One of the most popular stories in the Washington Post this week is this Lifestyle section article “Meghan & Harry are becoming your typical American mega-celebrities.” To gossip-readers, the piece contains no new information, although there are some weird/interesting quotes from royal biographer Kitty Kelley, who is still alive (I didn’t know). The point of the article seems to be that Meghan and Harry are finding success on their own terms, and those terms match up with the markers for success for American celebrities. My take on all of this is “…And?” But I guess even American readers are interested in reading about how Meghan and Harry have flawlessly launched their global brand in one year, in the middle of a pandemic. Some highlights:
Why they moved to Montecito: The couple is modeling their new life together on those of the Oprahs and Ellens around them. Through various business moves, two new jobs for Harry and a PR-savvy, revelation-packed interview with Oprah herself earlier this spring, they are reinventing themselves as multihyphenate American celebrities, the kind who dabble in content, philanthropy, technology and a tasteful dash of politics.
Kitty Kelley has thoughts: “Harry and Meghan will be sought after socially in America and paid generously (some might say exorbitantly) for their celebrity value,” said Kitty Kelley, a biographer who’s written books about the Kennedy family, Winfrey and the British royal family, in an email. “Not even the biggest U.S. movie star or sports giant can claim Harry and Meghan’s link to the British monarchy.” Kelley noted that there’s some precedent for royals (or ex-royals) crossing the pond to make money: Sarah, the Duchess of York, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, partnered with the U.S.-based company then known as Weight Watchers as a spokesperson in 1997. The Sussexes, though, seem to be aiming to put a more glamorous and ambitious twist on the Fergie model.
Harry’s job title as chief impact officer at BetterUp: As soon as the latter announcement hit the Internet, the jokes about Harry’s new life as a tech bro began rolling in: “prince harry in a patagonia vest slamming drinks in the marina after his barry’s class WHEN,” asked one Twitter user. And certainly, “chief impact officer” is one of those titles that, true to Silicon Valley form, is just vague enough to suggest an amorphous-but-senior role and a hefty salary. Divina Gamble, managing partner of the management-consulting firm Korn Ferry, noted that roles like these, often with “impact” in the title, have been growing in popularity in both the corporate and nonprofit worlds, and that they often have oversight of how the company promotes or maintains social responsibility.
The Sussexes compared to the Duke & Duchess of Windsor: When the Duke of Windsor, former King Edward VIII, left the throne 85 years ago to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorcée and an American, their post-royal lifestyle was posh: The Duke wrote a memoir and served for five years as the governor of the Bahamas. “They lived luxuriously in the Bahamas and Paris, and always traveled as royal ‘guests,’ ” Kelley noted in an email. (That said, a 2018 biography of Simpson painted a picture of an unhappy union, and the Duke’s legacy has come under scrutiny for his apparent pro-Nazi sentiments.) In their new life, Meghan and Harry may similarly enjoy some of the perks of still being blood relations of the royals. Unlike the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who were known to host parties often, the Sussexes seem to crave a somewhat private home life.
I feel like this piece doesn’t really know if it wants to be shady or admiring about Meghan and Harry’s “celebrity” lifestyle. I mean… none of what the Sussexes have done has come as any surprise. We knew 18 months ago ago that they had options, that they were interested in doing more than just sitting around Windsor and being attacked and smeared over every little thing. It sucks that American outlets are treating the Sussexes’ Montecito move as “oh, this was always their goal, to live like celebrities.” They’re doing this because they were being abused and attacked daily in the UK. They’re doing this because the Windsors told them they couldn’t work for the Firm anymore. The Sussexes were told to sink or swim. So they’re swimming.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
When are people like Kitty Kelley going to remember that it’s not the link to the current blood Royals that makes them beloved and relevant but Harry’s mother and how he honors her legacy?
Sussex trolls say this too. “How dare they be ungrateful in any way towards the Royals, their connection to the Royal Family and the Queen is the only reason anyone cares about them.” They literally erase Diana in these narratives, lol.
Thank you!!!! People are interested in meghan and harry simply because they have the it factor. If it was about a connection to the royals Eugenie & Beatrice would be far richer. And im sorry but this whole “meghan and harry are celebs” while we have the future futures shamelessly following in their footsteps to be then called “regal” pisses me of.
And lets not forget that it is meghan who is well connected in hollywood. Because i doubt harry would have gotten all this on his own
Honestly, it’s the mixture of both. Diana had the IT factor and added humanity to the lifeless BRF. But let’s not forget it IS the Royal link that has people (especially Americans who don’t have monarchies) intrigued in the first place.
I love M, but let’s not pretend she would be on billion’s of people’s radars if she didn’t marry a prince. She is a hard worker who established a decent career for herself, but unless you watched Suits, many people wouldn’t know her. Marrying Harry put her on another level with the Oprahs and the Clooneys which she wasn’t on prior to the wedding.
Harry has a lot of his mother in him, but people wouldn’t care if he was another rich aristo and not the son of the future King. Add the royalty in, and Diana’s legacy and you do have the recipe for success. I highly doubt they would be at this stage with one but not the other.
That being said, they’ve done extraordinarily well for themselves in such a short amount of time. Trolls need to get over their jealousy.
I don’t think of them as celebrities. I think of them more as very likable public figures, like the Obamas, whose personalities can take them places and give them opportunities beyond their original roles.
THIS! They’re more public figures to celebrities to me. Maybe there isn’t a difference to some people but there is to me. Celebrities feel more….accessible and H&M still feel just as inaccessible now as they did when they were working royals. They just work more.
i think this difference is obvious to people following royal blogs. To the average American, i feel like there may not be a distinction, and i didn’t realise this until the Oprah interview where Meghan said that she didnt know that meeting the Queen would be different to meeting a celebrity in Hollywood. So if Meghan herself thought this, then i can see why others in the US at least, would also see them as celebrities
The “celebrity” label, as outrageously applied to The Sussexes, is designed to make them appear shallow and vane. The same goes for the constant emphasis on the price of their abode. The monarchy worshippers have the hardest time coping with the fact that Prince Henry and Duchess Meghan didn’t go back crawling and begging for mercy within months but quote the reverse, later confirmed what the world did witness during their overwhelmingly successful South Pacific tour: H & M are widely loved for their genuine unassuming ability to connect with the man in the street. Their full-fledged endeavors are highly ethical, so why not dismiss them as superficial?
I think as soon as you cross the line into the entertainment industry then a celeb is exactly what you become. Obama is a political figure. You could argue that Harry and Meghan are public or political figures too, just like many celebs are but now they’re working with Netflix, Spotify and Apple TV, they’ve also become celebs.
All I get from these articles are shady disbelief about how fast and successful the Sussexes have become. It seems people including non royal watchers thought these two would sink and go running back to England. It seems people are just waiting for a I told you so moment with the Sussexes and they’re constantly disappointed.
I got the same impression, too. They were ready to mock them and see them fail. Now, there’s an element of begrudging respect from some corners and just angry disbelief from others. I still feel like they want Meghan to stop succeeding though. Some Karens are going to be extra mad upon the announcement of her next project.
I swear I have spent so much time over the last year thinking of the word “celebrity” and whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. I do think Harry and Meghan are obviously celebrities but I think WaPo seems to be saying that they’re the kind of celebrity that you can’t really put into a box. They’re not reality stars, they’re not actors (not anymore at any rate), they’re involved in a variety of areas and projects and that’s okay.
the comparisons to the duke of windsor though are SO old but I like how at least this article points out the Nazi connections and that they were living a lavish lifestyle, with lots of parties etc, and so far it doesnt seem that H&M are going that route.
They tried to stay in the RF and in England. They were not allowed to. I wish folks would stop revising history.
I couldn’t tell if it was shade or praise either. It was as if the writers were trying to figure it out themselves. I love the Meghan and Harry (though they are complete strangers to me) and want nothing but success for them. They have exposed so much that is wrong over on Shutter Island and even here stateside. Every move they have made has not been flawlessly executed but no one is perfect. The work that they have done and will continue to do is important and I am excited to see what else they will achieve.
Harry and Meghan did more during a pandemic than some have done their whole lives.
The lonely island and their lil’ experts can stay bigly mad.
I think the media (here and abroad) is just desperate for an “I Told You So” face plant by MM and Harry (mostly MM) and they’re just really disappointed it hasn’t happened yet.
I think you’re right and that’s exactly what they are waiting for. It’s bound to happen too, sooner or later we all make a mistake. The gleeful headlines will sound hollow though, the Sussexes have 100 successes to pit against that one mistake and the RR’s know it. No matter how much they want to crow, it will be an empty victory for them.
The media is desperate for clickbait, period. That entire article sounded like the writer was saying, “Well, I’m not sure what’s going on with them, but everyone likes them and they’re good for attention and clicks, so I’ll write about them, even if what I write is just a retread of stuff that’s already happened.”
And that statement, “…multihyphenate American celebrities, the kind who dabble in content, philanthropy, technology” is so damned dismissive that I want to smack the writer. If the past year has proven anything, it’s that Harry and Meghan are far from dabblers or dilettantes. They have multimillion dollar deals with American corporations, a rapidly growing foundation, and partnerships with prominent activists and philanthropists. You don’t forge relationships of that caliber if all you’re doing is producing pie charts or dropping down the pub for a pint with the lads.
I think it feels planned to everyone because their transition has been so successful, especially since it happened during a pandemic. They got their shit together and got it down QUICKLY. As I said in a response earlier, H&M don’t have that celeb feel to me but even if they did…..so?
It seems to me people underestimate the types of connections Harry and Meghan have and I’m not talking about public figures or celebrities that we know of.
People don’t know how to take their success because they are in uncharted territory. Other royals have attempted this before but they didn’t have the same high profile as the Sussexes and these royals were still seeking approval from the firm like begging to be reaccepted and the Sussexes don’t care about what the firm thinks.
Meghan was already a celebrity before Harry. Harry was the most popular young royal ever since he was born. And now, more people love them not because they’re royals, but because they made the decision to leave it all for their children’s sake and mental health. People love Harry because he stood by Meghan in her lowest and Meghan because redefined the role of a royal all while being pregnant and nursing a newborn. Together they are a force to be reckoned with.
If they want to use celebrity as a slur towards them, just like they used Hollywood, people didn’t forget that they want the same what the Sussexes has. The glamour of a rockstar, sharing stage with big guns and massive popularity. And the reaction of the celebs in the BAFTAs for two consequent years showed that they respect their own, and won’t have some lucky born nobodies insult them and then expect deference.
Go Harry and Meghan, live your best life. And happy second birthday King Archie 👑.
Swimming, yes…
Doing a leisurely backstroke while the entire BM, RR and RF are frantically dog paddling
I Truly Believe that the British tabloids believe the narrative that they push out about Harry and Meghan they honestly believe Harry would leave Meghan . And Come back to the royal family with his tail between his legs and go to being the forever scapegoat of the Cambridge’s. Instead Meghan and Harry have proven how uselessness the actually royal family is they have successfully become independent and they are playing chess while William and Kate are making a YouTube channel. Meghan and Harry have projects completed and ready to go while the press is talking about the brothers reunion.
I’ve heard this over and over – that they expected Harry to leave Meghan – and that even a Royal Rat confirmed it. What I can’t understand is: Why in the world did they think Harry would leave Meghan? Especially the RR who have the inside info even though they print blatant lies about Meghan? There is nothing about Harry that indicate he is would leave his wife and child. There is nothing about him that says he prefers doing what ever role the BRF relegate to him. None of his past actions, military career, charitable endeavors, and his treatment of Meghan scream: “I want to leave this hellish marriage and my miserable life in Cali!” I find their disappointment befuddling.
He had to leave the military to work because of William.
He had to follow William and Kate around to help keep up appearances.
He said himself he had been trapped.
But he went along with most of it not just because of that but because he is easy-going. They expected him to do their bidding. They found out that he’s not going to be easy-going about his wife and children and are horrified and angry about that.
The RF (like a lot of cults) bet too much on brainwashing. Duty has controlled almost everyone in this family since Day 1–and they were sure Harry’s “duty” would be to The Firm. They overplayed their hand out of arrogance and vastly misplaced confidence. Sucks to be them–and more proof they are out of touch.
@Maria and @deering24. Thanks for your responses. You both make EXCELLENT points. I interpreted Harry’s sacrifices for and obedience to the BRF were out of love and duty, and that he would do the same for Meghan and their children. And he is willing to fight for what he believes in literally by serving in combat and creating his own charities and working hard for them. So his leaving once the half in/half out was rejected does not seem out of character, but in character…at least to me. Based on the lawsuits, Jason Knauf’s involvement, and RR tattle tales, it is clear now more than ever that his own brother the poured gasoline on the BM’s racist hate agenda against Meghan. Harry knew of course. The fact that he would just refuse to honor his duty to and love for her and Archie just seems too ludicrous to believe. I think that is what Will wanted all along. He knew his brother would choose his wife and child. He knew Harry would get fed up and leave. I think what actually shocked Will was the Oprah interview, which is why the bullying claims were made before it came out. Harry sucking it up and being quiet was in character and his refusal to do so was entirely unexpected.
Thanks KAISER, for once again summing up how truly ridiculous most of the reporting is. Loved your final paragraph.
Well duh they are celebrities, Meghan was famous before Harry and Harry has been famous since birth. And yes, the BRF are celebrities as much they like to think they’re not.
There are people who try to say that 1/6 insurrection in the US didn’t happen, or was “overplayed.” I’m continually surprised by the lengths some white people will go to excuse, ignore, or downplay racism. I had thought that racism had to be blatant in order to be called out, but even the view of black capitol police officers getting beaten with confederate flags apparently isn’t racist?
So is it any surprise that there are people who want to pretend that Meghan “lured Harry away from his rightful place in the UK just because she wanted to Hollywood something something” and not accept the words from Harry’s own mouth: he took his family and left the UK because of the outsize racism his family was exposed to both inside the palace and through the media?
Expect a lot of revisionist storytelling about the royals over the next year or so. It’s the only way that they can weasel out of the fact that they are the bad guys in the Sussex story. Also, abusers hate to be proven wrong. The fact that the Sussexes didn’t go back to the UK in abject failure will burn the royal family forever. It will be a sour taste in their mouths that they will never be able to spit out, and it will poison all that they do.
This is so on point. They’ll say anything and use any angle other than say they left due to continuous racist harassment against Meghan driven by the UK press and the palaces cooperation and coordination. These are the same talking points used while they were full time working royals. These two have been on a continuous high wire act from jump and while they may stumble occasionally, they are doing what they need or do to get on with their lives. This is what bothers the naysayers so much, that they are unapologetic about their choices and they put themselves out there as they best see fit.
Re-inventing as celebs? I hate to break it to the media but the RF are essentially just celebs living off public funds. What are H&M doing that others in the family aren’t besides getting a JOB and paying their own way? I’m really tired of hearing about the D&D of Windsor. Did they pay their own way? Get a real job after abdicating? Have any involvement in good causes?
The media get nervous when they can’t define someone and put them in a neat box. The BM has created the box they want H&M to live in, but the US market doesn’t care so much about the intrigues of the RF, except as a kind of soap opera, like The Crown.
So, the WP is trying to define who Harry and Meghan are, but it’s too early to say – they just got here, we have a pandemic, they’re going to have two young children, we haven’t yet seen what their foundation can do, we haven’t seen final products from their various media contracts. And I don’t know that H&M have figured out their new life yet, either. For Harry, a life outside the palace. For Meghan, a life of A-list celebrity. And how will they personally navigate all the changes and trauma they’ve been through. I think they’ll do it with intelligence and grace, but that’s just my opinion.
Agreed! I am delighted that they have managed to navigate their particular (and peculiar) circumstances during this difficult time and be so successful while so many were waiting for them to fail.
Since Harry and Meghan pay their own bills with their own money that they work for, people have no input in what they do or don’t do.
In the article, it says that WaPo contacted the Sussexes spokesperson for comment and they didn’t respond. So its basically a rehash of what’s already out there. I’m wondering if the Sussexes have some type of “deal” with the NYT as far as actual interviews since they are the ones that published Meghans essay? If that’s the case then the Sussexes wouldn’t be talking directly to a competitor. And since this would be a feature story instead of a news story then they wouldn’t need to give access to all of the press.
There’s no deals with newspapers like that. She just went to the most famous paper in the country to get her message out.
People thought the Sussexes would be Edward and Wallis 2.0. D&D of Windsor sponged off people and partied. Harry are actually earning their money. Obviously the BRF has gone by the 1937 playbook for Sussexit and it has blown up on the Windsors like an ACME dynamite kit. A rival court has been established in the US and it is scaring them.
I don’t think it’s trying to be really shady but it’s also not an article that’s praising them. It’s just listing what they’ve done now, but in a more “matter of fact” way through comes as too “clinical” and “cold”.
But I also think Kelley/the writer don’t really know what they want to think so it’s just… vague?
I mean, they’re basically following the Obamas’ post-presidency blueprint. It’s a fairly new blueprint, but they are following it. Global citizen power couple with a charitable foundation. More of a public figure/celebrity hybrid than purely a celebrity lifestyle, with the emphasis on public service and humanitarian causes, and a production company putting out socially responsible content. Unless you were blinkered by the smugness and howling of the British tabloids after their exit, you knew this is exactly the path they would take.
And yes, they wouldn’t be nearly so famous and able to achieve this without Harry’s title, but that’s not why he’s as beloved as he is. He’s not globally beloved because he’s the grandchild of the Queen. She has several grandchildren no one gives a shit about. And he’s certainly not globally beloved because he’s Charles’s son. These people are so disingenuous whenever they talk about Harry being nothing without his royal connections, ignoring the Diana elephant in the room. William had this goodwill at one point too and squandered a lot of it by being so lazy and uncharismatic (and losing his looks, it has to be said. shallow but true). Harry ran with it and truly succeeded her place in the public consciousness, I think.
Of course they’re celebrities? So are the famous members of the Royal family. So are certain politicians and athletes.
This distinction between “celebrity” and “royalty” is silly. A typical royal is a celebrity who is famous out of happenstance, whereas an entertainment celebrity usually has a reason (talent, charm, looks) for fame.
IMO, royalty is unearned celebrity.
Um Kardashian’s anyone, lol? What’s their “talent” again? But I guess they do have the best “looks” money can buy.
I guess, you could say marketing is the Kardashian talent but didn’t Kim become famous initially for a different talent? You might be a little generous and call them semi-actors since I’m sure that a good deal of their “reality” show is dramatized.
Marketing! It seems to be more of a superpower than a talent in their case.
I am beginning to get a little worried about the direction the US press is taking with regards to their coverage of H&M. First P Morgan on Fox, and now there have been a few other articles that seem to be testing the waters to see if outrage against the Sussexes will sell here in the US. I am not sure where all this will lead. It feels that no one is willing to just accept the situation for what it is and that these people were horrendously bullied out of the UK. Am I being paranoid?
a little. There’s always going to be pushback, but the tabloids don’t have a chokehold on mainstream news like in the UK, and there’s no royal family here to push a hard agenda against them. Fox news is gonna fox news, and there will be some “both sides-sm” going on from media in the US. They will get scrutiny and some of it won’t be fair, but that’s true of anyone in the public eye, and even more so true of women.
Other than the tabloids I haven’t seen anything really negative in the US press not counting Page Six. And Piers Morgan is a racist idiot who was interviewed by an even bigger racist idiot on the Mother of all Racists Idiots channel. The Sussexes were not interviewed for this article so it doesn’t really provide any insights, just the observations of others. I think until Harry and Meghan start producing more content then this is the type of coverage you’ll see, unless they do an actual sit down interview.
The audience for FOX is not the same as the Sussex audience at all.
Merricat, Nope, it sure isn’t. I thought that for P*ss Morgan to be seen on Faux News was an excellent strategy–for the Sussexes! We all know that that’s a really, right wing media channel, which is determined to make sure that white supremacy rules. So, it’s a natural fit for P*ss. They won’t get a new audience, so they’ll be left with the MAGAs and white supremist idiots. I wonder if the vast majority of them even care an iota for the royals? I thought it was interesting when he and others showed up on Faux, because I believe it does the opposite of what they hoped for. People know exactly what Faux is. That’s a stain that isn’t going to go away anytime soon.
The problem with bringing on PM to Fox is that – in general – he’s very off putting for Americans. I’ve posted this before, but we liked to be charmed by Brits, not be told that BRF is better than us, PM is better than us for knowing the BRF, you are all savages for your guns (not untrue, but unpopular for Fox viewers), and we are lucky plebes to listen to get to listen to him: “Man of Britain.”
And I think the same applies to other RR reporters, people pretending their toffs, when Americans like to watch Real Housewives for culture. It is a rare American who can get away with that kind of condescension (e.g., Martha Stewart).
I am not sure about overall trends but there is a very large number of Sussex supporters who are very vocal to news networks about not wanting slanderous articles or people like Camilla Tominey to enter the US media discussion of the Sussexes.
They are surprisingly successful, actually. Partially because I doubt the major networks in the US care about going too deeply into the “Sussexes vs the Royals” feud narrative at all and that’s all that people like Camilla Tominey want to talk about; media in the US will provide context for it and maybe a few will try to be “impartial” (Both sides-ism as was mentioned above) but they aren’t really going to be nitpicking over the stuff the RR’s foam at the mouth over, since nobody who doesn’t follow what the British tabloids have been doing really knows what that stuff is. I think the networks here are fine with the clicks and views the Sussexes bring – not to mention the people they are working with these days which are high profile in US media. And of course, what they sell and produce has a massive market.
Maria, a good example of this is when Max Foster on CNN proceeded to make a list of all the lies that Meghan made on Oprah. There lots of people emailing CNN letting them know what is what. CNN buried that video and from what I’ve read it’s really hard to find on their site. I applaud this because the media in the US don’t want to be turned into tabloids, and they don’t want to anger a lot of people. Can you imagine if the Sussex supporters decided to boycott a specific news outlet? I’ve been following this and I’m really relieved that they aren’t letting anything get by them. They leave the US tabloids alone–after all the tabloids are going to tabloid.
I thought the assessment of them not hosting big parties nor being social butterflies was really dumb. There’s a pandemic on! They just moved and Meghan experienced two pregnancies in California. We have no idea how they’ll behave once the pandemic is over
one of the Marys, I agree that they’re just guessing. The Sussexes have a really tight no leak ship. They’ve accomplished a lot without doing big parties. It’ll be interesting to see if they decide to do those.
The fact is people especially those in the media, thought that they would fail and go back to the UK begging for forgiveness. What they didn’t know is that Harry and Meghan are very driven and ambitious people who have a lot of connections.
The media keeps underestimating H&M and doesn’t understand the reasons why they’re popular with their fan base. One thing for sure is that H&M are players to be recognized. They helped drive up subscriptions to Paramount+ when it launched.
“For Paramount+, “the biggest drivers of sign-ups were live sports and specials, including the Super Bowl, NCAA Tournament, UEFA Champions League, Oprah With Meghan and Harry”
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/viacomcbs-grows-global-streaming-subscribers-paramount-plus-1234948505/
I don’t like saying “the media,” because it lends journalistic credence to rags not fit to wipe an ass. No real news outlet buys into this.
I was today years’ old when I learned that the Washington Post’s lack of understanding of the Meritocracy is so, so crippling to that publication, that they are proudly running a Kitty Kelly opinion piece about MM and PH in the “life style “ section.
OMG, wtaf, did they been self-isolate too long and missed the whole Zeitgeist thing? They know why old white men generate spittle when forced to talk about AOC? WaPo knows what’s happening out here, right?
ElleE, I wonder if they put all “celebrities” in the life style section?
So harry and Meghan are becoming ‘celebs’ on the same day the Keens become Youtubers? Ok 😂
This has probably already been said but I haven’t checked the comments yet.
There was no sink or swim, only sink. The Windsors wanted them to sink so they would come back with their tail between their legs and fall in line (ie Harry divorces the uppity American, comes back and all is well). They didn’t do that so here we are. As for the celebrity angle…it is what it is now. I don’t see anything wrong with their fame. If this were a fantasy role playing game, Harry maxed out on charisma early on. He can’t help that.