The New York Times’ columnist and editor-at-large Andrew Ross Sorkin is hosting the Times’ annual DealBook summit next week, November 9th and 10th. The NYT just sent out a registration portal to the online summit, and they announced the guest speakers. The Duchess of Sussex is one of the speakers! She will join people like Tim Cook, Anthony Blinken (our Secretary of State), Dax Shepard and Melody Hobson to “take stock of a world in the midst of rapid reinvention, grappling with the ripples of Covid and rewriting the rules in real time.” Does this mean that Meghan will be in New York for the conference? Harry is supposed to be in New York on November 10th for the Intrepid Valor Awards. Maybe Meg & Haz will make another cross-country jaunt for work? PLEASE!! I would love that. And then Meghan can be his date at the veterans’ event.
Meanwhile, Meghan sent $25 Starbucks gift cards to employees of PL+US, the nonprofit group fighting for paid family leave in the US. The communications director of PL+US, Neil Sroka, posted a screenshot of the gift certificate and thanked Meghan for it. Salty people are making fun of her for some reason… like, how dare someone who lives in a $14 million mansion send gift certificates as encouragement and thanks to non-profit employees? I don’t get it – it was just a nice thing to do for people who are working on an issue she obviously cares about.
The Duchess of Sussex (aka #MeghanMarkle) bought everyone at @PaidLeaveUS a few cups of coffee while we're working overtime to #SavePaidLeave. Unbelievably classy… and necessary. Truly honored to know she has our backs in the fight to win #PaidLeaveForAll. pic.twitter.com/iPtTO07GHQ
— Neil Sroka (@nsroka) October 30, 2021
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and WENN.
That was so thoughtful! Also, trust the DF to twist info implying she only sent one gift card…Millionairess donates £18 …
I don’t understand why Salty Island doesn’t get it….Meghan/Harry Don’t CARE what the inhabitants of that long forgotten Island says or thinks. They’re just not into you so get over it!
They spent years attacking her and forcing her out of their country. She is now back home in a country that celebrates her and has embraced her husband as one of it’s own. Yet Salty Island still can’t let it go. How sad to be them.
For people who claim that she’s insignificant and that they don’t care about what she does, they sure do pay a LOT of attention to EVERYTHING she does. Make up your minds BM, make your minds.
Plus she has a promotional deal coming out with Starbucks for a reusable coffee cup, I think.
@Still_Sarah: Huh?!?!? Do you have a link to that because this is the first time I’m hearing it.
Edit: And google is saying nothing of the sort exists so if anyone has a link to that, let me know.
Melody Hobson ( who will be speaking with Meghan) is on the board for Starbucks. Maybe she is the one that is coming out with a reusable coffee cup? I don’t think Meghan is.
@Still_Sarah – Starbucks already has reusable cups. They stopped them for a while during the pandemic, but brought them back in June. They’re also part of a global consortium with McDonald’s and others to reduce waste. Melody Hobson is the new chair of the board of Starbucks (first WOC), so maybe Meghan wanted to help celebrate that.
I believe you get a free reusable cup tomorrow if you order a holiday beverage. The holiday beverages go on sale tomorrow.
Still better than the three cookies the Cambridges gave.
@ Merricat, thank you!! Next……
I know that in the US, any gift cards over $25 is considered income and would have to be reported to the IRS as such.
Only grocery gift cards can be more than $25 otherwise the gift card has to be considered as income.
This is correct. When husband and I worked corporate/ federal jobs, it was company policy not to accept gifts over $25 from clients/vendors. They always put up the company’s gift policy during the holidays. If someone gives me a $25 coffee card, I’ll be quite pleased to accept it. The British press is so full of it. They takes everything Meghan does and turns it into a scandal or conspiracy, and they’re obsessed with her money and spending. Clowns.
I like to think that Meghan has figured out she’s dammed if she does damned if she doesn’t. If she doesn’t engage and do good work she’d just be taken to task for not doing it and just being a lazy rich trophy wife. If she does engage she’s ridiculed for doing it and they find someway to make it bad. At this point I think she is just living her life and doing what makes her happy. Cause it doesn’t matter what she does she will be criticized.
And you know what $25 at Starbucks is great!
I think that’s part of the reason why Meghan and Harry left. No matter what they did it was wrong. Even when other people did the same thing. Now that they are no longer working Royals they can do whatever they want without having to answer to anyone. I think that’s why the British media hates them so much. They no longer have to cater to the media.
The way DM wrote it up it made it sound like Meghan sent one card worth $25, that’s one card for everyone. Sigh, of course they couldn’t see this as a nice gesture and report it fairly could they? Like would the sky fall on your head DM if you were nice to Meghan?
I don’t remember the outcry when their royal keenlinesses sent that one package of biscuits?
Yes, I saw something like “Meghan gives $25 even though she’s worth $250 million!” Too funny, no wonder the Keens want to come to America – the streets are paved with gold!
Once again, I love how Meghan goes straight to individuals – she’s interested in the cause, but recognizes that those working for it might want to take a break for a moment and have a cup of coffee.
H&M in NYC again? Wheeeeee!!!
And this is why, try as they might to copy and try to clothe themselves in the skin of the Sussexes, those losers on Shit-Isle will always fail. Authenticity can never be copied. You either have your own version or you dont.
Yes, @ Charm! Which I might add they lack a great deal of anything authentic! They couldn’t even pull of their charm Choo-choo that TQ had to go in and clean up!! And take Billy the Bully to show how it’s done!!
I await some newly planted story from the Keens about how generous they are with the normal folk. Meg is a genuine person and the rest of them have to work at being normal. That’s why they’re always out of touch and out of step.
I await some newly planted story from the Keens about how generous they are with the normal folk. Meg is a genuine person and the rest of them have to work at being normal. That’s why they’re always out of touch and out of step.
Now I want some Starbucks. THANKS MEGHAN.
Ha! Me, too, though it’s 11:30pm here.
I so admire this woman and her internal fortitude especially when practically a whole countries media is out to twist and manipulate everything you do.
She continues to live authentically and generously not letting others dictate her life. I’m sure it’s not easy but she still perseveres.
I really believe eventually the DM will have to change and at some point they will pay for their harassment. Someone will expose the “invisible contract.” At least I try to keep hope alive otherwise it would drive me crazy.
Anyways can’t wait to see Harry and Meghan take New York part 2!!!
@Polo I know, I have to believe too for my own peace of mind. Chris Bouzy from Bot Sentinel had a talk with the Sussex squad yesterday on Twitter, I ended up listening to the whole 90 minutes and it was very encouraging. He said the tide is turning, and people are waking up to the truth. Hope he’s right.
@Nick oh wow I saw the stories about bot sentinel but hadn’t followed up. I’ll have to try and find it. That is encouraging cause I’ve never seen anything like this before. The constant harassment for a non politician is unbelievable.
I don’t want to wait a decade to see justice like what has happened with Britney and her family being exposed.
@ Polok I don’t want to wait a decade either. Though, once TQ is gone, I have a feeling the wheels on the cart will start falling off in a quick succession.
WE’RE GETTING ANOTHER NEW YORK TOUR!!!! I cannot wait for the LOOKS Madame Duchess will be serving, the level of intelligence she’ll bring to her panel discussion, DM melting down and the Keens pathetically playing catch up. Sussex Squad we are being fed!
I hope she comes to New York with Harry too. If she goes to the gala, it’ll be her first red carpet event since Harry’s last event for the British military. I’ll be looking forward to the meltdowns.
If someone gave me a Starbucks gift card, I’d appreciate it a lot – more if I was working round the clock trying to secure paid leave.
And hopefully she’ll be in NYC too so it becomes another mini trip. After how the last one went, I cannot wait.
I know some people hate Starbucks but the Starbucks locations in Buffalo, NY are trying to become the first in the nation to unionize. Voting starts this week. If they vote yes I hope it starts the ball rolling for Starbucks across the nation!
It was a nice gesture and we’ll see if Meghan goes to NY because the event is being promoted as an online summit.
I think they want to keep people guessing until the last minute. Also, she probably hasn’t made a decision yet.
It is such a lovely and thoughtful gesture. Since Harry has an event in New York, she might be there too.
This is such a sweet gesture that says so much about who she is as a person – she is trying to make someone’s day a little brighter, someone who is working very hard on a cause that means a lot to Meghan. It’s just NICE. So I’m not surprised the tabloids can’t cope, lol.
The guy that posted this said they all thought it was classy and thoughtful. Only a truly deranged person would have an issue with it. I hope we do see Meghan in NYC. I miss seeing them.
I was looking at his tweet and the responses earlier, and MOST were basically nice. However, it seemed that the majority of negative ones were hung up on his use of the word “classy.” It’s just so bizarre
She honestly just seems like a kind, professional, and committed person. Baffled as to how people can drum up things to hate in a world full of disgustingly self-interested, self-centred political operatives.
I loved that they clarified that she sent *each* staffer a $25 gift card – which can go quite a ways at Starbucks!!
Exactly right!
A $5 Starbucks gift card would be a challenge, but with $25 card I would be able to indulge in some fancy coffee that I don’t regularly buy on my own. And maybe a breakfast sandwich!
Does Salty Isle have gifting laws? I’m curious. I know here, for most industries, non-profit and especially government, gifts over $25 cannot be accepted. Do those saltines understand that?
Ah! You’re so right! Brilliant
Meghan could save babies from a burning building, as in literally run in there, battle flames and come running out somehow holding more than two babies. The British press would still ask “Yes but did Mrs $19 million dollar Montecito mansion buy them new diapers?”
Why can’t those petty biatches leave this woman alone?! That’s such a nice thoughtful thing to do and they have to sh*t on everything she does.
Hail our Queen Megs!
Because if you look at the people in this article, and think about who is supposedly benefiting from all this smearing, you’d see all roads lead to PWT and his consort. That is why.
He is perpetually competing with his little brother. As long as H&M are breathing, he will be siccing his dogs at them UNLESS & UNTIL he is UNMASKED.
Since I’m being accused of being paid to defend Madame Sussex, can I also get a Starbucks card 😌
Speaking as someone who worked in politics and advocacy for a little while, it is very common for supporters whether celebrity or not to send over food/caffeine in the last few days of a campaign. Staffers at an org like this in the last days of the bill’s last days of negotiations are probably extremely sleep deprived and downing caffeine on an hourly basis so I’m sure they appreciate it. I got Starbucks gift cards a couple of times from some of the weslthier supporterd before and i was happy as hell i didn’t have to pay for the insane amount of coffee I needed. Also: homemade food from volunteers is the best! Please help feed/caffenate a staffer working in your area on issues you care about if you’re able to.
As for this NYTimes event: some astute observers remembered that Melody Hobson that Meghan will speaking with was also the moderator for the Obama Summit conversation with Harry back in 2017. I do hope Meghan actually will be in NY so she can Harry’s date for the gala. I have a feeling this isnt the last event that will be announced for that stretch of days.
People really do appreciate these nice gestures and the ones on the receiving end of Madame Duchess’s kind & considerate gesture appreciated it. They’re the ones whose words matter.
Not the BM and others who are well practiced in putting on their reading miscomprehension hats when it comes to the Duchess of Sussex.
Where exactly would Meghan and Harry have to move to in order for the British media to stop stalking their every move and gesture? This unhinged stalky behavior is seriously out of control.Get a clue . Harry and Meghan don’t want you nor do they want to know you or engage with you or be around you or acknowledge you. So move on . Get a life or go stalk the ones in your own country that you pay taxes for.
I am so hoping that we will be getting a Sussex take New York part 2.
The stars are gone, sorry not sorry Salty losers. BM looking like stalkers now that they have to love with the consequences of their actions.
Where I work Starbucks gift cards are regular way to say hey thanks for whatever extra little thing you just did. Starbucks is a decent company as mega corporations go and everyone can find something they enjoy at Starbucks. If you’re kosher, halal, vegan, have a giant ulcer and can’t drink coffee … Starbucks has something for you. It’s a nice generic gift.
Same. Actually, a mediator we use often gives the lawyers $10 Starbucks gift cards after the mediation, and we all love it. Yes, we pay him thousands of dollars to mediate, and we charge our clients thousands of dollars to attend the mediation, but that little gift card is always appreciated. It’s like a “hey, well done today”, and who doesn’t like that?
Off topic; I love this dress. Red is her color and the cut is so flattering. She needs one in every color.
It was so appropriate for the situation. As the guy said, she basically got a bunch of people working long hours some Starbucks. Yet the Salty Island makes a big deal when Kate gives out some homemade cookies and jam.
I am going to challenge one thing I have noticed happening during these discussions of Harry and Meg. I like them both and what they stand for but I feel like the dialogue is dismissive of everyone in the UK now (eg. People saying things like “Who cares what Salty Island thinks? It’s a long-forgotten island” (paraphrasing here). I think its important not to dismiss an entire country because of the behavior of some of the leaders and press… If I were from the UK, that kind of rhetoric might turn me off. Just saying!
I agree. The U.S. has nothing to brag about when it comes to our recent leadership. The RF and the rota clearly don’t represent or speak for most of Britain.
But you guys voted for these very leaders and keep the tabloids in business so it is not just the behavior of the leaders and the press that are off putting. If the majority stopped buying the filth they swilling they would stop because it would affect their bottom line. The reality is that you guys keep them in business.
From what I’ve seen during the time I’ve been here, “Salty Isle” doesn’t really mean the entire UK – it’s a kind of shorthand for the royal family, the British media and the industry of royal “experts.”
My job one year, gave us $5 starbuck gift cards.
You are kidding? How disrespectful!! One year we got rain jackets with the company logo stitched on them, whereas the partners were given 5-6 digit bonuses! They claimed that they couldn’t afford to give bonuses after paying for the jackets!
I got a microwave safe bowl that was not microwave safe.
When I worked at Harry & David, we got butterball turkeys for Thanksgiving, a box of H&D chocolate truffles for Christmas, and then in the spring they gave away bulbs & trees & roses bushes (Jackson & Perkins was also under the umbrella of Bear Creek Corporation).
I was surprise when Meghan and Harry announced the partnership with Ethic, I have thought that she would partner in some new ethnical investment fund with Ariel Investments of which Melody Hobson is the CEO.
Eurydice, I know what you are saying… But over time the reference to the RR and royal family can get lost and it reads differently.
To the argument that British people are buying the media which is aligned against Megan so therfore that means the majority of people in the UK are in agreement with the negative coverage, that’s like saying Fox News is representative of the entire US because they earn revenue. I would disagree. I just want to be careful with labels.
Also I like Megan but my sister despises her and thinks she was a golddigger aspiring to be Diana 2.0. My sister argues more people dislike her in the US than like her. I don’t know but would like to see some info on this? I think some of the press over here is starting to turn on them… But who knows.
At the end of the day, she’s spoken up for people using her platform and done a lot for causes I support. I don’t get the hate but it’s out there.
How would your sister in the UK know this unless she is believing what the UK media are spoon feeding? And if your sister (or you) is concerned about Meghan being a “gold digger” why don’t you tell her to contact some of the many UK charities that have worked with Meghan and actually know her? There is Hubb Kitchen, Luminara Bakery, Smart Works, Mayhew, etc. im sure they would welcome more volunteers. If Meghan were truly a gold digger, it would be so much easier for her to divorce Harry, get half of everything, get child support for the next twenty years and never have to work another day in her life.
MSIAM, I’m not in the UK. I’m in the US (a Bostonion actually.) That’s why it was surprising to hear the dislike coming from someone on this side of the pond when I had thought most people here were fans. (I mention my sister only as an example of a person who logically should like Meg and shares many of her philanthropic values but oes not and has a totally different perception of her.) My point is that there is some anti Meg and Harry sentiment here in the US and it may be more widespread than I expected. My sister doesn’t read British blog sites to my knowledge. My point, which I’m not expressing well, I suppose, is that it’s not just coming from the British press and so maybe we can stop making negging comments and assumptions about the UK because of the media. It’s the same as the rest of the world making assumptions about everyone in the US based on Trump’s popularity and media coverage.
Of course there are M&H haters in the US. Generally they sport MAGA hats and/or Q t-shirts.
Kate. I’m from the US and there isn’t Meghan and Harry hate. The press here talk about them if they do anything but that’s it’s. For the most part they are pretty quiet about Meghan and Harry. This definitely sounds like concern trolling. And if you or your sister Bellevue tabloids, then I feel sorry for you both.
Meghan must be one of the worst gold diggers of all time then because never heard of one turning down alimony or leaving a position where they don’t have to support themselves to go out & be financially independent.
And I find that the liberal types are just as bothered by Meghan as the MAGA types. They do women’s marches etc but will be first people to spew tabloid crap about Meghan not wearing tights & following protocol etc.
Lots of people no matter their politics or race are bothered by a black/mixed race woman not ‘knowing her place’ & especially one that won’t stay for abuse & be ‘grateful’ & that’s what Meghan represents to many. They justify their bigotry by believing tabloid garbage that doesn’t really make sense & they normally wouldn’t give credence to.
When have the British royals ever opened up their wallets for another human being?
MA, when the other human being is about to drop his/her hard-earned tax dollars into the British royal wallet. Very simple.
Meghan is a boss. So she does cool, caring things because it comes from her heart and not some PR strategy. Her haters, on the other hand, are vile, mercenary, racist cowards who are making bank, getting publicity and making the world a little bit worse because of their actions. I’ll tell you, I’d rather do any menial labor than have a job based on the values of people like Piers Morgan or Meghan’s own father. I’d scrub floors, work in 7/11 or McDonald’s. Hard work for little pay, but I wouldn’t be a smarmy bottom-feeder.
What happened to the coffee startup she invested in?