The Duchess of Sussex is the cover subject for Tatler’s 310-anniversary issue, their December issue. They used a photo of her from 2015, and it’s clear that she had no part in this cover story. Mostly, it appears the cover story is just people – journalists, royal commentators – talking about Meghan. It is the one-year anniversary of the start of the smear campaign, so mark your calendars.
Last night, I finally got to see the full Harry & Meghan: An African Journey documentary. It aired on ABC, and I suspect it was slightly edited from the original ITV doc. Still, it provided more context for the clips we’ve already seen. What I found remarkable is that it was even clearer that Harry and Meghan had made the choice ahead of time to use this documentary to start the larger conversation about their own mental health, and how the smear campaign in the past year has affected them. In context, Harry’s words about his own mental health were outstanding, as he discussed the fact that he’s always going to have to do the work to manage his mental health, especially now that he’s reminded of so much of the negativity in his late mother’s life as he sees so many similarities to how his wife is treated. He didn’t seem “fragile,” he seemed tired and self-aware, and aware of what is happening to his family.
As for Meghan… the added context did show more of what we already saw – she’s feeling raw. But she’s good in interviews, they both are. Will the stans slam me if I say that Meghan’s comments felt more… prepared? Like, she knew what she was going to say. She had thought about it. Which makes me wonder about this piece of news, from People:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are going their own way. The royal couple are taking a stand against their negative treatment in the media — and seeking help outside of the royal household from lawyers, friends and PR professionals in the U.S.
“They are not going through the traditional route of using people from within the household,” a source tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “They want to plow their own field, certainly.”
Notably, Harry’s statement attacking the media received no public support from either William, 37, or his father Prince Charles, 70.
“It is a strange family and not one that has supported one another very well,” says royal biographer Penny Junor. “They don’t praise one another and never call each other up just to say, ‘That was a great speech.’ “
We heard rumors about this months ago, before the Africa trip, that Meghan and Harry were speaking to American PR firms, but we thought that was just about managing their charitable foundation and fundraising and such. I wonder if they’ve been prepped by outside PR consultants about how to fight back against the smear campaign, how to call it out. That’s not a slam at all – clearly, the palaces are all nests of vipers. It’s smart to work with people outside of the royal fold.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.
I’d be astonished if she hadn’t prepared what she was going to say. Talking about that sort of deeply emotional topic with the world watching? I’d have gone through 100 rewrites if I were her. It was clearly very difficult to say even so.
Exactly, most people go in prepared and Meghan has shown us she always prepares.
Exactly. I am fine if her statements were prepared and even came off prepared plus a bit cautious considering what she has been through. Meghan being prepared doesn’t make her comments less valid / true.
I have the special on my DVR still to watch but I want to hunt down the original ITV version as I read the ABC version definitely edited out some things for space for commercials.
Somebody uploaded on Youtube the iTV version last Sunday after it was aired in UK. It’s gone now due to copyright claim by iTN news (make sense). I’ve seen both, (the ABC &iTV) & was able to compare..The difference? With ABC, they added an old video interview of William & Harry, in their pilot uniform. Everything is the same.
Given the fact that her words were always going to be spliced in every angle to the tiniest degree, it would have been extremely stupid of her not to organize and prepare her thoughts before hand to make sure she was passing across exactly the message she wanted to.
By the way, is this my paranoia playing up, or have tatler used a picture of her with incredibly hard looking eyes?
I am sure they were both very prepared as to what they wanted to say-they had to be. They knew there would be a media frenzy afterwards and they would get attacked both from within the royal family (RF) and outside it. That’s what Harry meant when he said in his earlier statement that it was not the ‘safe’ option but he was doing what he had to do to protect his family.
What a lot of people may have forgotten is that Diana became a huge threat to the RF and, on several occasions, was described as having brought it to it’s knees. Harry speaking out will be seen inside the RF as a similar threat. Hopefully, it will shine a light on what a disgusting family the RF really are. Don’t even get me onto Andrew, who should be fully and properly investigated.
The hypocrisy William has shown with his faux concern about H’s mental health is beyond reproach, but, again, it shines a light on his own character (a very right wing, insensitive d**k by all accounts). Anyone who watches the interviews can see they are both sensitive and emotionally intelligent people who have suffered from being put in an impossible position, mainly by the press but also by the RF. I am a republican so don’t care for the RF at all. What worries me most is the impact this must be having on their relationship and I really hope they are strong enough to survive this.
Yeah, I’d be shocked if she hadn’t prepared. You know the questions to expect and you know that everyone will pick apart every single syllable that you say. Of course you put your thoughts together ahead of time and decide what you want to say and what you shouldn’t say. She’d be reckless not to!
I wonder, though, if the American PR firms truly understand the British media? I would think it better to engage a British firm. Whoever hushed up all the Beckhams scandals, for example.
Wasn’t that Max Clifford? At least, I think he was the guy around the time of Rebecca Loos’s affair with David. He’s now dead.
Yes Max Clifford was the go-to guy for a long time. He was a shady character and a fixer for anyone in the bad books of the British tabloids. I’m sure someone like that still exists though.
The problem with using a British firm would be the likelihood of divided loyalties, I would imagine. An American firm would likely have Brits working there and can do research hopefully but right now it seems like the Sussexes desperately need to get as far out of the London/Royal/British Press fold as possible for their representation.
At this point I believe that not understanding the BM is actually a plus. The BM is so toxic that it requires an outsider who doesn’t understand them or care to understand them to change things.
Like all family scapegoats Meghan is tasked with bringing about change (just like Diana before her). The question is will she benefit from the change herself?
They may not understand the British media, but they do understand American media, and it seems that someone in Team Sussex has decided that it may be a good idea to fight this battle, in part, in the US media outlets. Not sure how this will play out in the end.
I read on something yesterday (the Daily Beast?) that Harry’s wealth is about $30 million based on his inheritance from his mother. That’s more than I expected and if that’s the case, they *could* make a go of it on their own if they wanted.
It’s not a lot of money, especially for their lifestyle. 😐
With their connections though, especially within Silicon Valley, they could make some great investment choices that would allow them to independent in maybe a decade or more. Who knows.
Complaining about her privileged life, after clawing her way up there, strikes me as the most incredible hypocrisy, and to do so on an official visit to a decimated, tragic continent where death and destruction is the norm for the average person, makes her teary-eyed confessions even more vulgar.
Gee, does anyone remember this trip was about Africa and how Harry and Meghan are going to help Africa? Nope, cause it all became about these two dullards. And I think strategically so. For a bunch of self-proclaimed social activists they sure are insensitive. Face it, they’re incompetent at their jobs and if the RF IS a firm, they should fire ’em.
@MG It is ignorant to think that wealth and privilege inoculates a person against mental ill health brought about by unrelenting mistreatment and abuse. And it is callous to suggest that those with privilege and wealth must accept unrelenting mistreatment and abuse.
Good Point!
@Millennial, There are PR firms that are used to working on global campaigns, so I doubt it will be an issue if they work with a US one. The interesting thing about this news coming out is that last week I said I thought the clip of Meghan getting emotional was part of the Sussexes’ new media strategy. In response, I was told that I was a troll and could not possibly be a black woman, despite saying that I work in media. The questioning of my racial identity I actually find racist, as if black women can’t use their critical-thinking skills when discussing Meghan Markle. (Meghan has both critics and fans in the black community. There is no universal response to her.) Anyway, while Meghan has clearly been a target of the press, it was highly unlikely this was a spontaneous incident, especially in the midst of a lawsuit against the media. So, when Kaiser writes, “Will the stans slam me if I say that Meghan’s comments felt more… prepared? Like, she knew what she was going to say. She had thought about it.” My answer is, yes, absolutely they were prepared. The one disagreement I have with Kaiser is this being the 1-year anniversary of the smear campaign. Guess it depends on your definition of smear, but Meghan was smeared with the “Straight Outta Compton” headline and her sister Samantha’s nasty remarks before she was ever engaged to Harry. There is never a time since the news broke that she was Harry’s partner that she has not been smeared in some way. Sadly, I don’t think this PR campaign is going to make things better for Harry and Meghan.
Nice post.
And I agree, sadly, that this push isn’t going to change anything. The media is just going to smell blood in the water.
They should just keep doing what they’re doing and giving the friendly fluff to the places that aren’t being racist dirtbags. He’s the sparest spare and as such no one will spare him.
Very nice post.
I also agree that this push to be heard, understood and judged fairly isn’t going to change anything.
OTOH, it may increase the amount of money in The Daily Fail’s bank account due to a 100-fold increase in the number of click$-comment$.
Great comment and thank you for saying it. I was going to say something about the active, voluminous and often rabid defense of Meghan in comments sections of articles and boards like this, but anticipated I would be slammed. So I admire your bravery.
But yes, I have seen comment boards LIT with defenses of the Sussexes. Some are bona fide, thoughtful and organic. Others are knee-jerk and not well thought out, just name-calling. And a lot seem identical, just with different handles. Hmm.
For example a few days ago someone made a comment on this board that both William and Harry seem to suffer from romanticizing and objectifying Africa as a magical place where wealthy white people can cure their ills. That person was attacked repeatedly as a racist, as pro-Cambridge, as part of the unholy army conspiring against Meghan. The comments made no sense and were unrelenting.
It just made me wonder if these American PR firms are overplaying their hands.
@Wtw, I thought of your comment as soon as I read this post! I was also taken aback by the responses you received. Particularly the declaration that you could not be a WOC because you offered a different opinion. That seemed problematic to me and I intended to reply but the day got away from me.
I think your assessment was spot-on, they have tried rising above it and not saying anything, that clearly did not stem the tide. This is now the more direct approach to remind folks that they are real people with real feelings.
WTW, thank you. People want to think that all Black people think alike. Uh, no. That isn’t true.
Wendy Williams, who is hated by many and beloved by others, slammed Meg by saying that no one had sympathy for her marrying into the royal family and that she should have known better. While many of us love her, many of us don’t. A big problem is that we want to reduce people to stereotypes because it is easy.
How sad that William and co are now using Harry’s depression against him to try and show he is depressed because of Meghan.
If William and the Royal family really are a true family then they will put a stop to those smear campaigns. But alas, they are busy trying to protect pedo Andrew instead of helping an innocent woman.
Using American advisers seems like a mistake, unless they plan to de-camp to the States.
I would think that most PR and law firms that are large enough to take on a client like the Sussexes would have multiple offices in different countries and would be adept at dealing with international or multi-national PR/law issues. Our economy is global, or media is global, social media is global. This might be a US firm in that it was started and is headquartered in America, but I would imagine that it has offices in England as well.
Decamping to the U.S.–I think this is exactly what they are planning to do—on an unknown timeline but I believe it will happen.
I also think that the tidbit in the Times about a 6-week break, spending family time in L.A., was in part strategic from the Susssexes palace office so (1) when the Sussexes are out of the public eye for a bit in Nov/Dec, the tabs aren’t braying about where they are and (2) to pre-empt stories/rumors that they are looking for a home in California, which has already been bandied about in the Mail on Sunday, etc.
The local paper in Pasadena published an article a few weeks ago saying the Sussexes were looking to buy a home in the area. I’m convinced at this point that they are indeed bailing on the RF.
@gatita, I think that rumor was made up by some dude that owns a British Tea Shop that serves high tea and who also gives lesson in “how to eat British style”.
If they move to Pasadena, they would become my neighbors lol.
I live in the Pasadena area. And you know, I guess I can see it if they really did move here. Pasadena is known for having “old money” and would be way more low-key a place to move to then, well, anywhere on the Westside I guess.
They’re also working outside of the palace system because folks there always leak to the very people who Harry and Meghan are going against. The only way we don’t know their true next steps is because of this.
As for Charles and William, they have too much crap the media can throw at them(Camilla for Charles, being lazy, hidden affairs, etc for William) to say anything encouraging Harry and Meghan in their fight. At least Charles isn’t being extra buddy buddy with them like William was in Pakistan.
William is showing his weakness to the media by being so buddy buddy as you state. Time will not thank him for that. There will come a time when news will be thin on the ground and they WILL turn on him or someone in the press pack will break rank to build their career.
Having such an open secret hanging over your head will only end in tears no matter how many news paper editors you appease,
He is also encouraging the media to turn his kids against each other once they get older. They have put the spare against the heir for generations now and it won’t stop if the technique always proves to be successful.
Nic, I agree. This is what I never get about this family. There is such a historical sibling rivalry and stoking those fires only goes to ensure George will be the next heir screwing over Charlotte and Louis.
And even if William accepts that’s how it will be for Louis and Charlotte, how is Kate okay with that? Doesn’t she realize that Harry’s treatment is foreshadowing the treatment of her own children?
Diana saw this happening with William and Harry from a very early age and admitted so in an interview. The difference in treatment happens at all levels in the firm. Either Kate doesn’t care that her kids will be pitted against one another or else she is not bright enough to see the pattern that has been in place for centuries.
If the Sussexes are going outside the Firm they are looking for people who are not afraid to knuckle up.
I watched the documentary last night. I thought it did a great job of highlighting the work and charities supported on the tour and their personal messaging didn’t distract from the tour’s purpose or success. I learned a great deal.
H&M have suffered in silence long enough and have decided to not take it anymore. They both came across as tired and weary, but not “fragile” or showing signs of mental distress and weakness that would require them to “step away from their royal duties” on a long term basis.
I think H&M wanted to shine a light on what’s happening to them on an international level and this documentary achieved that. The world got a chance to see and hear directly from them and in context…not filtered through media spin.
Harry has grown up and matured and it seems to have pissed everyone off that he will no longer suffer in silence in the traditional role of the spare…the whipping and dumping boy for the heirs. He has served notice that Meghan and Archie are his family and he will do what he needs to do to protect them.
I too watched the documentary and nothing in their demeanor said “fragile” to me. Agree that they mostly seemed weary of it all. I thought Harry very eloquently handled the questions that were asked of him, and was very diplomatic about the question regarding his and Will’s relationship. People will grasp at straws and twist words worse than a pretzel to make something out of nothing — he didn’t even clearly “admit” that he and Will aren’t getting along, You could infer that things aren’t great between them now, but in no way did he definitively say there is a rift. Meghan, as usual, showed poise and grace, which is remarkable considering how much crap she has had to swallow with a smile. People are pathetic and are making a hobby out of hating on these people for no good reason.
I am watching it now and loving it. It is definitely doing a great job highlighting their work. It’s like, “tune in for these few quotes, learn about Cape Town in between!”
Harry’s comment about “if people knew what I know” – made me wonder how much is happening behind the scenes. I mean we obviously know SOME of it – but if you start to think of the number of threats they may be receiving, then private planes make a lot more sense. And I don’t think he was talking about just Diana there, bc he said “know,” not “experienced” or “went through.” It definitely made me think.
I just saw a great article about this on Twitter:
https://www.whimn.com.au/talk/people/the-4-word-phrase-william-used-to-launch-a-subtle-attack-on-harry/news-story/c38387dd9076762a45ef09e525e18e01
@Lorelei “a great article about this on Twitter” isn’t that an oxymoron?
@lorelei Definitely an insightful piece!
This pretty much backs up the speculation that the leaks have come from both courtiers and RF members i.e. the DoLittles.
The facts they’ve chosen Schillings, a non traditional RF firm and now are seeking US Counsel speaks to them not trusting the traditional firm players who would likely muddy the waters.
Yes, the courtiers are leaking like sieves.
Deciding to work outside the strictures of the royal household and declining to accept the role and the resources (PR, legal, other) that the royal household has designated for them, will cause the royal household to try and drum them out.
Not to go thoroughly tin-hat, but I tend to think the Wedding Tiara Snit/Meghan Isn’t Getting Her Hands on Diana’s Royal Jewels stories that circulated for awhile were ultimately from Angela Kelly, the Queen’s closed adviser and assistant, who also happens to oversee the Queen’s jewels. The same lady who is allowed to personally publish and profit from books about the Queen, while still working for the Queen. I bet there are lots of Angela Kelly type figures who have more royal that thou attitudes and are really invigorated at the thought of casting aside Harry and Meghan for choosing to reject their lot in the royal household.
@Tourmaline, I totally agree about Angela Kelly and it is a bit scary to think about the type of venom she may spew about Meghan now that the Queen has authorized a no-holds-barred book…
I haven’t seen the documentary yet (but I do have it DVR-ed) but I’m sure her remarks were prepared. She knew at least some of the stuff she was going to be asked or that they were going to discuss and had remarks written up prior. It seems like the smart thing to do.
The levels of pettiness and ego in that family shouldn’t surprise me, and yet, here we are. I *knew* Charles’ jealousy was off the scales from the beginning with Diana, and he’d use both boys from time to time, but William’s…wow. Again, I know Harry was always the one to under the bus first, esp. to make “the golden one” shine, but I’d never doubted William loved Harry. Now…nope. I feel like William wouldn’t even spit in Harry’s direction, even if Harry was on fire. And did you all see how it was made known that H&M’s picture was no longer in “pride of place” in TQ’s receiving room? But W&K’s engagement photo is still there, as is one taken of Harry & Will in uniform. No Meg.
My heart breaks for Harry, realising his family will stab them in the back, and just stand and watch as they bleed out. Because that’s what this press attack is on his family: death by a thousand cuts.
I hope he extricates himself, Meg, and Archie from the viper’s nest.
I don’t think the picture is that big a deal, my guess is the pictures are rotated out, and there was nothing personal there, but it certainly looks bad and someone should have realized that.
I think the royal family IG in general though says a lot about how the family views Meghan (and to a certain extent Harry). For example, they shared the Cambridge’s IG video of their Pakistan tour, but did not share the video from the South Africa tour. they haven’t posted anything about Meghan’s appearance at One Young world, but they do post about all of Kate’s solo engagements. (they post about some of Meghan’s solo appearances, but not all.)
I’m sure they are rotated. However, if a pic of W&K AT THEIR ENGAGEMENT hadn’t been so prominent, if it had be a NEW(ER) pic of them, of the kids, again, *more* understandable. But (IMO of course), the old pics of W&K, and one of w/Harry with WILLIAM, NOT his own wife (ie: BOTH grandsons w/their wives), just stuck out in my mind.
We have ALL read/heard the stories of what messages TQ “sends” with her “things” (pics/purse/car rides).
@TheOG – I agree, the fact that the picture of Will and Kate from their engagement was still there made it look petty. Like I said, I feel like it was probably nothing, but who knows with these people at this point, and at the very least, someone should have said “this is not the right time to switch up the pictures.”
Or someone in the palace wanted to switch them because they knew it would be seen on TV. I wonder if the queen even knows about it?
I think it was a viper courtier who switched out the pictures because they are pissed at H&M. I bet the Queen honestly had no part in this. I don’t blame Harry and Meghan at all for choosing an outside firm. I wouldn’t trust anyone in the UK to be honest.
I’m amazed that Penny Junor, a pro-Charles reporter, went so far as to admit that the BRF are far from the supportive group we’d assume family would be. Even the slightest dig at that toxic establishment is quite a rarity nowadays and she went there. We need to see more of this.
I notice that. She took a swing at the Firm.
I wonder if Junor has been refused some kind of access and this is her payback? Tit for tat as always.
Junor has taken plenty of swipes at both Harry and Meghan, claiming Meghan wants to be “a superstar”, etc..
About this program? She said, ‘My instinct is it is best not to tell the entire world about your emotional state. I suppose in a way, it is a generational thing, and everyone will have a different view on it.’
This is very much a generational thing. What use to work, doesn’t any more and that is what these two are getting at. Letting the press have free range isn’t going to work especially when they keep focusing on skin color and not the fact that Andrew has been known to associate with a known pedophile. Which makes some this so odd, like there aren’t younger people in the media not pushing back at their bosses on stories that smear her?
What used to work never actually worked for a lot of people in the first place. Not confronting your emotions because “it’s unseemly” has destroyed lives. Caring more for the veneer of respectability over telling the truth has never worked for anyone in the long term.
Yeah, she also said the British Royal Family is a strange family.
I was surprised at that comment from Penny Junor too, because I think she has been jonesing for Charles for years. I remember she was one of the first people to publicly start that “Diana is mentally ill” crap. She’s a snake for sure and I’m sure she will follow this up with another stab at H&M.
Oh, and my tinfoil hat theory after watching the documentary is that Harry is the one who wanted to marry Meghan as quickly as possible before she had a change of heart. Harry blames the media for destroying his previous relationships and was not taking a chance on Meghan fleeing also. And, they had Archie so fast, not because of Meghan’s age, but Harry wanted to be sure to anchor Meghan to him. If they’d waited to have children, Meghan would probably have cut and run after experiencing all this toxic hate. But now, with Archie, she’s not leaving her baby or her husband.
That honestly makes it sound like Meghan had no say or choice in the matter, or didn’t get that he was trying to “snare” her, which is kind of problematic.
I do agree with you that Harry’s past relationship failures (because of the intense media hounding of his girlfriends) probably played a part, though. When he realised she could probably handle the worst of media scrutiny it helped seal the deal.
I remember the sick levels of frenzy around Chelsy and Cressida, who I’m glad got out and are living their own lives.
IIRC, I think Cressida & Harry broke up the a few days before they were suppose to attend Guy Pelly’s wedding in Miami as a couple. I also believe the break-up was all due to the media as Cressida had all she could take or wanted to take.
What you are saying could be true, but that scenario seems really manipulative to me. I hope it’s not true.
Truly enjoyed the documentary. What surprised me was how emotional I got with the Diana clips. I thought I’d gotten over her death but hearing that the young bombing victim was all grown up with five kids and a Diana of her own got me. Her legacy is the work she did and those boys. It’s a shame Harry and Meghan are having to plow this path alone.
Harry’s openness was surprising, but appreciated. He’s made his mental health a priority. He isn’t giving out lip service. He recognizes the trauma he faced and what triggers it. The line that got me was that he wasn’t going to play the same game with the press that got his mother killed. As for Meghan, her words were measured but the emotion was raw. The attacks hurt her. The betrayals have hurt her, but if they thought she was going to go meekly along with all of this simply for the title and money, they were dead wrong.
Feeling this. Excellent take.
The Firm is not going to want the Sussexes to divorce because it would be a bad look and Andrew. The Epstein matter could go on for more years. If Meghan is out of the Firms umbrella US attorneys could subpoena her to find out what she may know about Andrew.
I disagree, I think all of this is happening because they want Meghan to leave. They want Harry to have to choose between his bi-racial wife and child or ‘the Firm’. In turn they want the situation to be so untenable for Meghan that she flees with or without Archie. In their eyes she has form for not sticking things out as a divorcee.
I’ve seen this situation before and quite simply, they don’t value Meghan and can’t understand why Harry is so devoted to a family they place zero stock in. They will rue that sentiment, bc Meghan will eclipse them all. The world is changing and whilst they may be epicentre of the Aristo world I am not sure that without the likes of Meghan they can survive as an institution.
There’s no way Meghan is leaving the BRF without her child. Also, the docu reinforced the sense that no matter what, M&H are a team and no matter how rough this gets, they are going to forge through as a team. The Firm may want her out, they may not, but I don’t see divorce in their future. I really think Harry would choose to leave with his family before that point. There’s no way he’d lose his wife and child and continue on with his family “duties” as if they never existed.
The one thing that came through loud and clear in the documentary to me is that Meghan and Harry are an actual love match and are very much “in love”.
They both have families that have betrayed them at different moments of their lives and they have turned to each other for solace. That’s a strong bond to have and it may be why the relationship progressed as quickly as it did. How many other people can understand that level of betrayal in a public forum?
The difference between what happened to Diana and what is happening here, behind the racism, is that Harry fully supports Meghan . Diana never had that support from Charles and he was part of the issue.
It’s come to the stage where being quiet doesn’t work and speaking up doesn’t work. Being quiet led to three years of relentless abuse and racism. But we’ll have to see if in the long term talking helps.
I wish them both the very best.
This. And they will never be able to do right. Not talking about it? They’re encouraging it, or they don’t really care, or they’re being “haughty” and “pretending to rise above it”. Talking about it? They’re “whining” or having a “tantrum” or they’re being snowflakes in a time of national turmoil.
You can’t control the narrative by being silent. They had to speak up because even when Meghan was on mat leave and not in public the media was still attacking her. They won’t ever stop unless they are checked.
If she had been overwhelmed and unable to express herself clearly, people would say why didn’t you prepare knowing you were doing an interview. The goal posts always shift..
The media is too busy navel gazing, spinning and deflecting to look at point she made about tabloid lies but this is a great take of a recent story that the Sun apologised for but not before making her seem like a diva https://www.byline.com/column/68/article/2513
Thank you for this link. Particularly liked how the author said that the lies of the press are noteworthy not just for how they impact celebrities’ lives: “although this particular front-page fiction happens to have been about royalty, the next one could be about you or me or anyone else. So it matters.”
Am I the only one who was astonished and horrified that no one ever mentioned racism?!? Talk about the elephant in the room.
To pretend racism isn’t happening is to help racism grow.
Otherwise I thought the doc was great. Majority of it highlighted their work and causes they seem to truly care about. With a peek at the baby and a small segment about the shittiness of living with insane, racist, anti American press mafia.
The moment that made me cry was when Harry met the lady, land mine victim who had famously sat on his mother’s lap, and the narrator mentioned that one of her five children is named Diana.😢
If they mention the racism, the conversation will be shut down immediately. The discussion would turn from the vile behaviour of the press to hounding M&H even more for daring accuse those assholes of being racist. They’re in the horrible position of having to sidestep a main root of the problem so that people will actually discuss the problem.
Agree 100% @mrsbanjo. As pathetic as it is this discussion is too precarious at this point to pull the racism angle to the forefront.
They’d just be accused of playing the race card . Britain is not the US in regards to race. Their race problems were in the overseas colonies, and most of their ethnic minorities didn’t really come to Britain en masse until after WWII. They don’t have the deep roots the way African Americans and other groups have to the US, and are a much smaller percentage of the population compared to US. It’s different.
I think Meghan kind of alluded to it when she was speaking about using the phrase “as a woman of color” in her speech. If I recall she said something along the lines of always viewing herself as a woman of color and what that means especially now. I don’t know if I paraphrased it correctly, but that was my understanding when she said it.
First-she looks great on that cover. Secondly if they’re actually “seeking PR & legal help” (I think they’ve actually done so long ago but I don’t know where any of it is based), the PR from the royal family is an exercise in fuckery. We only have to look at the PR over the years for Will and Kate and Andrew’s crap to see that. Anyone with a lick of sense would look elsewhere.
I’m sure she prepared! She’s got a bit of Hermione in her, and I love her for it 🙂 I would expect nothing less.
I have never loved Harry the way that I do now.
He’s such a real human being and has shown tremendous growth as a person.
Of course Megan was prepared as this was finally her outlet she knew that she needed to express herself.
She’s almost at pragmatic and Selma.
Meghan was an actress who had to memorize lines and do media training before this – of course she prepared for a televised interview. It sucks that anyone would consider that a bad thing, which just speaks to the fact that they’ll always find something to slam her for. Girl can’t win.
I still contend that the timing of this was poor, they could have ridden a wave of positivity from their tour and given themselves a bit of reprieve from the onslaught. If you read the feedback from people in the UK (not the media just like ordinary people commenting on stories) a lot of it speaks to that.
That said, Serena Williams was right. The PR around H&M has been loosy goosey from the beginning. What Americans like Serena and even Meghan seem to fail to understand is that it has always been Harry’s role to provide cover for his brother. He isn’t meant to be the darling of the family, beloved by anyone. The firm is not here to protect Harry, they’re here to protect a crown that he will never wear. I’m glad that H&M are seeking outside help, but they need a shark and in obtaining that they’re also creating more enemies within the royal household and among the British people who already view Meghan as an outsider. They’re further alienating themselves and I think that’s what concerns Charles.
Thing is if they waited another day it would have gone to a journo friendly court.
@Sofia I get that, but from a PR/marketing perspective its been a bit of a mess. The public doesn’t really care about a legal victory for Meghan and Harry.
How can you alienate yourselves from people who are alienating you? Who are using you to cover for a sex offender’s crimes or actually leaking reputation damaging lies to embiggen themselves? These people are not your allies and never will be. I’m afraid Harry is coming into full awareness of how toxic his family is. Those gaslighting statements from “sources close to William” etc say it all.
That wave of popularity from the tour would have lasted two days before the press started writing ignorant articles about her again. Not to mention, the only place they are not popular is in the racist tabloids and the ilk they have for posters on their site. The press writes “they’ve learned their lesson” in crowing terms and the ilk believe it and repeat it.
There was a wave of positive press from the first tour too and yet that didn’t stop the smears and lies, if anything things escalated. That was probably top of Harry’s mind when he wrote that message on IG. You seem to think that somehow if H&M would “play nice” everything would be fine. That is how racists try and justify their behavior, that if POC would just follow the rules and behave they wouldn’t have any problems. I am not calling you a racist, but I am calling out that narrative that somehow if you behave it will cause other people to automatically treat you better. B.S. If people have it in for you, like the racist press and certain members of the RF have it in for H&M, they will look for any justification to slam and smear you.
I love prince “I am an advocate for mental health” William is using Harry’s own mental health against by saying he looks fragile. I really hope William never speaks on mental again since it will come off as nothing but bs
I wish they could just break away from all of them and go live in peace somewhere. What Meghan is going through is similar to the crap Carolyn Bessette had to deal with after marrying John, albeit on a much larger scale. It’s all such a toxic situation.
It would be the height of irresponsibility if Meghan and Harry decided to speak candidly about their issues and not have an idea of what they were going to say. I think because she’s an actress, and I’m guilty of this, we look for sincerity. Preparedness doesn’t mean insincerity.
I’m sorry in advance if this offends any UK citizens, but I’m really experiencing a true dislike of Queen Elizabeth. It’s astonishing how much her children are disgusting people. even if they’re not emotionally open people. Living this arcane out dated way of life has stunted them in so many ways. The favoring one son over the other, and not realizing how that has affected their brotherly love is horrible. It doesn’t seem as if she was a good mother. Was she too obsessed with Philip to care? I believe a woman can be a working mother – with nannies – and still be a loving mother who will check their sons for bad behavior. You can love both your grandsons equally even if one is a future king. How about not removing the engagement picture of one grandson, yet leaving the other.?It says something about her and what she is ok with.
Yeah, people have been making excuses for her for ages and she is just as responsible for not stopping the press smears as the Cambridges and the Wales. The picture removal makes the Queen look cold and petty.
“It is the one-year anniversary of the start of the smear campaign, so mark your calendars.”
@Kaiser, as far as I’m concerned, this is the three year anniversary. The smear campaign was from the beginning, end of October 2016 when their relationship was discovered.
Meghan spoke about how life is meant to be about thriving and they are never going to be given space to thrive as members of the BRF. Perhaps if they walk away they will have a fighting chance. As for Harry’s responsibility I say Harry has to look out for his immediate family now and should not be expected to remain and suffer.
I have a feeling Harry and Meghan cutting ties is how this is going to play out. Private Archie may have been a sign that they have given this some thought. I absolutely think Harry would be better off choosing Meghan over the firm.
I think Harry definitely would go with Meghan if she decided to leave.
Harry has made it perfectly clear his first priority is protecting his family(Meghan and Archie).
Le sigh..,of course she was prepared and knew what she wanted to say. Why wouldn’t she have?? She’s had an entire YEAR of racist abuse to think about it.
I truly don’t understand “The Firm.” Don’t they see that it’s better for EVERYONE in the family to be popular? Don’t they see by trying to make Harry and Meghan look bad, they are also making themselves look bad? Don’t they see by trying to smear Meghan, they put the whole monarchy and the reason for their existence at risk? I can understand the tabloids just trying to sell newspapers, but what I cannot understand is why these courtier vipers leak smears to the press. It’s going to hurt all of them in the end.
I believe it already is. I’ve seen many folks commenting on the lack of support from the Queen, Charles and William. And the recent news of concern are being questioned. I think a lot of folks are seeing this “family” for the toxic mess they really are.
Especially after that trailer for season 3 of The Crown where a young Prince Charles says that his family means well and he is emphatically told – “No, they do not!”
Oh well, if it is in The Crown it must be true. 🙄
Media has been trying to dehumanize them for so long it’s about time they did something. Mentioning Diana to appeal the public’s sensibility was a good PR move. If people don’t listen to Meghan, they’ll listen to Harry and vice versa.
To clarify, I’m glad their team is finally fighting back.
I’ve said this before, but this is a bad, bad look for the Royal Family. Right now, Brexit is giving the UK a black eye: Brexit is a completely self-inflicted wound that will fester for a long time to come, no matter what finally happens. Having 2 charismatic and hard-working royals bullied out of the family is an even greater error, especially as they circle the wagons around pedo Andy. Are the courtiers really this stupid? The Cambridges and Prince Charles could have ridden the coattails of the Sussexes charisma for years! They could send the Sussexes out to be global ambassadors while the Cambridges hold court in the UK. The ultimate headlines outside the UK will be “Racist Brits throw out the first black Duchess.” Bad, bad look for the UK monarchy. So much for modernizing and adapting. So much for mental health. The Sussexes out of control of the Royal Family would be a nightmare. What’s to stop them from going nuclear on all the crap they’ve experienced? They can probably make 100 million from a book deal! Plus, they have powerful friends around the world. Racism really destroys brain cells. Things were bad for the RF after Princess Diana died, but she left 2 young boys who would grow up, and dead people tell no tales. A live Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan and Archie would be a PR disaster of epic proportions. Why does no one in the RF see this? Ten years from now, will the Royal Family of England (flanked by a thriving Unified Ireland and EU member state independent Scotland) have diminished itself? Will the non-royal Sussex family be thriving while a sad little Prince and Princess of Wales hide in a broke-down Kensington Palace, appearing 4 times a year to wave at the public? And will teenaged George already be pitted against Charlotte and Louis as they play out the same script all over again?
Brilliant analysis, Lanne. The RF needs to reevaluate what they are doing.
The people doing PR for the RF are a disaster and have been for quite some time, coupled with the pettiness of most of the senior royals, who seem to be surrounded by ‘yes men’ they can’t see the forest for the trees.
I was troubled watching the giggling and side eyeing going on at the wedding. I was also disturbed at the Queen’s glowering demeanour and the fact that the family rarely looked at the couple but kept their heads buried in their programs. The seeds of jealousy and resentment were likely well sown by then.
If you are silent about your pain-they will kill you and say you enjoyed it.
-Zora Neale Hurston
Love this!!
YES, thank you! All the people insisting that them speaking up won’t change things with the press or serve any purpose–the point isn’t always to effect external change. The point is for them to speak the truth rather that hide it away under the shade.
It seems that the palace and the press over there are really overreacting to a situation they created in the first place.They went all in with the smears and the rumors and not once let up, because they thought the Sussexes were working too hard, too, well and the American was getting too much press and praise, especially from American media ( imagine that, Americans interested in an American duchess). Now the Sussexes, once again being articulate, direct and refusing to play games has them freaking out because they’ve had enough abuse and are done. Golden goose and scapegoat are about to bolt and serves them right. Can you imagine the headlines for Thanksgiving. They’ll blame Meghan for animal cruelty if she eats turkey or how she’s responsible for treaty violations. Good for Harry and Meghan!
I think this People article is a rehash of the past few months. We already knew they hired the PR firm, and the lawsuit proves they consulted with lawyers and friends have been speaking out all over the place. Not sure what the point of this article was.
The Sussexes sell. Everyone is banking on that: friendly sources and hostile ones. When you think about it, nothing really extraordinary was said in the documentary. No one was explicitly called out. People comparing this to Diana’s panorama interview are wrong: Diana named names and called people out directly (I remember gasping when I heard her say “there were 3 people in this marriage” and “I loved James Hewitt.”) All they did was say the pile-on has been difficult. That’s the simple truth. For people to praise them for mental health initiatives, then be up in arms when they talk about their own mental health, is ludicrous. I’m glad that People puts out friendlier stories for the American audience to contrast with the pile-on from the Brits. To Americans (minus the aggressive Meghan haters), the British media looks nasty and bullying. Now this documentary is going worldwide, including lots of commonwealth countries. I think the Sussexes are playing a strong hand here, at least in regard to the Palace. The tabloids are probably unstoppable, but if the Sussexes gain some traction with the courtiers, then good on them.
It really is remarkable how light-handed they kept it with their comments. They only mentioned family when the interviewer brought up William, and even then, Harry gave an incredibly level-headed answer that was still thoughtful and honest about their relationship. This is literally the nicest they could have been, without having kept completely quiet, and everyone in the press and their aunt are taking it so personally.
Definitely agree with all of this. And agree that while the People stories on them could be considered fluff, it’s certainly a welcome change from the bile spewing from the DM, Sun and their ilk. I’m an American fan of H&M and if I go looking for royal news I’ll often click first on the Royals section on People.com because I know they aren’t publishing steaming piles of crap!
What news of H and M will tomorrow bring?
I am sure the hacks at the Daily Fail are busy making something up out of thin air that can link, Sunshine Sachs, Oprah, Gayle King, Hollywood, Thomas Markle, Michelle Obama and The Sussexes all into one story so it will generate 3.7K comments in 45 minutes.
Two hours later, The Daily Fail can add more pictures, change the headline and re-run the story generating another 3.7K comments in 60-90 minutes.
I’m not surprised that they hired American lawyers and PR pros. I think American firms are, in general, much more in line with what they want to do with their PR, and they are the best equipped to help them with the way they’re intending to take things. Their intentions are to be open and honest, to a certain degree, about how they’re feeling about all of this, and I think this relates especially to Harry’s work with mental health and what he’s learned from that and where he wants to go with his advocacy. And I think whatever firm they chose is probably one that has the ability to help them with things like that.
I’m not saying that British PR firms can’t do the same, of course they can, but I think if they’re in the employ of the royal family, the expectations will be different and there would be clash there that they want to avoid.
I am glad they have revamped their PR team, and by the way, it’s all from their own pockets. I would never forget the PR disaster around Thomas Markle and the Wedding, it was a complete sabotage. The Media, even paid for some of these toxic Markles to come and hang around in Windsor on 19th of May, giving various interviews about a relative they have not seen in 20 odd years! Harry and Meghan are solid as a rock, to quote Ashford and Simpson. Now that they have been able to let it off their chest, they must be so relieved, they don’t care if the media continues or not. They are healed. The abuse had been done on global scale, so I am glad their fight back was done on the global stage as well. There is no good time to fight back. The Media is just using The African excuse to cover their shame. I am sure secretly, some of the younger royals would be glad for the openess of The Sussexes. Meghan concluded, by saying; ‘the good thing is, I have my baby and I have my husband’, so there! Let’s keep in mind, Charles’s rival is William not Harry. So any views about Harry from Charles, treat it with a pinch of salt.
I just don’t understand it. These people are using their gross Royal privilege to bring focus to charities, highlighting charitable acts and increasing visibility on good organizations. Why is that a harmful thing? Why do we constantly need to tear down people when they are doing good in the world?
Just Wow!!! I sure do hope that everyone clutching their pearls about the American ( oh the horror!) law/PR firms is completely having the vapors about Pedo Andy and his activities and associations! Oh wait……
The doco hasn’t aired in NZ yet so I haven’t seen it, but I feel really sad for Harry and Meghan. It’s mind boggling that the RF feels the need to pull these two down when they could be such an asset to them. It makes me so angry that the Queen, Prince Charles and William and Kate aren’t doing more to stop this onslaught. I’m Especially disappointed in Charles and William.
You would think that they would realise now the damage that this will do to the RF but no they haven’t learnt anything have they?
The guardian has an article today about how everyone is ignoring major events with pedo andy to hash over the Sussexes.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2019/oct/24/guess-which-royal-story-excites-myopic-media
Why aren’t more people picking up on this???
It’s not just the BRF that causes stress for married ins. This article talks about the difficulty Masako has endured and how the Japanese media sans courtiers mistreated her.
https://time.com/5705838/japan-emperor-naruhito-enthronement-what-to-know/
“In 2004, the Emperor surprised the country when he openly criticized the Imperial Household Agency, the government agency responsible for managing the royals’ lives, for their role in his wife’s health issues. The then-princess “has worked hard to adapt to the environment of the Imperial Household for the past 10 years, but from what I can see, I think she has completely exhausted herself trying to do so,” Naruhito said, according to the Japan Times.”
Being married into the British Royal family seems like a very tough live despite having a life style, castles, jewels, trips, and anything material you could want. But it’s like a deal with the devil. Kate Middleton is ideal for William because she has an amazing support structure with her family, who provide both her and William with the emotional intelligence and support apparently required. I think Harry was partially drawn to Megan as she supported him in a material way that he responded too. The relationship really seems to be on it way to be ruined due to the BP and the trolls. I saw a block HarryMarkle today that upset me how can anyone bets obsessed with Spite and snobbery, it beyond anything. She has being who seem fanatic obsessed with her is a destructive way. I pray for H&M.
H&M are solid, because they love each other intensely, no media or RF shenanighans can ruin their union. Diana did not have a loving husband, that is why the martiage crumbled. What did Edward VIII do, he abdicated left The RF and went and lived in France. This persecution of The Sussexes, has made them each other’s keeper, and with gorgeous Archie the deal is sealed, so people should dream on, they are on the same page.
The interview felt somewhat prepared to me aswell, and I can never get rid of wondering if it’s really her speaking or her doing an acting job (I could never date an actor for that reason) but neither of those matter and neither of those are bad things. The woman is treated horribly, she has every right to complain and she does it in a polite, silent, graceful way. I admire her patience and her self control. I have neither of those and I would be unable to handle this nightmarish situation as well as she does. I’m totally here for her speaking out more and louder about this, and I really hope that she powers through this and that things become better for them. I wish them all the best. <3
I think the optics are bad….to have them complaining about how difficult their lives are…..while in the blighted continent that is Africa….when u think what Africans..and African women and girls in particular have to contend with..im sure many of them would love to have Meghans problems.