Ever since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex exited Isla de Saltines, the saltines have been pressed about their titles. Commentator after commentator has wept about how Meghan and Harry still have their Sussex titles and why wouldn’t they “give them up”? The conversation happened again several months ago, when Meghan published her kids’ book, The Bench. It was published under her name, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. That’s her name. Her married name. So basically, salty white people want to somehow force Meghan into giving up her married name. I bring this up because “Meghan using her married name” is a huge controversy this week because of Meghan’s letter regarding paid family leave. The Daily Mail did a big write-up about how it’s wrong for Meghan to be so dreadfully political while using her married name. There are other criticisms too, because of course. Some highlights:
How dare she be rich now when she came from a working class family? Royals experts have also questioned whether Americans will be impressed ‘by her account of how she had to struggle’ on $4.99 salads from Sizzler when her estranged father Thomas put her through private school from kindergarten and she now lives in a $14million LA mansion while sitting on a $100million fortune.
Angela Levin on Meghan’s married name: Angela Levin, journalist and biographer of Prince Harry, told MailOnline that while the duchess is an American citizen, the letter from ‘the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ signed ‘on behalf of my family, Archie and Lili and Harry’, amounts to using her British title and marriage to the sixth in line to the throne to interfere in US politics. She said: ‘Meghan’s two page letter to lobby Congress about giving money on parental leave, is obviously another step towards trying to turn herself into a politician. But the notepaper she is using is astonishingly “From the Office of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex” and shows how she isn’t even aware that she is talking to politicians in a republic that won its independence from the crown in 1776.
Levin is concerned that Meghan could get or take credit for paid family leave: ‘The truth is that the bill about parental leave is on its way to being confirmed, and could be hijack by Meghan’s belief it was largely due to her. In addition if she was writing a profession letter what on earth is she getting all cosy and intimate by stating the letter is also ‘on behalf of Archie and Lili – notice she is not calling her Lillibet, the Queen’s nickname – and Harry. Poor old Harry has come last’.
They’re so worried about Meghan’s politics: Royal commentator and former editor of International Who’s Who, Richard Fitzwilliams, told MailOnline: ‘Using the example of the $5 salad bar and how she had to struggle in the past is an attempt to link with the way so many families struggle to pay their bills. Aspiring politicians use these sort of examples and it remains to be seen, since she was privately educated and her father was one of Hollywood’s top lighting directors, whether the audience she seeks are impressed by her account of how she had to struggle. She and her father are estranged as she is at the moment from the royal family. The issue she highlights is undoubtedly an important one, but many will sense a ruthless streak in her behaviour which needs moderating if she were ever to seek election’. He added: ‘What, I wonder, is Harry’s future in all this? An autobiography at the end of next year won’t be helpful to mending his relations with his family. Meghan is where she is because she married into the royal family. It will be fascinating to see how, if she chooses politics, people in the US will regard her’.
The Palace is not shocked: A source close to the Palace has said Meghan’s intervention is unlikely to cause waves in the UK, as she is unlikely to return to royal duties. ‘She’s an American citizen, highly political and it’s not the first time she’s lobbied using her title. The Palace won’t be shocked at all’, the expert said.
Meghan’s letter to Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi was about paid family leave, something overwhelmingly popular as an “issue,” and as Meghan herself said, it’s an issue that should be beyond politics. They’re acting like she’s running to be President Duchess of Sussex, which… she’s not. And incidentally, Meghan signed the letter as “Meghan” alone, no title. And how in the world did she exhibit a “ruthless streak”? By mentioning that her family had a budget and it was a special treat to go to Sizzler? These people have no idea how anyone actually *lives* outside of the protected royal bubble.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Isn’t ‘My family struggled when I was younger and now I’m a millionaire’ kinda the point of the American Dream? That anyone can change their circumstances if they work hard enough. These people have no clue about America do they, they’re so stuck in their ways about class structure.
This. This. This. We love her more because of her journey and if they don’t understand that, they don’t understand a very basic part of American DNA.
They keep bringing up the fact that she went to private school. As if it is an uncommon thing in the United States and only something for rich or well-to-do kids. My dad worked at the post office and my mother was a secretary and they still managed to send me to a good private school. Also, didn’t her father win the lottery? So it is not like he was paying for her schooling out of his salary.
Same. My single mom worked her butt off at a factory and managed to send me to private schools. Its not that un-common in the US.
Catholic schools are also literally the cheapest of private schools because they get funding from the church. Even if you aren’t a member of the parish they are still pretty cheap.
Exactly what you’ve all said – my parents sent me to Catholic school and we also ate at Sizzler on those very rare occasions we went out (I loved the all you can eat soft serve!) – money was very tight in part b/c they were struggling to pay that tuition.
Yup, nailed it. They don’t understand, too, that many parents see private school as a necessity just due to the massive inequalities in America thanks to the legacy of racial discrimination in education and housing. Your local school might be shit so you’ll work hard to put your kid in a private one because that’s the option available to you.
They also don’t seem to get that underprivileged kids can ALSO go to private school, that there are vehicles for upward mobility, and that Americans actually celebrate this movement.
Meghan’s family is hardly unusual. Middle and working class families have always stretched their budgets for items that they consider priority.
My grandparents, who were working class immigrants, had 9 kids and still sent them to Catholic school — during the Depression. (Although they did get a “group discount”.) A quarter of my take-home pay went to childcare when my son was small. (And I’m the only income for our household.) I could have gone somewhere (a bit) cheaper — but good quality childcare was my highest priority. So, I scrimped and saved in the other areas of my budget.
Yes, thank you! My brother and I both went to a private Catholic school and our parents were barely lower middle class. My mom has said that there were times when we were little that it was tough to afford milk. But Catholic schools are inexpensive and if you can’t afford it, but are a member of the parish, often the church will waive your tuition. So their idea that only rich or entitled people go to private school is a typical load of horseshit.
Lol, exactly. Also, she’s using her influence as an AMERICAN. British titles carry no weight in U.S. politics, darling sausages. We had a war about it, yes.
I wonder if what recalled pissed them off is how hard she’s leaning into her AMERICAN-NESS. Last time I checked, there weren’t sizzlers in Norfolk?
@Gruey – Not sure what you’re getting at. They don’t know anything about “American-ness,” including where anyplace is in the US. Meghan’s grammar school and high school are in LA – there are Sizzler’s in LA. And who knows where Sizzler’s locations were 30 years ago.
Sure, rags to riches is the point here – in a class structure society, rags to riches means “How dare you not stay in your place.”
And since when did Thomas Markle become one of Hollywood’s top lighting directors?
Yeah, right?
Thank you! Was he really a top lightning director? I mean he was a lighting director, but a top one? According to effing who?
@Jais – as far as I can tell, he worked on “Married…with Children” and “General Hospital.” He shared a couple of Emmys, but it’s not like Hollywood was beating on his door.
@eurydice what I meant (in spite of an autocorrect fail) is that Meghan very clearly does not give two shits about her title, and that’s obvious to anyone but derangers and the RR. Posh Brits do not talk about the sizzler or their humble origins in *gasp* LA. The RR are constantly insisting Meghan had some plan to snag a title and run, while instead Meghan herself is openly proud of her upbringing and brandishes those credentials in talking about this issue, not a title—which doesn’t credential you to talk about anything. I think we are basically in agreement here
@Gruey – thanks for clarifying, I think we’re in total agreement here.
Although he’s an maggot, he did win an Emmy for his lighting on Married…so he must’ve been good enough.
@2tall4u2, He won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy in 1975 for a program called Made in Chicago. He was a co-recipient of 2 daytime Emmy awards for work on General Hospital. No primetime Emmy Awards – 1 nomination for work on the Emmy Awards show – 1986.
Nothing to suggest he was a top lighting director.
Exactly, Eurydice, since when did Thomas Markle become one of Hollywood’s “top directors”? It’s really transparent the way the BM goes out of its way to elevate whites (even scum like Thomas) and they trip over themselves to TRY to demean Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex (suck on THAT!). Well, to borrow a phrase from the column above, Thomas Markle wouldn’t be where he is today (infamous and w/ a few more shekels) if Meghan weren’t who SHE was – a smart, beautiful woman who press just can’t seem to help writing about – he’d still be in Mexico* wallowing in his own salty sweat.
* Apparently, we’re not sending Mexico our best, to paraphrase Trump.
Merry old England is one big crab bucket.
No Monica, it isn’t. What IS a crab bucket are certain parts of the British media. NOT England (or Britain, which is the correct terminology as you must include Wales, Scotland and N Ireland) or the majority of British people who love the Sussexes.
We have a recurring beach vacation at Barbados which is often populated with vacationing Brits, and one of the things that always seems to come up when we mill about with them at mixers and on island events is the cultural differences between the US and the UK. The Brits we interfaced with generally viewed Americans as being more positive, and having a get-going outlook on life and one that celebrates succeeding, whereas they felt in the UK there was a much more negative mindset, that criticized working to elevate to a new station in life. At the time I was like “huh?’, but watching this psychodrama unfold, I can’t help but look back and think they were right.
The idea that it’s looked down upon to move your station upward in life sounds so stifling and crushing. Thank God Meghan got out of there.
They were right (waves from England). I am encouraging my child who is currently 9 to get the heck out and go to University elsewhere. He loves Canada so I’m hoping for that. The attitudes in my country are outdated, elitist nonsense and frankly embarrassing. Everyone is supposed to know their place and god help anyone who wants to try to do better.
For a while, I was engaged to a guy from Newcastle. Really smart, but a bad student. He ended up on the technical track (do they do that anymore?) and decided to leave the country because he didn’t want to end up being a welder. He went to the Bahamas and is now a top manager at one of the casinos.
This is common in France too, the French do not like to celebrate people’s successes either (in terms of money) and are not fond of rich people, to say the least. If you are successful and become wealthy, it often opens a huge can of worms and breeds jealousy in families. I realize this happens in the US too but Americans talk more openly about money than French people do. The French are so squirrelly when you talk about money, it is SUCH a sensitive topic. The French absolutely resent wealth and to a large degree the success of wealth.
My father is French (mother is American) and while my parents aren’t millionaires, they have done very well for themselves like many white middle class boomers (my parents had NO money when they first got married and neither came from wealth, but they worked their way up thanks to my mom’s job in financial services). He has four siblings in France and he is wealthier than 3 of them, the others struggle a lot with money. His younger brother/my uncle also made a lot of money, lives in a big fancy-ish house, and is pretty distant from his family. My uncle and his wife tend to live in their own world and aren’t very thoughtful people but the wealth gap between him and the rest of the siblings has not helped relations. My dad affirms the only reason he has maintained good relationships with his family in France is that he lives far away in the US, so his wealth isn’t on visible display. My dad has also been very generous and given money to various family members in France over the years to help them out here and there. But my dad believes had he stayed in France and lived the same comfortable lifestyle he and my mom achieved for themselves, he would not be on such good terms with the rest of the family.
I always used to wonder why my French cousins were so amazed at the “big” houses we lived in and the “big” houses in my hometown when they occasionally visited (also our squirrels and school buses were also very exciting to them lol). I didn’t understand the huge disparity between the way I lived and they did until I was much older.
@AmelieOriginal I can attest to that. My ex is French and the attitude towards money in probably on a level with Brits, but with a different dynamic. In the UK, the class system that we pretend doesn’t exist, means that we like to stay within our class. This means the aristos will usually leave the estate to the eldest son, to keep the wealth in one place. Even if you’re middle or working class and make millions, you have to stay true to your roots. You can’t be working class and suddenly pretend to be aristocracy because you made a fortune or married one. You’ll get a lot of comeback if you try.
I believe the French have inheritance laws which aim to divide wealth and prevent it being hoarded in such a way. Each child inherits equally. Between the UK, US & France, I think the French possibly have the best attitude towards wealth.
Yes, in the UK it is not considered the right thing to be vocal about success. The British love self deprecation, which is something that Americans do not do. I think that this was a major problem that Meghan found with the RF. You have to pretend that you are not hard working even if you are, and never talk about your own successes.
Sorry but when did Meghan talk about her own success while in England? Also, if the Brits are so self-deprecating, someone should have told that to Kate as she vamps on the graves of anyone who is too dead to speak up for themselves. (By the way, Kate’s GOLD dress says “Hi” to these deprecating narratives, as does her hot pink dress at the 911 museum.) And someone should also alert the British media for elevating certain royals far beyond their meager accomplishments.
@Princess K Being self-depreciative is about being humble and realistic. If someone praises your success, as a Brit, you’ll probably make out that it was because of someone else or a lot of luck. You won’t stand there and take the compliment.
Realistically, it’s true that we don’t have success on our own. We can work for it, but there will be those who help us on the way, and in many cases, there is also a huge element of luck. There are people who will work extremely hard their whole lives and never make it to the top. There are others who just have opportunity come knocking.
Taking Meghan as an example, she worked hard to become an actress. She had help and luck to make it. Being introduced to Harry, marrying him and having the platform she does now took a lot of luck. Kate worked hard to end up in William’s path at university. She didn’t do that alone. Her family helped her, or were even the driving force. Catching his attention, him not marrying anyone else, that was a huge amount of luck too.
As I say that, I’m not saying that Americans positive attitude is wrong. I think it’s really beneficial to be positive. It builds confidence and self esteem. Sometimes I feel like the British attitude is one thats wracked with constant anxiety.
@PrincessK, based on what you wrote, it’s a good guess then that William’s popularity took a plummet in England instead of a rise like the silly polls suggest. Billing his Earthshot Prize as the ‘most prestigious global environment prize in history’ from the beginning sounds quite boastful. In his favor, Workshy Will doesn’t have to pretend he works hard. Not working hard comes natural to him.
Along the same lines, you would think W & K would put a stop to all the articles embiggening their minor efforts. It’s pretty obvious the articles are sanctioned by them.
The British have some very funny attitudes towards social class. There’s very much a strong undertone that people need to know their place. Which is awfully convenient for those who hold the power.
#NotAllBrits btw. But the British establishment and media definitely likes to encourage this mindset.
@Emily … “She doesn’t know her place” seemed to be a consistent Theme of the Palace aides and courtiers before Meghan and Harry stepped down. And I’ll forever be convinced that Harry and Meghan’s Kensington staff members (weren’t they loaned to the Sussexes from the Keens?) were encouraged to remind Meghan of her ‘place’ as well.
Why is it so hard for some (I know not all of them are) salty Brits to consider that perhaps the Kensington staff might have viewed Meghan as lower-class, black, and (oh, the horror!) an American and may have given her attitude on any or all of those fronts.
Speaking of knowing one’s place, the British (media) should exercise some of that mindset and leave American matters to… Oh, I don’t know, Americans like Meghan. THEY should stop trying to interfere in our business because they sound really backward when they do that obvious concern trolling, not to mention pretending they know what’s going on Meg’s mind.
I am a single mom who drives a 20 year old Volvo, and my son goes to private school in LA. Our local public schools are not good, and his education is my main job in life. Are private schools in the U.K. strictly for wealthy kids, I do not understand why holding up Meghan’s private schooling is proof of a pampered existence? My 11 year old would beg to differ.
Christine, I think that’s just another way in which these British reporters don’t understand America yet pretend to speak with authority about it. They’re hopeless.
What they also don’t understand is that the only reason she was able to attend private school was because her dad won the lottery when she was 9. I’m like of course one of the things he would do with that money is to ensure that his young daughter gets a proper education. She also primarily lived with her mother who was not rich so yes on the one hand because of the windfall that her dad received, she was able to go to a really great school but on the other hand she would have been aware of how to save and when to spend when living with her mom.
Also, paid parental leave should be a fundamental right in this country and it’s not like she’s writing to Congress in order to have a pipeline installed.
As for the interfering in politics – that’s what we are supposed to do. That’s what people who live here are expected to do. To have opinions and be loud about them.
How dare she care about family leave when her brother-in-law and sister-in-law don’t get paid to take time off to spend with their kids!!! Oh wait…
It’s Angela levin…anything she says about Meghan is unhinged. At this point I just laugh cause of how stupid it is. Thankfully Angelas opinion doesn’t matter and I’ve only seen good reports on EVERY MAJOR NEWSPAPER and tv news reports all over the world but especially where it matters…the US…for whom it was meant for. That’s millions and millions of people.
That gives me relief when I sometimes feel like negative voices are the loudest about Meghan and Harry. But it also shows just how vile this woman/the BM is.
Yes+++++++ I so want to go off on one of my The Lies of Angela Levin rants. It’s nice out. I’ll save it for another day. But,………………….dear Angela, if you want to try to make Meghan look dumb (good luck with that btw), at least check into history before writing this….
‘a republic that won its independence from the crown in 1776.’ Facts:
We didn’t win independence from the crown in 1776-we declared independence from the crown. The war went on for a number of years.
Yorktown in 1781 marked the end of hostilities though fighting kept on into fall of 1783. Treaty of Paris was signed in Sept. 1783 and then ratified in January 1784.
I think I have that mostly right. So, Angela, better luck next time. Better yet, quit now.
Angela is so obsessed with Meghan. Even as a senior working royal, she thought Meghan wanted to be President. Maybe she’s afraid President Meghan will then either impose sanctions on the UK, or use them as a nuclear test site. She’s a paranoid conspiracy touting hot mess who thinks the Sussexes title is a weapon they yield against the royal family. Her biggest fear of Meghan writing that letter is her getting any credit if this legislation passes. If it does, and it’s a big, inevitably watered down if, it will definitely give her more of a voice and one that those is power will be likely to listen to. Levin is always is poor harrying Prince Harry. He’s doing fine as well and getting stuff done . I love how the Sussexes just do what they do about the causes important to them ,and these clowns are left reeling and spouting the most out there scenarios. I’m surprised they didn’t say Harry is planning on going to space after William’s slamming of billionaire space trips. I love how Meghan’s letter has sparked a lot of conversations and amplified the many people and organizations who support this bill.
@L4frimaire, you’re third sentence. Awesome. Any woman, like Levin has done, that has shared the f*ckin nutjob theories of moonbumps belongs in a straight jacket. So, AL wants to attempt, that Meghan using her name/title given/bestowed to her, by THE QUEEN, is wrong. Any of the RR’s, sycophants, mouthpieces, BM, etc.,..that want to complain have no legs in the race (I am using the word race intentionally). The same mentioned RR’s, suckophants(misspelling on purpose), mouthpieces, BM..dadada So for those in the back row, Meghan is allowed to use a title given to her by The Queen. It’s not a secret.
You know what else is not a secret. Kate is not a future future Queen. She is a future future Queen Consort. Kate does not have royal blood to be called Queen. Does anyone really think that The Queen, likes the stories about Kate being called i Queen with her laziness? Seriously. Rotas and whatnot calling Kate the future Queen and not future Queen Consort absolutely is disrespectful to the Queen and is disrespectful to Philip.
Lol. The poor harrying of Prince Harry. Dude looks happier than ever. I wonder sometimes if AL’s supposed sons are bothered by their mother’s obsession with Harry. Honestly, I wouldn’t like it if my mom cared about a royal more than me. Fortunately, that’s not my life experience.
***That’s her letterhead because that’s her name*** carry on…
If she titled it from an American Citizen, Meghan Markle….Salty Island would go CRAZY. The majority of people have come to the realization that whatever she does Salty Island will have a MELT DOWN…so to Meghan…carry on!!
Please always refer to Salty Island MEDIA, not Salty Island, as the majority of Brits love the Sussexes.
Heres the thing, tho, @Killfanora: hvng regard to the fact that “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing,” we the horrified onlookers at that caricature of an island formerly known as Great Britain, cannot help but note that the sustained smear campaign led by “powerful forces” (as Prince Harry told us) to destroy Meghan, appears to have drowned out any attempt at push back by the decent islanders whom we assume live there also.
The loudest voices carrying the sustained, negative and abusive campaign against Meghan come from your media – print & electronic. Even the bbc which, for many of us in the rest of the world, particularly the C’Wealth, used to be held in high regard…..now, no more.
So while I hv no doubt that there ARE voices that counter the nasty agenda-driven ones (see: the 72 female parliamentarians who penned an historic letter of condemnation at the highly visible, agenda-driven, led-from-high-places abuse of Meghan) the hard cold truth is, you are not effective enough.
The campaign to destroy Meghan by “powerful forces” in britain, is not the first or only example of this phenom (certainly its the most blatant). So are you trying to tell us that these said powerful forces of evil dominate your society? Because thats how it all seems to many of us out here looking on in horror.
Killfanora, your point is well-noted and I think that most here understand that these noxious narratives coming from the likes of Angela Levin etc. are not shared by all English people. However, Charm is correct in that when some in the country spout dangerous nonsense EVERYDAY and the rest remain silent, then the loud boors tend to carry the day. And it’s not enough when people say that most Brits “don’t care” or don’t discuss the royal family because 1) that’s remaining silent, and 2) as Martin Luther King said about those who claim to be allied to the oppressed: In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies but we will never forget the silence of our “friends”. I’m paraphrasing here, of course.
Besides, when one supports the royal family w/ tax money and makes possible the royal rota, then that financial support appears to endorse their actions. It’s tantamount to saying, “Here, take my money.” I must admit that these people’s sustained attacks on Meghan has forever changed my opinion about England for the worse and I would never visit there again. I don’t say that with any great joy because I know it’s not all English people.
It makes me wonder if she had a PhD like Dr Biden would the press scream about her using that too? She isn’t Meghan Markle anymore, so if she shouldn’t use Duchess of Sussex, what should she be calling herself, can the royal reporters deign to tell us? should she go by Meghan Mountbatten-Windsor? Meghan Wales? Meghan Sussex?
Some press would. Remember when some douche writing for the WSJ tried to lecture Dr. Biden about using her title? Of now WSJ has the same DNA as the British tabloids so go figure.
I think she should sign everything madame duchess, prince Harry wife. Lol.
Well I guess in fairness, Dr is usually an earned title, rather than one acquired through luck, by birth, marriage or because someone in the royal family took a dodgy payment in return for it.
“Mrs Rachel Meghan Markle Mountbatten-Windsor-Harry’s-Mine-You-Can’t-Have-Him-Tough-Titty.”
Lol. What an extraordinary thing to do. Have your name on your own letterhead. Shocking business! Question- UK citizens are allowed to write to Parliament & government agencies too, right?
lol @booboocita. You need to work Madame Duchess in there too.
I do not understand the complaints, it is her married name. I would think they would be more upset with having HRH Prince Andrew all over a criminal investigation and civil lawsuit here.. seeing as he 100% does represent the country and its values. Don’t even get me started on the trashy Royal divorcées (SF & LCC) that literally live off the HRH in every shameless money making project they do.
Yeah, and considering Meghan and her children are American, she has every right to have a voice in American politics no matter what her name is. Her citizenship is still American and she is not in the line of succession.
But isn’t Wills interfering in American politics by bringing his Earthshot prize to America and telling Americans what to do with their money? While not even bothering to put his own money behind his causes?
Saw this coming yesterday.
Like I mentioned, when I had a little one I could have been there for those crucial first months but poverty and no leave meant I couldn’t. This letter really got to me. Now they’re acting like she’s making it up? No, she wrote from the heart.
Meghan isn’t using HRH just her actual married name. Honestly they’re just sad excuses for humans the whole lot of them.
But they don’t want it to be her name, that’s one of the fundamental issues here. She doesn’t ‘deserve’ the be married to Harry and therefore part of the BRF.
I’m so sorry to hear about your experience, I commented yesterday that I just can’t fathom how the US is still in this position in 2021. It makes no sense economically, never mind morally!
Thank you. It’s funny what suddenly catches me unaware. That really did. Had to hug my kid and granddaughter. Praying it changes for her.
If there’s one thing worse than the British Aristocracy being judgy about an American citizen of modest means accruing wealth in adulthood, it’s the British Aristrocracy announcing that Americans will be offended that an American citizen accrued wealth in adulthood. They have no clue!
They’re writing for fellow Brits who also have no clue!
Maybe they should ask William and Kate to stop trying to take America as America is such a terrible working class place. Stay in England please.
They made fun of her for being ‘Straight out of Compton.” Now, it’s wrong for her to rich–in her own right. They can’t get over the fact that she lives with her husband, Harry, in Montecito. .
I read these articles and comments from the so-called royal experts and wonder if they have the decency to at least send Harry and Meghan holiday cards and thank you notes. The whole shtick is dependent on the Sussexes, isn’t it?
When you think about it, it’s actually very disrespectful to the monarchy.
LOL, they should be sending fruit baskets with chocolates and champagne!
Angela Levin is simply just off her rocker. It’s really embarrassing at this point.
It would be funny if every time she talks or someone shows a video of her talking, there was the sound of cows mooing in the background.lol
LOL. That would be funny.
They’re insanely freaked out that Meghan can drop a letter and it’s instantly headline news across mainstream American media. That kind of reach is literally unthinkable for all but MAYBE two people in the royal family.
At this point it’s her married name. A lot of aristos will use their title as part of their surnames so this isn’t anything new. This is just Levin being miserable as always.
‘But the notepaper she is using is astonishingly “From the Office of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex” and shows how she isn’t even aware that she is talking to politicians in a republic that won its independence from the crown in 1776. ‘
Keep this energy when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge finally get around to starting their next American PR stunt.
I hope someone is around to mop up the drool the BM will be dripping all over the place when they’re praising the Cambridges for telling Americans what OUR country should be doing about climate change.
Lol yes
Right? Meghan goes to this school. Peen and Keen don’t.
EXACTLY
Snort! Meghan graduated top of her class from one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Pretty sure she’s well educated on the revolutionary war and is perfectly aware of who she is addressing. God these people are so f-ing dumb.
“In addition if she was writing a profession letter what on earth is she getting all cosy and intimate by stating the letter is also ‘on behalf of Archie and Lili – notice she is not calling her Lillibet, the Queen’s nickname – and Harry.”
What is Levin trying to imply about not using the Queen’s nickname? Are they now offended that they’re *not* using it?? And, for Pete’s sake, Meghan and Harry said from the get-go that they were going to be calling her Lili! So why act now like it’s some kind of new transgression? (I know, I know. Everything is a transgression when your brain is a house of racist mirrors.)
And Harry’s name is Henry, but we don’t see anything about that.
Next they are going to be saying why isn’t she using Rachel.
Huh, I wonder what the difference is…..🤔
House of racist mirrors = perfect!
It really is!
I wouldn’t even get too deep into the woods about whether H & M already declared that they’d intended to call their daughter “Lili.” What I see here is a, oh let’s call Angela a “woman”, so unhinged that she dares to criticize what a mother calls HER OWN child. Meghan can use whatever nickname she wants for her daughter, she’s paid for the privilege by being her parent.
These commenters like to imagine that Meghan would get no attention if she weren’t using the Duchess of Sussex title.
I’d love for her to not use it, just once, just to show that it’s not her title that gets attention anymore, it’s HER.
@Belli: if she stopped using the title, then the Royal commentators will say she disrespecting the Queen.
Exactly, the headline would be about them snubbing the Queen!
I think they dabbled with just “Harry and Meghan” for a bit in the beginning. (One of their first television things.) It’s tricky because “Meghan” without “and Harry” seems like she’s trying to be Beyonce or Adele. She doesn’t have a last name, so Duchess of Sussex is the only option. I hope she goes by Meghan Mountbatten-Windsor in her private life, just to match the kids.
The Brits are so arcane about names and titles. I think the M-B surname is for members with no titles. Harry has a title so he would not use it officially. If anything, he would probably use Sussex. If Archie were born with HRH, he would probably be Archie Sussex like the Cambridge kids. I think Harry and Meghan are really making the title their own. Harry is only the second Duke of Sussex, and the original seemed to be a bit of “liberal” and black sheep, and Meghan is the first Duchess of Sussex.
@tamsin- You’re right about Archie Sussex being the most likely, if he had a title. I’m sure she introduces herself as “just Meghan” to people in person, but if she’s filling out a registration form for Archie to play soccer or start pre-school, what does she type as her last name? Even if she has to type “Duchess of Sussex” because it would be DRA-MA in the press if she went by something different, I know she feels a little silly doing it in America. We just do not care about silly names like the Brits.
@Belli, I believe we’ve already settled this issue of those who think just having a royal title brings opportunity and success. Let’s ask Andrew whose mummy has to help him pay for his legal and housing debts, or those royals who tried and failed at business like Sofie and her husband, What’s-It, or William who wanted but failed to be air a show on TV. To paraphrase the old Air Jordan athletic shoes commercials, “It’s the shoes. It’s gotta be the shoes,” well, “It’s NOT the titles.”
I’m soooo glad the narratives from these nut jobs are no longer the narratives that dominate. Cry more into your echo chamber of tabloid malarkey.
Tabloid malarkey = also excellent. You celebitches are on roll today. I’m loving it!
So her dad paid for her private school (and I’m sure he loves to hold that over her head, too). How much did he contribute besides that? I attended a private school from pre-K, and I knew a number of girls who had a wealthier parent or grandparent pay for their expensive tuition, but could never go on field trips because that was seen as something their custodial parent should deal with, and they couldn’t afford it. One of my classmates would even have our cafeteria staff pack up extra food for her to take home to her non-school age siblings every day. And it’s not at all uncommon for even two-parent, relatively well-off households to exhaust their finances for their kids’ education and have little left for other things. The sycophants are revealing their own privilege here.
“And it’s not at all uncommon for even two-parent, relatively well-off households to exhaust their finances for their kids’ education and have little left for other things.”
This is what my grandparents did for my father and uncle. They got sent to private schools. Except they weren’t even relatively well off so they had very very little after fees and food was taken care of. My dad and uncle helped/help out financially in return during their twilight years (and our culture and the generation they grew up in, it’s expected to help your elderly parents out – private school or not)
My aunt and uncle aren’t that rich either (better than my grandparents yes) and they sent one of their kids to boarding school for around 5 years (although I think him going was necessary behaviour wise)
Also, we don’t know if he was required to do that by the divorce/custody agreement. It could have been something that Doria negotiated upon her break-up from him.
Meghan has never said one parent or the other paid for anything when she was a child. She speaks of her “parents” doing x or y. Its the nasty rotarats and their followers who insist on trying to make toxictom into dad of the year.
BTW……theyre so grateful that M makes reference to him in this letter. It apparently hasnt occurred to them that reference to our “parents” in tandem with spkng of our childhood has nothing to do with whether or not said parent(s) is dead or alive in the present. And as we all know, M already told us she “lost” her father (ya know…..as in…he’s dead to her). He’s been dead to her for at least 2-3 years now.
I say it everytime, these people are unhinged. Given that in the UK even if a working class person gets rich, they’re still considered working class, it is strange that these people are now saying that Meghan is rich. Plus weren’t these same people calling her a golddigger who only married Harry for his money? These commentators show that they don’t know anything about US politics and should never talk about. The Ways and Means committee and a few politicians tweeted about Meghan’s letter. That should be enough evidence to tell these commentators that people in the US have no problem with Meghan using her title and with her making an intervention. She has every right to use it as she’s married to the Duke of Sussex. Harry hasn’t changed his name so why are they calling for Meghan to change hers?
99% of headlines call her Meghan or Meghan Markle, so the use of her title/married name is irrelevant.
These reporters sound like they hate Americans. The bitterness is just embarrassing.
I think the Fail is raging about is the 4.99 Sizzler. DM did a story that M left out that Bad Dad left out he used his lottery winning to pay for Meghan’s private high school education. Sizzler-gate blows up TT’s claims, that Meghan may have been a scholarship student, and perhaps Bad Dad didn’t win the money. Put up your federal tax returns Tommy.
I went to an expensive, private all-girls catholic school as well. My parents are high school teachers. My grandparents, immigrants who worked insanely hard and got lucky with real estate investments, paid for my schooling.
This
Well with the stroke of a pen she knocked Earthshot and The Cambridges of the front pages. Now its Earthshot who? What? That’s why they are foaming at the mouth. Now it’s all about Madsme Duchess again.
For the third day running! In today’s 24-hour media, how often does a story run high for 3 days in a row?
Yep. Exactly.
OK. Let’s presume there is a 0.00001 percent chance that she is using her title to interfere in American politics. She’s still advocating for paid family leave that would help people of every political party. There’s no possible personal benefit to her advocacy. The only possible benefit is to the Archewell brand–and a greater ability to do more public service. To this day, even with Harry and Meghan fully out as royals, they could be brand ambassadors for the BRF, and the BRF could see that clearly if their view weren’t blocked by jealousy and racist spite.
And yet, she didnt mention Archewell. She wrote this in her capacity as an American and as a mom…..as she said in her very first paragraph.
I for one am impressed. I l look at her and all I think is wow, look what she has achieved as the child of divorced working class parents. All I see are sacrifices made by her parents and her determination, intelligence, and will to succeed.
As an American citizen the royal family don’t even feature in my admiration for Meghan. The BRF gets no credit for her successes. Her brief interlude with the royal family was harmful to her. She married a man she loved and unfortunately he had toxic relatives.
Her dad may have paid for her schooling as part of the divorce agreement. But that doesn’t mean he gave her money for anything else, hence she got a job at 13. And Doria had to work and put herself through school, so its not like she got some Real Housewives type settlement. Thomas was not some big time director, otherwise why is he shilling for money with these interviews? So yeah , Meghan knows about working, unlike others in the royal family. Anyway Angela Levin, head Moo Cow, keep doing you honey.
So instead she should use follow the example of the BRF and use her title to secure arms deals?
And trafficked minors, don’t forget securing the minors!
I thought early years was important to the royal family. IDK but I thought I saw a chart?
LOL
LMAO!
The British media said at the beginning that Meghan was poor and was a social climber. Now that Meghan openly tells about her struggles in life they accuse her of being a liar and that she’s not poor at all. What ? The British media is crazy.
Rachel Meghan Markle would have written this letter regardless of who she married.
These royal commentators need to stop talking about her. I’m sure there are more important things going on with the royal family right now for them to be concern about.
At least when Meghan lobbies the government, she does so to help others less fortunate.
When the royal family does it, they lobby to further enrich themselves.
True
THIS
@MissMarirose
“At least whenMeghan lobbies the government, she does so to help others less fortunate. When the royal family does, they lobby to further themselves.”
That is the salient point! We have several stunning examples reported by the BM just recently. RR clearly don’t understand that Meghan has been an advocate since she was a child. They really do prove they live in an ignorant tiny bubble.
Legitimately, THIS is the moment to bring up the Queen getting the amendment exempting her from the Scotland’s green energy laws. But no, they are wailing about an American woman working to improve the lives of ALL parents in the U.S. It’s effing unbelievable.
And the moment to bring up again this exemption.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/02/buckingham-palace-banned-ethnic-minorities-from-office-roles-papers-reveal
There are probably more exemptions for their own personal benefit and beliefs.
Wielding power to halt an investigation into Andrew is for their benefit, not for the greater good.
Meghan is an American citizen. Redress of grievances is a fundamental right.
I went to private (parochial) school from grammar school through high school and can count on one hand how many times during those years we ate at a restaurant or had a family vacation. One of my coworkers talked about meatless dinners, hand-me-downs and the annual treat of taking the free ferry over to Staten Island, yet his parents put all three sons in private school.
Americans get that you can go to private school and eat at Sizzler. The BM thought that bringing this up in the never ending attempt to smear and discredit Meghan, would outrage Americans to turn against her, and failed to understand that a lot of what she said resonated with many Americans.
Yes. I have a colleague who was raised by a single working class mother and related taking three buses to get to her private parochial school. Americans understand the sacrifices parents make to give their child a lift in life. And when that child achieves like Meghan did and still do we know where credit is due. She came to the BRF a fully formed accomplished woman and they tried to destroy that which she already was. Your titles mean zilch to us because we admire hard work and grit, not lazy lay abouts like the BRF.
It’s hilarious because maternity leave / pay is not a partisan issue in the UK, it’s considered completely normal.
Leave
Statutory Maternity Leave is 52 weeks. It’s made up of:
Ordinary Maternity Leave – first 26 weeks
Additional Maternity Leave – last 26 weeks
Pay
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is paid for up to 39 weeks. You get:
90% of your average weekly earnings (before tax) for the first 6 weeks
£151.97 or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks
That’s the bare minimum. Many businesses top it up : my (American) company ensures me in the UK with 6 months full pay.
So she said nothing controversial from a British standpoint. What’s wrong again with using her title??
Yeah, the British press commenting on this just don’t have a clue what a big deal paid maternity leave — or any maternity leave — is both politically and socially in the US.
I’m in the US and work for a UK-based company with offices around the world. And my British co-workers, and others from countries that offer decent maternity benefits, have a totally different early parenting experience when the have 6, 12, or 18 months of paid leave.
In the US, the Family Leave Act requires companies to allow 12 weeks off for birth or adoption, but doesn’t require any of it to be paid. And the Act does not apply at all to companies with less than 50 employees. My company benefits were average for a medium-sized business — 6 weeks paid, 6 weeks unpaid.
I remember crying in the bathroom at work every day for the first month that I had to leave my 3-month-old and it felt like an amputation. And choosing to go without a paycheck for 6 weeks so I didn’t have to leave my son in daycare at 6 weeks. And worrying if he would be able to nurse from a bottle before I had to go back to work. (They don’t recommend using bottles for breast-fed babies before 2 months old — so I had exactly one month to get him on board with bottle-feeding. I was grateful that my kid never had problems switching between breast and bottle — but some of my friends weren’t so lucky.)
And I’m one of the lucky American moms. I had a white collar job with a decent salary that didn’t make me clock in. And understanding management that never complained if I had schedule my work time around pumping. And a company that at least paid for the first 6 weeks.
In the US, many people don’t see it as an investment in society to get our kids off to a good start. Many have the attitude that “You chose to have kids, so it’s your problem if you can’t afford not stay at home with them.”
I have always found it astonishing that maternity leave is not a statutory right in the US. In many much poorer countries it is. Good for Meghan to flag this up. I wonder how much damage this does to children, those first few months are so important.
They are such idiotic clowns, I have no words.
“what on earth is she getting all cosy and intimate by stating the letter is also ‘on behalf of Archie and Lili – notice she is not calling her Lillibet, the Queen’s nickname – and Harry. Poor old Harry has come last”… Like, what the fudge is this? LOL she is shamed even if she speaks for her infant children, gives them nicknames and for putting Harry after THEIR kids. Unbelievable .
I believe this is what they call word salad.
Meghan worked hard. She studied hard. She got to be a millionaire on her own merit, talent and initiative BEFORE she met Harry. She wasn’t handed her life on a silver platter like a certain other Duke and Duchess who do eff-all yet live in incomprehensible luxury. The BRF and ROTA simply cannot stand that she and Harry showed up the family and the firm as a bunch of sponging, racist hypocrites by declaring their dedication to a life of public service and philanthropy.
I dearly hope and wish that when QE falls off her perch, the BM will take that as an opportunity to reveal all the skeletons in the royal closets. It’s time to abolish the monarchy.
The press/courtiers are upset because Kate can’t copy this. They have been using Meghan as the blueprint for the new Kate. So if Meghan dresses one way, Kate copies that, if Meghan styles her Zoom room one way, Kate copies that, if Meghan launches a book for a cause, Kate wants to find a bigger cause, if Meghan wears blue, Kate copies that and wears the same, if Meghan speaks in public, Kate copies that, if Meghan goes to New York, Kate wants to do that.
Which is why this is significant. Kate can’t write letters to politicians or drum up support for real changes to laws and policy. This totally highlights the weakness of the Royals and the strength of the sussexes. Too bad, so sad.
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Ding, ding, ding winner! And because Kate can’t copy this then that automatically means that it’s bad. These people are so weak and transparent.
Perfectly stated!
I don’t even want to give this any air. The criticism should die out bc it’s nothing. But let me get this straight. When she was in the UK they were all over there for not falling in line. And now that she’s out and in her HOME COUNTRY, they still have something to say? About being… oh, American? STFU. They should keep pumping up the do-nothings who are keeping old and dusty traditions alive. Go watch the paint dry and let us have and protect Meghan.
I loved her letter. It was logical, personal, and it painted a picture of what life could be like. This is what it means to use your name (or title) for good. Not only to dress up, look pretty at parties, and make small talk. Influence some change!!
I also remember going to Sizzler! It was such a special outing for the whole family. I can still picture it in my head now. How come no one talked about the cheesy toast?? My parents wanted me to eat the “expensive” stuff but I was a kid so I went for carbs haha. Now that I’m a parent, I also encourage my kids to eat more protein and less of the fillers ha!
America needs to join the modern age and support parental leave. That + our “health care” system really make you scratch your head. I want to vote out all the f*ckers who keep us locked in this system. It’s short-sighted and really limits us. Can you imagine the heights we’d reach as a country if no one has to worry about the basics?
Does her “ruthless streak” translate into “How dare that ‘mixed race’ woman dare write a NYT editorial—or be seen at all?”
Dear Angela,
I know you’re reading this. Just a reminder, PedoAndrew, Duke of Trafficked Minors, Count of FBI Avoidance and Lord of Mummy protect me has an ex wife who shouldn’t be considered “royal” yet puts Sarah, Duchess of York on each and every one of her books.
Also I believe there is a married in that uses her HRH, gained from her husband, on covers of her romance books.
I am sorry I missed out on Sizzler and it sounds like you should be too. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have one close by when I was growing up. However, I *DID* have Ponderosa which sounds just as good and had a taco bar.
Sincerely (you may not be acquainted with that term truthfully)
Heather C
From the Office of Heather C, US Citizen)
Don’t forget about the Duchess of York cookware and curling wand she was hawking!
Must be exhausting to constantly have to find fault with someone who’s pretty much just doing admirable things.
Mooost exhausting indeed!
Why shouldn’t she lobby Congress? She’s an AMERICAN and it’s her right and duty to do that. (Now, having non-Americans like Elizabeth, Charles, or William lecture to the USA would piss me off).
Also, isn’t early childhood the most important part of life? I think I may have heard that somewhere (sarcasm). Why aren’t the royals stans 100% behind what Meghan did? Do they disagree with Kate’s whole platform?
The racism really shines through.
Exactly. The right to petition government for a redress of grievances is specifically laid out in the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Everyone has a right to do it. UK doesn’t have a written codified constitution the way we have over here so maybe this is just weird for them.
Honestly they can write to their MP for their riding or even cabinet ministers or the PM. They are just being stupid about this.
Also wanted to add, if a person can use “HRH” and other titles while (allegedly) raping and trafficking women without having the titles taken away, then there’s no reason Meghan can’t use hers to lobby Congress for a good cause.
Stop attacking Meghan and instead ask when Andrew will be investigated.
These carnival of clowns just keep showing their jealous racist asses to the world.let’s face it. They are big mad that a black woman can read and write.They are big mad that she is intelligent enough to write a perfectly articulate letter to important people who can affect and make changes and all their all white never lifted a finger in her life English duchess do nothing can do is copy cat and mumble.
I like the letter. I want her to get even more involved in politics tbh, she could easily just sit around being privileged at this point – but she’s thinking of the big picture.
That’s the part that none of them are addressing. Meghan could actually be Duchess Do Nothing, and it would be well within her self-supporting rights, but she has chosen to work to make other people’s lives better. I cosign everyone who has said that the racism is really showing, it’s not even subtle this time.
I love that no matter how often these columnists write, no matter how outraged they get, Meghan and Harry will continue to be happy and popular, and will effortlessly out-do the Cambridges. H&M don’t even see it as a contest, which makes them the automatic winners. The ineffectual screeching of the Royal apologists is kind of hilarious.
Good. I hope everyone starts interfering with American politics. The right side surely has their laundry lists of offenders.
Ok, but wait, don’t they want American donors and American relationships? What better way than through an actual American,. These people are so dumb they missed a huge opportunity.
Reads as if Angela Levin is thirsting for that unattainable title via Harry for herself!
She’s an American, so she’s allowed to vote in, contribute too or even dabble in our politics. I don’t care if she ate $4 salads as a kid, it’s her birthright to have a voice in US politics. As for the salty British press, they need to tone it down about 500. They never accepted her for obvious reasons which are well known to them so they need to lay off. If they are happy or even if they have days where they aren’t, leave them be. I don’t want to see them suffer the same fate as his mother, chased down by the paps until she died.
My take away from this article: the british Meghan haters are super scared that Meghan will succeed in becoming a powerful influential person in American politics. She and Harry, and eventually their kids, will overshadow the do-nothings in the royal family, and steal their thunder. I know people think it’s already happening, but I don’t just mean in terms of magazine popularity, I mean important real-life success in being able to bring about change. It scares the royal stans that their precious outdated institution is being left behind.
You are so right, Mrs KRABAPPLE. The British media, politicians, and the Royal Family are quivering in fear that the Sussexes will become so influential in the US that the Brits will be overshadowed and will lose their influence in the US. No amount of soft diplomacy by the royals can overturn the Sussex influence. Should this paid leave pass, Meghan will be credited for this big time no matter what the Brits say. And this makes them shake in their boots. They couldn’t wrap their heads around why they let them go 100% and didn’t take the Sussex proposal of half in-half out. Foresight isn’t their strength. They were blindsided by the powerful ripples the Sussexes could make globally once they’re out of the Royal family. Now the Brits are seeing the results of their pride, jealousy, ego, and racist attitudes and are left to sucking lemons.
No doubt Meghan used her voice long before Harry to ‘interfere’ in politics and several other things that matter to her. All this is is the usual bull her haters regularly spout.
Meghan is still an American citizen of this country-she no longer works for the royal family-she lives on American soil-all americans can have voice to speak out whether they are married to royalty or not-royal family is not upset so no need for anyone else to be upset-as long as she is a born citizen of this country she can have a voice-nay sayers need to go to timeout and chill.
PS-I’ll be sure to scream at the top of my lungs when William and Kate come here to tell us Americans about climate change-Environmental issues are very political-Meghan was voicing support for something already being discussed in Congress-The Brits need to study how the wealthy is viewed in this country-pop stars, rappers, models , actors, and etc-when anyone in this country make millions-no matter their previous circumstance-are considered successful and looked upon as pulling up their bootstraps to become wealthy-Americans do not care about titles or what class you were born in-they only care about you moving up and achieving as much as possible-Ask Lebron about his background or Oprah Winfrey-they are billionaires as I type this-that’s what counts here not titles.
I love that this has been picked up by so many outlets.. even with it’s negative response from major media, the point of the letter is getting the attention it deserves. So what she did worked.. it got attention and will hopefully help to make a positive change.
Curious…what major media outlets responded negatively?
Duchess…
I’m not familiar with that major media outlet. Unless, you’re calling me Duchess. I’ve had a royal nickname for most of my life though but it’s not Duchess. Not Queen or Queenie either, that’s reserved for our cat.
“Duke/Duchess” is an aristocratic title which is often inherited and actually refers to an independent political leader who rules in his/her own right. (Though british dukes don’t rule any more.) Doesn’t quite fit into a democratic country. Meghan interferes as a Duchess (see header of letter) not as a citizen who is equal to other citizens. Hence the missing last name in her signature. I had reasoned that quite nicely in a posting but unfortunately …
Meghan was granted the status of Duchess through marriage. She did not relinquish her rights as an American citizen! One does not negate the other. It is very puzzling how Royals confess to be politically neutral, but evidence points to behind the scene lobbying on issues they care about(usually for personal gain). Meghan publicly shows her hand and is vilified for having a title?The squawking GOP folks are laughable in their fear of real intellectual reasoning. Loud voices are not a substitute for content.