a lot of my family is from the UK and I’ve had absolutely not trouble communicating with them and they have no issues communicating with me. This is simply, courtiers & and bitter journalists engaging in the usual bitchcraft and it’s petty.
I read the royal reporter’s name is Omid Scobie and my brain paused right there: I love unusual names.
@Nikki, His voice is amazing too. He does a podcast called On Heir. He’s actually mixed-race as well and I think might understand what Meghan might be going through. He’s implied that he’s faced racist bullying when he was at school.
Yes, he really does have a beautiful voice, l love listening to him speak. But what mix is he?
Thanks for the interesting info!
His name, Omid, gives it away – Persian/Iranian. Wow, People are really culturally dense on here.
Ok, and another teaching point is some people are naturally rude.
Well said Olenna!
I haven’t met many people from Persia and Iran, and I don’t watch a lot of TV. One of the reasons I like Celebitchy is I learn so much, Guest!
I come here as an antidote because there are plenty of sites that will highlight negatively and backhanded comments. I mean, why complain that coverage is too positive here when there are at least a dozen places that the hater-aid can freely flow? Really, the internet has a space for everyone.
why do British people hate her so much?
She seems sweet, educated, woke and genuinely in love with Harry. I just dont get this.
Maybe, and I’m just speculating here, some British resent that an American has outshone their home-grown girl? Comparing “Catherine” and Meghan, Meghan is smarter, prettier, harder-working, more charismatic, more fashionable, more accomplished, and her prince dotes on her. There could be some projection going on, and vicarious resentment.
+1000
Absolutely spot on, IMO
In your opinion, and many Americans’ opinions.
In the opinions of many Brits, she is not better than Kate in any of those things.
Why is it so hard to see why the Brits might not like her for a variety of reasons, many of which aren’t due to racism? Meghan has made some missteps, and she is an outsider. It’s going to be tough for her in the best of circumstances.
And also she’s half black. England is not a melting pot culture like the United States. Even with that ideal, the US hasn’t solved its racism problem. Xenophobia and racism is having a real moment right now both in the US and the UK, unfortunately.
I wonder Yami, if you’ve ever visited the UK?
You seem to regularly post rather heavy handed assumptions about Britain.
I’m an African muslim, and apart from office related quirks, london is the only (outside those of my country) where i didn’t feel like a foreigner.
London, yes. The rest of England? Not so much. The fact that a major city like London is diverse doesn’t negate the fact that racism and xenophobia have always been present in British society, especially in places that are far more heterogeneous in terms of population lol.
I’m in love with that look. Amazing.
As an American living in Canada, I do think that Canadians and Europeans value a more life/ work balance than Americans. I was shocked at how demanding higher salaries, more vacation etc Canadians had. In America, your expectations were always low, be grateful you have a job because the wolves at your back will try to snatch it from you. It is a dog eat dog world in America. That does not equate harder working but we are more willing to give up our private lives for our job, maternity leave especially. I have found a few entitled and lazy coworkers in Canada but I found the exact same ones in America.
I think the issue with Meghan is bluntness. We Americans are straightforward and to the point without a lot of politeness. That is the crux of the issue here.
I work in Silicon Valley and the stereotype is the opposite. The Americans over use pleasantries and small talk and Europeans are much more direct.
But I agree that Americans are known for working longer hours and not having a work life balance though.
@mela I worked with Germans and they complained that us Americans were too blunt and demanding in our emails.
The idea that a person who double majored in Theater and International Relations wouldn’t be adept at managing cultural differences is ridiculous. I think it’s more about people “putting her in her place,” which is a hideous thought.
I don’t doubt that some of this reticence on the part of their staff is also because more than a few of them are miffed at the idea of being told what to do in any capacity by Meghan, lol. It’s funny that they think she’s rude when she’s not the one going around slagging her off in the tabloids.
You go girl!
I LOVE how much grace she portrayed at the Award Show. If you show that much contentness, relaxedness (do those words exist?) and friendly confidence in public after all those toxic articles you are really good. The only one who could keep up with this might be the Queen herself imo.
Is it really “American” to not let people walk all over you, talk down to you, not ask for what you want/need ? If you ask me there needs to be a little housecleaning with the palace staff.
Hmm. Again, no offence to any Brits out there, but whenever I think “British” I hardly think “polite” let alone “not direct or forthcoming.” I think of the Heathrow employee who was helping me figure out where to catch my connecting flight, who raised both eyebrows when I said I only had 2 hrs on my layover and sarcastically wished me, “Good luck making *that* connection!” I also think of the employee on the Underground who, when I asked them if it would be possible to get to Paddington from Heathrow in about an hour if I took a taxi because the Underground was delayed, scoffed and said, “That’ll cost you a fortune!” (Not what I asked, but I got the hint, lmao).
I don’t take these things in a bad way. People the world over are different, and none of these individuals were being rude, they were just being themselves. But there is no way in a million years that an American would have responded in this way to those questions. Some people would have, but most recognize that unless you’re Chandler Bing, responding to a genuine question with a sarcastic comment isn’t the nicest thing to do.
So yeah. To me, North Americans in general are really friendly in demeanor, and that friendliness is what tempers their forthright (on paper anyway) requests. I guess British people make up for the absence of that immediately friendly behaviour by overusing qualifiers (“Excuse me, but if it isn’t too much trouble, would you terribly mind doing xyz for me please, at your earliest convenience? Sincerely, [insert name here]”). It’s just two different ways of expressing the fact that you’re trying to be considerate of other people that’s all. There’s really nothing else to it.
That fucking monarchy is 100 years behind the times; they’re trying to destroy Meghan like they did Diana, we can only hope she is stronger and more independent minded at 37 than the shy Diana was at 20…
Why are they behind the times? They keep going by maintaining balance – like a smooth millpond. They didn’t cope with Diana well, but she had mental health issues. Charles tried to help her. I doubt the Queen was very understanding but most people weren’t back then. In the 80s girls/women who cut and purged were viewed as attention seekers. She thought she was marrying into a romance novel and I think when she got to know him she realised he wasn’t what she was expecting. The marriage was all wrong but everybody including her parents allowed it even though they barely knew each other. Her sister dated him, she must have known how ill matched they were. I don’t think she ever really loved Charles I think she was in love with the idea of him. Apparently everything about him irritated her. She fixated on Camilla even when he wasn’t seeing her. I think she loved being the wife of the Prince of Wales but not Charles. Diana destroyed herself by refusing to have Protection officers. She courted the media non stop.
I don’t think they are out to destroy Meghan. If the leaks are a campaign by the palace then they are probably trying to bring them in line, calm them down a bit. Maybe she grabbed Harry’s thigh once too often down under. If Meghan pulled a Fergie then they’d want her out.
Charles was a thirty-something who went after a teenager, emotionally cheated on her from day one, and eventually physically cheated on her and gaslighted her about it the entire time. Diana was an abuse victim who was also abusive.
The Windsors and their staff are capable of behaving like trash -leaking stories to the press about each other. They’re the Markles with titles.
Also, Harry is physically affectionate with Meghan and I always find it interesting when people focus on Meghan as if it’s an issue with her.
I know I’ll get slammed……but I find pregnant women (royal or it) who constantly hold, touch, cradle their belly annoying AF. And she is getting on my nerves with it. Every pic of her lately is that. Is she constantly doing it, or is that the money shot of the season?🤷♀️ Yes we know—you’re pregnant.
People like you creep me out.
Pregnant women touching their bellies are not trying to annoy you, they’re probably doing it unconsciously. To think something so natural can set someone off is scary.
To think that pregnant women are so self absorbed that bringing constant attention to themselves as if they are the first women to ever bring forth a child scares me, 🤷♀️
Yes, I have given birth.
My birth experience far exceeds anyone in the universe. 🤪
Look it’s huge to each of us personally, but we are hardly uniquely special on a relativity scale. Sorry it scares you or bugs you that this utter pregnancy self absorption thing is annoying to others.
I’m with you, @JustSayin’. Women policing other women’s bodies creep me out too.
It’s also hella disappointing because it makes me realize just how far we have to go to turn the tide against misogyny. Most perplexingly, we judge women harshly for rejecting maternity—but celebrate pregnancy only to the extent that it is conducted discretely.
There are any number of reasons why Meghan was [choose your present participle] her belly. But it’s interesting that so many women, including those who have experienced pregnancy, recoiled as if she had put on a repulsive display. Why was that the reflexive response rather than looking on indulgently at the delight of someone experiencing her first pregnancy? You’d think she had repeatedly and unrepentantly tweaked her own nipples on stage.
Not trying to hide that pregnancy, especially the first time around, is a transformative experience that fills you with wonder doesn’t mean that you are smug. (If you view it as smugness, ask yourself why.) And if it feels like self-absorption to some, well, that’s because pregnancy tends to make women focus inwardly on the life growing within them. For me, smiling indulgence (or minding my own business) is the response that feels right.
That’s not to say that I prescribe growing a family for everyone. Our planet couldn’t handle it! So kudos to the women who choose not to be pregnant and the couples who are happily childless. People who know me might say that I’m as cuddly as a cactus and just as openly demonstrative. But I’m also becoming increasingly aware of how sexism informs our narrow view of how women are supposed to behave.
Women like @PeggingOut who fall all over themselves to disavow pregnant women for “constantly bringing attention to themselves” make me cringe just as much as when people in my racial community dismiss others, out of embarrassment, as being “too black”.
Whoa! Is she carrying twins? That bump looks like it grew a great deal in a very short time.
I work with people from all over the world. The idea that Americans work harder is ridiculous. Meghan is like a new toy. People will tire of her eventually.