The Daily Express had another unhinged hit piece on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which is no real surprise. The surprise is that Deadline picked up the story and repeated it without any curiosity about whether the Express’s source was a rancid tabloid editor’s ass. This isn’t the first time one of the Hollywood trade papers has picked up on the “reporting” done by British tabloids, but it’s getting to be a more regular thing and it’s the worst. So, here’s the story: the Sussexes are “worried” that the Windsors have been blocking them from signing big sponsorship deals. Allegedly, WME has been trying to put together some deal but brands are like “no, we’d rather work with Camilla!” Seriously?
The Express can exclusively reveal that parties linked to the Sussex camp have held crisis talks following a succession of failed projects and influential doors being slammed in their face.
“There’s a general feeling that there has been a vendetta waged against them,” the source said. “There have been talks held with high profile brands that didn’t lead to anything but should have done. Those brands then actively courted other members of the family.”
Queen Camilla wore Dior Haute Couture to the Palace of Versailles during an official visit to France in September. It was also revealed in November that Meghan had lost out on the opportunity of a lucrative Dior deal to Meg Bellamy who plays a young Kate Middleton in season six of The Crown.
“Both Harry and Meghan often wore Dior and were at one point huge fans of the brand,” the source said. “Harry wore a [Dior] suit to the Coronation and the Sussexes were starting to build up their partnership with the fashion house.
“Then the focus shifted towards Camilla and other members of the family. To add salt to the wounds, the actress playing Kate Middleton was announced as the new face of the brand. It was all very suspicious timing.”
It was announced in April that Meghan Markle had signed a contract with William Morris Endeavor (WME) in a bid to secure lucrative new deals. However, eight months later, there’s still no sign of any new projects and the Sussexes’ reputation remains in ruins.
Harry and Meghan’s self-titled Netflix documentary was released last December. Since then, they’ve lost out on a lucrative $20 million Spotify deal with exec Bill Simmons calling them “grifters”. Netflix cancelled the development of Pearl; an animated series created by Meghan and the couple are noticeably struggling in Hollywood.
“They [the Sussexes] are thrashing around like a fish out of water,” the source said. “The team doesn’t appear to know what to do at this point. The consensus now is to try and repair the damage done to the Royal Family and hope that link will help them out of the doldrums.”
Again, it’s really curious that Deadline picked up this story, since it’s clearly in the same vein as all of the other British tabloid stories about how the Sussexes are “desperate” to retain their connection to the left-behind Windsors. This also follows a similar pattern of “royal sources” making up some lie about what Harry and Meghan “want” and then those sources insist that the royals successfully blocked them. It’s actually become clear that the palace has “vendetta blocked” the Sussexes, because the palace is paranoid – the palace has gone out of its way to cry to the Biden administration and beg the Bidens not to do anything with or for the Sussexes. The palace wanted Camilla to get attention for wearing a Dior sack, so they made up a big lie about Meghan’s desperation for a Dior sponsorship.
Now, all that being said, all of us thought that WME would have announced something new with Meghan a lot sooner. We still don’t know what’s going on behind-the-scenes, but I hope it’s big.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.
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- North America Rights Only, London, England – 20220603- National Service of Thanksgiving On Day Two Of The Platinum Jubilee Celebrations -PICTURED: Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com -67259710 Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE – London, UK -20220603- Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen, marking the monarch’s 70 year Platinum Jubilee, at St Paul`s Cathedral -PICTURED: Meghan Markle Duchess of Sussex -PHOTO by: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images/INSTARimages.com -51631525.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded
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- North America Rights Only, London, England – 20220603- National Service of Thanksgiving On Day Two Of The Platinum Jubilee Celebrations -PICTURED: Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com -67259391 Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive for a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service.,Image: 696614407, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Matt Dunham / Avalon
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, on day two of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. The National Service marks The Queen’s 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. Public service is at the heart of the event and over 400 recipients of Honours in the New Year or Birthday Honours lists have been invited in recognition of their contribution to public life. Drawn from all four nations of the United Kingdom, they include NHS and key workers, teaching staff, public servants, and representatives from the Armed Forces, charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups.,Image: 696633859, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty O’Connor / Avalon
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service.,Image: 696640808, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Matt Dunham / Avalon
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave after a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service.,Image: 696642820, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Matt Dunham / Avalon
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- NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE – London, UK -20220603- Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen, marking the monarch’s 70 year Platinum Jubilee, at St Paul`s Cathedral -PICTURED: Meghan Markle Duchess of Sussex -PHOTO by: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images/INSTARimages.com -51631442.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded
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- North America Rights Only, London, England – 20220603- National Service of Thanksgiving On Day Two Of The Platinum Jubilee Celebrations -PICTURED: Meghan Duchess of Sussex -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com -67260363 Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
I cannot imagine that Dior would pass over Meghan and choose Camzilla to be representative of their brand. This did not happen.
Lmfao, agree. This is pure comedy. I would believe she lost out to another Hollywood person though.
Honestly , wattpad authors can write better fiction than this
Both Dior and Meghan said at the time, there was no deal discussed and then, suddenly Camilla came out with a Dior outfit. It was obvious they were creating this story to push Camilla to the headlines, but since she is so ugly, it didn’t work. I don’t think, even Dior put a pic of her to their socials. They always posted when Harry or Meghan wore their designs.
That was my thinking as well — if Meghan was losing out on deals to anyone else, it’d be far more likely for that person to be a Hollywood star. I can’t imagine any designer enthusiastically throwing their support behind Camilla. Is a slouchy old woman with a face like a cheap leather satchel and a utilitarian fashion sense really the person to whom you’d entrust the reputation of your legendary brand?
I did think it was odd Dior was so eager to sign Meg Bellamy. She’s not famous.
@Sevenblue, they put several pics of Cams on Insta. They’re very airbrushed.
There’s nothing about Meg Bellamy on insta and they’re always posting actresses. They do have Elizabeth Debiki as an ambassador.
Megan, I think that’s the point. The British media is trying to telegraph to Meghan, she who once wasn’t famous at all, according to them, that Dior would rather hire the unknown actress who plays Kitty on The Crown, than sign a deal with the actual Duchess of Sussex.
These people have no shame, and I’m sure that’s why Meghan and Dior both said it was bullshit immediately.
I’ve always suspected that whether or not Dior reached out to Meghan or Harry for a Dior deal, they would never go against the many royal houses all over the world that wear Dior couture and keep them a going concern. I can see how Dior might be afraid that signing Meghan and/or Harry wouldn’t go down well with their most lucrative clientele, because of the perception that the Sussexes are “anti-royal” or even just not to offend the BRF. And Camilla’s wearing of Dior right around the time of all the gossip smells like the usual petty bullshit the BRF likes to rock…
That said, I doubt Meghan and/or Harry are aiming for a fashion contract, I think their business goals are more ambitious (think Silicon Valley, Hollywood producing, etc…)
Side chick is just so unattractive. Everything she wears is so unfashionable.
Right! The think heads @ Dior decided Camzilla was a better fit for their brand than Meghan.LOLZ
Then, Dior chose Meg Bellamy over Madame Duchess,(whose pieces she wears are known to sell out since forever-d*mn, the black peacock tea cup sold out) and peeps believe this. It’s nothing against Meg Bellamy. I’m pretty sure Meg wasn’t chosen over Meghan.
Love the free PR the Sussexes get from #ThatFamily. All noise and nonsense, reeks of desperation.
They’re just trying to goad them into announcing their plans. They’re desperate for content. Until then, they’re going to speculate and spin negativity.
I still maintain that the SAG and WGA strikes delayed whatever Meghan has going on.
This is such a great comment.
Also, good/great projects take time, effort, commitment to organize & plan.
I mean, anyone can make a pie chart or declare their life’s work, but actually doing it is completely different.
Nothing about Meghan screams frivolous.
Exactly. There’s been nothing in the works= we have absolutely no idea what they have planned next.
Meghan said that they’ve lots of exciting things in the works and i am trusting on that.
And something I’ve come to wonder about is whether the Sussexes even will or want to do big public things, or whether they’re actually content to be players behind the scenes. I’m increasingly getting that vibe – the quiet moderation for The After, the projects in their annual report that were “new” and not previously announced or events done.
I’ll bet they’re quite happy moving about behind the scenes – it’s the British press that are losing their minds over it. The whole royal family thing is you have to be seen to be believed, but Meghan and Harry are in a different world now and they do not need to be seen.
Meghan already announced the acquisition of the novel that’s going to be produced into a rom-com. Obviously with the strikes that was put on hold so now that’s out of the way, we’ll hear more. And as far as brand deals, its obvious that’s a lie. Look at some of the folks that get brand deals, and somehow the media wants us to think that Harry’s beef with his racist family is a stumbling block? The Sussexes are not operating on the lying tabloid timetables so they can all go kick rocks. After Harry’s win, I can’t see how they have any credibility at all.
@Snuffles … It also deflects away from Harry’s victory. Moreover, this isn’t the first negative story Deadline has published about the Sussexes. They’ve parroted a few British tabloid stories with their own negative spin over he past two years, I’ve noticed.
Deadline was purchased by the Penske Media Corporation (PMC) in 2009. They also own ‘SheKnows’.
So this article is based on one thing – a supposed Dior deal that fell through – with no other deals “blocked” or discussed. Then recall that Deadline is owned by Penske Media, which also owns The Hollywood Reporter that ran that nonsense story on the Sussexes being “losers.” I think all signs point to a British tabloid source, perhaps one being sued, n’est-ce pas? The Daily Fail is also trying to push the “this is the year the Sussexes became losers” story.
It’s all the same strategy: create a (false) narrative and keep pushing it because at least some of that messaging will stick.
If only the Sussexes had a positive and proactive communications strategy to counter with a different narrative….sigh….
Lady Esther, Excellent point! You are completely right about Penske Media and it’s interesting that the Murdoch method (ie, reporting something negative in the Sun or TMZ and then mentioning it elsewhere like PageSix or Fox, or mentioning a different negative story that then gets used by another Murdoch site) seems to be utilized here with THR and Deadline. I really wonder why Penske is doing this.
This 👆. A great deal of damage can be done with false narratives when there is no pushback.
Umm, both Dior and Meghan’s spokesperson said there was no brand deal discussed when it is first reported. It doesn’t matter whether they push back, if tabloids want a story out there. The same thing happened when it was reported that Harry was staying at hotels instead of home. Harry said it wasn’t true, still some tabloids talk about it as if it is real and not mention that Harry refuted it.
Deadline was also very anti union during the strikes.
But the origins of deadline start from Niki Finke and more often than not it was a Perez Hilton version of an industry blog.
Pretending that a Dior dress worn by Camilla means anything in Hollywood is pretty lazy.
So I’m not a pr person so can someone break it down for me. When people say they want to see a more proactive communications approach from the Sussexes, what specific actions do you want them to take? Break it down for me and how it would work and look. I’m genuinely asking what people think they should be doing.
@Jais, thanks for asking this question, because it’s been on my mind too. They are the epitome of don’t constantly complain, don’t try to explain the ridiculous stories. They let stuff fly w/o pushback but corrected the Dior story which seemed to me completely made up and trust me when I say I have no fashion experience. But Dior and QC seemed too far a stretch to me. Still, they corrected. So what would a ‘better communications team’ actually say/do differently and what should they be doing more of, or better?
Well, I’m still waiting for an answer😂.
I think the general feedback from PR professionals here is they need to be proactive talking about what they *are* doing.
I can’t remember everything they mentioned, but I do remember some comments that their website isn’t great. They also don’t have a newsletter or anything to give information on what they’re working on, outside of what they film for Netflix.
I hope one of them will chime in but that’s what I remember specifically.
Thank you @slush
Excellent post @Jais. Wondered the same thing. Are people expecting their team to pushback on everything? Said it before and will say it again, Angelina Jolie was one of the most vilified women for years, by all sorts of press. She rarely responded. Angelina didn’t go running to Page Six like Brad Pitt does. When it was truly important-her word got out.
I see Meghan/H&M operating the same way.
Amen. Someone recently did a great PR analysis in the comments of how that kind of proactive positive communication could look like (including separating Archewell production and charity arms in the messaging). We know that KP people lurk here but maybe some Archewell comms people do to??
What they are doing is actually perfect. Just stay quiet. The british tabloids keep their names in the papers. So everybody still has them in their thoughts. Then they come out and announce what they are working on. And it imedietly is what everyone is talking about. If they comment on everything that is printed about them. That is all they would be doing. Because there are a lot of stories everyday. Plus them commenting will just give the tabloids more to write about. Their supporters are just like the tabloids. They want more information about what they are doing.
Some of their supporters might be like that. I’m not. I presume that they are just going about their lives (like the rest of us) on a day to day, week to week basis. Whatever time period. The tabloids are worse. They expect something every day. Too bad, so sad. /s I like the Sussexes and will support/defend them. I do not expect them to deliver their plans, activities and whatnot, to me.
Honestly, I’ve seen more from the RR’s, derangers and their expectations over fans/supporters. True supporters recognize that the Sussexes are just doing their thing.
I wrote a comment that disappeared. I’m a supporter of the Sussexes. I don’t need to know what they are doing every day or week or month. They have huge expenses. I’m confident they have it all figured out. Neither Meghan or Harry are workshy. They both have connections outside of the BRF that would employee them for their skill sets. FACTS.
I want to talk about William’s relationship with Christian Jones & Dan Wootton more. And how both of them announced new positions in January 2021.???? Coincidence or something else?
Robert Phillips, I agree with you. They can’t respond to the tabloids because that is what the tabloids want. Ignoring them is the only response.
I like the fact that they announce their projects when they are ready to launch. They don’t spend time telling everyone what they’re going to do instead they do it and then tell about it. If you’re doing the work, people will see it when it’s complete.
Why in the world would Deadline pick this up? It sound royal fanfiction. If brands wanted to work with Camilla, they would be and would have been before H&M.
If this really is a thing, WME needs to put out exactly what companies are kissing royal a-. I would certainly boycott each and every one. Can’t boycott Dior though, have never bought a single item from them.
What does this have to do with WME? They represent their entertainment clients, not random companies. They’re not commenting because there is nothing to comment on. Meghan has worked with agents and publicists before. This is a stupid story and not exactly sure what there is fir them to say that hasn’t already been said.
Let’s remember that Deadline reported that the Netflix was spooked by the Queen’s death and that had postponed the release of the docuseries to 2023. Plus, any article that includes “the Express said” deserves to be in the dustbin. Btw, Express belongs to Mirror Group who Harry sued and won against for phone hacking. Deadline should have its own sources in Hollywood rather than depending a low rent British tabloid that nobody reads.
I need to remind everyone that the Sussexes have already completed 3 series with Netflix. That’s three separate projects within four years. Harry has four series under his belt. They are doing fine. If their are any roadblocks I think it’s bc they are staying particular to their brand. Everything they put out is going to be about service and I think they may have trouble finding the brands that work with that.
There is one detail not correct. Not everything will be about service. Meghan talked about Rom com that I think is in development.
@poppedbubble thanks! That’s news to me
I think Newsweek picked this up too. “Crisis talks” could just be having another strategy meeting with WME about some project or other, which tabloids have spun into something sinister by making a mountain out of a coincidence. If the Sussexes or Meghan alone is planning to launch something different, it needs to be timed right and to go off without a hitch. Who knows if there have in fact been any delays and, if there are, what caused them.
Harry was just named one of People Magazine’s Top 25 most intriguing people of the year. His book is one of the best selling of the year. Where is the crisis? This is more of the “Sussexes are going broke!” nonsense and we know KP is behind that.
So basically, the Express knows nothing except that H&M both like to wear Dior and Dior apparently gets excited when those two wear Dior, based on their tweets/social media posts. And Meg Bellamy signed on to be the new face of Dior.
And for the umpteenth time, Netflix didn’t cancel just Pearl. It canceled its entire animation division. And Spotify appears to be floundering at this point.
Everything H&M touch turns to gold, so I’m not sure why Deadline is taking a british tabloid at its word about what is happening in hollywood.
I think Spotify wanted to keep Archetypes as a Spotify exclusive. Now that its known that ship is sinking, its starting to make sense why Big Mouth Simmons said what he said.
Did Meg Bellamy sign on to be the ‘new face of Dior’ or did they just dress her for a premiere? Surely they would have waited to see how the new season of the Crown was received before offering her a contract.
LOL I don’t even know! I’m just going by the talking points in this story. They’re using a Meg Bellamy/Dior connection as some sort of indication that dior hates Meghan.
When I google “Meg Bellamy Dior” all I get is a DM piece and then other tabloid pieces that refer back to the DM – nothing from Dior directly. When I google “new face of Dior” I get all sorts of names as the “new face,” but no mention of Meg apart from the tabloid stories
Be careful what you wish for – Harry still has 400+ pages cut from Spare that he could decide to publish if he is looking for $$. It would probably be a bigger seller than Spare.
Let’s not forget there was a writers and actors strike for the better part of the summer and fall. This can cause a delay in a lot of things. Plus, I remember reading that a lot of studios are not getting a lot of scripts or ideas since the strike was over.
This. I said the same above. These fuckers are acting like this never happened. No TV series have come back yet. And they won’t until January or February.
If Meghan’s projects included Guild writers or actors, everything would have been paused.
That too. The writers and actors strike delayed a lot of projects by months that were supposed to go into production. Plus you have to think about the rollout that’s involved for new projects. If movies had to be delayed by months just to get the publicity part of it in line with other things that are being released, starting over from scratch with stuff that may not have been written, or filmed, or location scouted is going to take some time. People need to presume until they say otherwise that Harry and Meghan are operating at the speed that is fine for the people that are paying them, they don’t have to operate at a speed that appeals to us.
Didn’t Deadline hire someone who worked for the Daily Fail or some other tabloid in the past year? Not completely surprising when that factor is considered. The British press has been trying to infiltrate American media in one way or another.
Yep Baz something or other. I remember being surprised when I saw his name on the byline from when I still used to look at the Daily Mail. They have absolutely realized that people generally discount a lot of what’s coming from the British media because they know that they have an active hate boner against them, so they can try to launder it into “legitimate” criticism if it comes from the US, which feeds into their narrative of “everyone in the US hates them” and hides the fact that the articles are originating from people that worked for British tabloid media and companies that have editors in chief who are from British tabloid media.
Yep, Baz Bamigboye. The London based International Editor for Deadline. Previously of the Daily Fail Entertainment area. Caroline Frost (the stenographer of the Deadline article based off of the Express article) is based in London. I’m guessing her Hollywood connections are as close to the Express’s. But. thank goodness they’re repeating the BM versions of things. /s
This story could only be more true if it came from the Heritage Foundation. /s
Listen, I just want Harry and Meghan to keep making money on top of money bc the way they’re obsessed over and smeared over, they’re going to need security money for life. The RF and their media friends are doing everything they can to hurt the Sussexes. At this point, what’s the endgame? They want the Sussexes to one day go broke and come crawling back so they can have them under their thumb again? William may want that in theory but only so he can say no bc he would never actually want the sussex family back in the uk. So what’s the endgame? They lose deals and can’t afford security and actually get hurt? I’m not saying that’s going to happen to the Sussexes but I’m just wondering what is the point of this from the RF? Or maybe it’s more the BM at this point. Murdoch and rothemere are shook.
Harry has lawsuits against all tabloids, so they are trying to hurt his credibility and prevent any positive press as a punishment (Harry called it “vendetta journalism”). From palace side of view, there is no spare left to push under the bus, so I am sure they are giving negative stories from time to time to feed the press even if it is made up.
I don’t think these contracts are ever locked-in – and I’m not sure Megan Markle would be a natural fit for Dior. She’s more edgy and modern, fashion-wise. I would love to see a collaboration with Proenza Schouler, for instance. Dior is a good fit for Natalie Portman, but for Megan? She should sign with a sustainable fashion house with more contemporary lines.
Ah, this is a fun game, I’ll play. Proenza Schouler is a great brand. How about the newly revived Chloé, since Meghan has shown a penchant for French fashion, with a woman of colour as their new creative director, a partnership with Atelier Jolie, etc? And the first European fashion house to become a B-corp (tldr it means they’re concerned about sustainable fashion).
Exactly – I think there are many options that would be more aligned with her natural style, and her philanthropy. If I were her agency, I would suggest a mix of contracts with sustainable high fashion brands, and emerging, American designers she would want to promote (that’s not going to bring in the $$$ but it would be an an enormous boost to their brand and visibility, probably worth as much if not more than a formal grant). As she did for “Smart Works” a few years back, when she wore their designs it gave them so much momentum!
and Richemont Groupe (Swiss company that owns Chloé) also owns Cartier… BOOM. Perfect fit for Meghan. Finally, Chloé’ hasn’t had a fragrance in years, so if they launch a new one…a black-and-white image of Meghan and Angelina à la Christy Turlington in the Calvin Klein Eternity ads would break the Internet haha…
In all the plans for the future that Meghan has talked about, I don’t remember her ever saying she wants to be a Brand Ambassador. As it is, with all the press and fan scrutiny, she’s pretty much a brand ambassador for anything she chooses to wear.
But what Meghan has talked about is she wants to produce some films, like rom-coms, and other content. It’s stupid to think the RF could block that and Deadline should know this.
I seriously doubt they want Horsilla. What is she going to represent Purina Horse Chow lol. I don’t think WME would have signed with them if there was nothing for them to do. Just more lies from the BM and they think if they keep telling them something will stick but alas it hasn’t happened so far.
I think the Windsors need them to succeed, it’s the only way for them to get noticed. I’m sure Chucky heard about the verdict of the courts and just had to insert himself into the story to ride the wave. Otherwise no one pays attention to them.
Yes , Dior passed up on a human wearing their clothes in exchange for a cow . Makes perfect sense if you are a fashion house dressing animals
Now, now. They passed up in favor of a HORSE. Not a cow.
🤭
The least surprising thing is that Deadline is picking up this type of article. Deadline is the worst type of industry rag, and they will publish literally anything.
I do believe that they are being blacklisted from deals. The BFR has all the power in this. They have the media, brands and all the connections to ruin H&M and they will stop at nothing to make it happen. When the reports were coming out that W won… I really do believe that this is what they were trying to tell us. That they will hurt H&M’s pocket.
If that were the case, they would’ve long tanked the Netflix and Spotify deals. Archewell Productions wouldn’t have even gotten off the ground. The BRF only has real power and influence in their home base. The most they can do internationally is threaten to cut off access for interviews, and American outlets already stood their ground when the palace demanded to see interviews with Harry before responding to queries.
The British royal family doesn’t have any power outside of England — they barely have any power in Scotland, Wales and the Commonwealth.
They’re a curiosity, not a power house.
Reports that W won? Do you mean William? Yeah idk. william leaked that he supposedly went on a run in Central Park for attention. Is that really winning?
I don’t understand. The RF says don’t hire Meghan Markle or else… or else, what? Or else we’ll tell the tabloids to trash her even more? Been there, done that. Or else they’ll shut down the Dior department at Selfridge’s? Maybe they can keep some British marmalade manufacturer from putting Meghan’s face on the label, but we’re talking about international corporations here. Dior is owned by LVMH and the CEO, Bernard Arnault, is one of the richest men on the planet. Dior is going after K-pop stars as brand ambassadors – are they going to care what aging C&C think? Or W&K, the RF’s answer to middle class mom and pop?
My lord, enough already! WME and Ari Emanuel need to start hitting back at this garbage. Deadline and Hollywood Reporter have both jumped onto the Sussex-bashing bandwagon – HOW many actors and actresses does WME represent?? WME needs to start making their entire client list less available for comments and interviews. These rags want to behave like the rota rats?? FINE. Let them starve for good content like the rota rats.
Anyway, I’m still working my way through my first cup of tea, so I’m a little groggy and cranky. I may change my mind about this later.
But probably not.
I think they reached out to Meghan and she declined. To say there were no talks is face saving for them both.
I for one do not believe Harry or Meghan are looking for that type of deals. About WME, really good deals take time and the Sussexes are patient. Not long ago, Meghan said that really good coming are coming but couldn’t yet be announced. Like many media like, paper or online, Deadline is probably trying to get higher audience by using the Sussexes.
If RF has the power to prevent powerful, big brands from working with H&M, how come they couldn’t find one A-list performer for coronation of the new King? I am sure they have great influence with people who got or want the titles, but global brands wouldn’t give sh*t about the orders of a small country’s RF in Europe, which isn’t even in EU anymore. Their biggest market will always be USA, H&M get attention with anything they do both in USA and around the world. If it was H&M’s purpose to get brand deals, they would get it. Instead, they got content production contracts which is what they are doing since they left.
think this is all conjecture. but they should announce something soon…or else these rumors will rack up and ppl will think legitimate. it’s been too long since they’ve announced anything new. i don’t count invictus bc that’s an established partnership. it’s all about timing, and longer u make ppl wait, the more they think the rumors are true and that sours deals.
I’ve never thought that Meghan would do formal brand partnerships. it would put her front and centre and I don’t think she wants that. Any company that works with her would also be a target of a well funded and organized campaign by the right wing press and honestly its not worth it. Content creation for a massive company like Netflix (or another streamer) makes sense as does investing in companies. She could even be wearing clothes or jewelry for a brand that she’s investing in and we’d never know.
The only “crisis” is within the Palace walls! They never expected Harry to win his case, in fact they were praying he wouldn’t. Now the judge has pointed out that some of those tabloid stories had “other origins” ie the left behind Royals. Some of the British press are taking stock Didn’t Megan do something last week that was public, so no, neither she or Harry are hiding away or panicking. The only people doing that are Charles and Camilla, because Mr Morgan is in trouble and they know how he can save himself!! If Megan or Harry dropped the hint that they are willing to be brand ambassadors, fashion houses would snap their hands of, and has the Express forgotten the statement put out by Dior, or just choosing to ignore it?and if American press are printing more of the British rubbish, then they had better be prepared for the clap back from Harry.
I like the descriptive phrase “vendetta journalism” in Harry’s response to the High Court Ruling. It is exactly what the tabs and the Windsor’s collusion with them is all about. Is it a new phrase? It’s perfect.
I know this is an odd place to post the following question, and weirdly delayed, but I’ve always wanted to ask. Most on here are I assume American/Canadian. When the news broke years back re their relationship, did you mostly know who Meghan was? I don’t understand this cable TV stuff, which apparently rendered her pretty much unheard of amongst the wider TV watching American public. That is what I’ve always understood from the negative UK tabloid press around her – that she and Suits were somehow little league stuff. Is Suits like something we’d find here in the UK on a more minor BBC TV station such as BBC3, or is what they say just a load of crap and she was well known. (I hope the BBC 3 analogy means something.) Thank you.
I didn’t know who she was, not really. As I remember it, when news broke, the name sounded vaguely familiar to me, but that was it. I did know what Suits was though, just didn’t watch it.
USA is a pretty popular cable channel that’s been around for a while and has a good reputation for original series that didn’t get picked up by the broadcast networks – not HBO quality, but about on par with what you would see on NBC.
so even though I didnt really know who she was, hearing “she’s on Suits” put her into context for me.
Thank you, Becks1. So it sounds like her name needed the context of Suits for complete resonance. More BBC2 in regard to the level of familiarity with her show, albeit not in show content. Really interesting to me.
I knew who she was on sight because I watched suits. I remember that, OMG! Moment hearing about them dating.
@Sparrow, I didn’t know Meghan either. I hadn’t heard her name previous to the revelation that she and Harry were dating. However, I had heard of Suits, and I’d thought about checking it out to see if it was any good. But at the time, I wasn’t watching a lot of television, nor did I have cable. Fans of Suits and The Tig are the ones who knew Meghan well. Plus, she was well regarded and widely respected in the television/ entertainment industry. She was making significant strides as well in the humanitarian sector.
Meghan was obviously already independently wealthy, and she clearly was very successfulin her own right, despite not having a huge profile. I think she was on her way to breaking out in a big way, though. At the time she met Harry, she was in talks to work on a cookbook and/ or a cooking show. She was a regular guest on NBC’s Today Show doing cooking and fashion features. That’s why I think The Today Show was pissed they could not get her attention to come on again after she married Prince Harry. LOL!
@Sparrow I knew who she was well enough. I was a big USA Network girl for a while – White Collar, Psych, and Suits, all back to back one night a week, via DVR. I stopped watching Suits midway through the second second for reasons other than the show itself. I didn’t know about the Tig or anything like that though. I just knew her name and could place her face if I saw her in a picture. USA network is/was pretty popular, and Suits was heavily promoted for a while, so I’m sure a lot people at least had familiarity with her face in a “I’ve seen her somewhere before” kind of way, even if they couldn’t place her right off the bat.
Thank you LynnInTX, aftershocks, and Caplan (again Becks1). This is really interesting to me. It sounds like Meghan was doing well and on the up, seriously on the up. Some of you knew about her name and programme, some just the programme. This is what I’ve never got – the idea that she was unheard of over there when it sounds like she had familiarity across platforms that are way bigger than anything we have here in the UK. The worst is when she’s called a Z lister. It’s obvious I knew nothing about her at all. I remember seeing her picture when it was announced they were together and thinking to myself, she is so attractive, Kate Middleton is going to go mad. I just knew that from the get go. However, it is insightful to learn she was going places without all of this and that in a way Harry etc stopped her in her tracks. In a good way (Harry) bad way (the BRF).
She was clearly known in the UK as well.
Harry himself wrote in Spare that William and Kate were “religious” fans of Suits. This was another reason why he thought they would all get along, never imagined that the two would be revealed as racist backstabbers and that kkkate would be instrumental in a smear campaign which drove his pregnant wife to contemplate ending her life.
All the talk about M being “unknown” was just part of the palace/media plot to use the built-in racism in readers and viewers to paint her as a “gold digger”. If you go back, you’ll see that many of the reporters who now claim that she was unknown were on television programmes talking about how much she and Harry had in common, her charity work in India and Rwanda, her work with the UN, and yes, her role on Suits, the minute they found out that she and Harry were dating. Then they got their marching orders and suddenly it’s “no-one knew who she was, this interloper”.
They don’t want to admit it, but the real gold digger is the one who entered the royal family with nothing but her wedding dress to her name and whose family proceeded to grift off that connection, not the one who paid for her own wedding dress and all the clothes and shoes she wore on royal duty and the sofa in Nott Cott on her credit card and who had an international network of influential friends and who actually hit the ground running, which is what they said the other one would.
Just wanted to add that I always go back to this: Meghan had more followers on Twitter (and Instagram?) than the entire royal family combined before she met Harry. She definitely had more than KP on both. The royals’ social media accounts actually gained followers when she joined that family. They made the mistake of thinking that it was because of their popularity, when the reality was that it was because her millions of fans wanted to continue to follow and support her in her new life. That’s why KP ended up buying bots by the boatload when the Sussexes left the joint office and Sussex Royal began gaining followers in record numbers.
The Dior story was already debunked by both Sussex and Dior teams. They are so desperate for Sussex content. What’s happened recently? A Christmas card that had an already published photo without their kids, Meghan moderating Q& A about a Netflix film thats not hers from last month, and Harry winning his lawsuit against a major British tabloid that they refuse to even put on their front pages and shut them up for the weekend. So they have nothing to be that they can profit off and spin into clicks and drama. Instead they write about fake controversies and literally their spokespeople saying nothing.
Remember how Dior cashed in on Johnny Depp during his fiasco with Amber Herd. Dior is about making money. Hoemilla can never compete. Besides, Dior knows a sure thing when they see it.
In a recent interview with Missan Harriman, he said that Meghan was “very busy” take that as you will. Why do people expect a constant stream of projects from H&M? That is not usually expected of any other charity or creative persons. It’s amazing what has been accomplished charity wise and production wise considering they did not plan to be out of the Royal Family completely, but only hoping to explore income revenues to become more independent. They were cut off during a pandemic, Meghan had a miscarriage and the birth, of Lili, and recently a prologued writers strike that affected everyone’s ability to bring any project to completion or to start new ones. Would people prefer that the Sussexes be more like the Cambridges, perpetually announce grand schemes that they can’t accomplish, like saving a broken Britain, ending homelessness, middle east peace, etc. Sounds like some people would like Meghan and Harry to engage in a continual dialogue with the British tabloids- Harry said that was exactly what they would not do.
very busy doing what tho? invictus games was in september…other than moderating this misan talk what is she doing? i just wish they’d release some hints of their projects so these rumors don’t spiral.
The woman literally said at the Variety event she can’t wait to share what they have in the works. Why is everyone so impatient?
She’s living life. You guys act like y’all are paying her. We haven’t paid money and are waiting on a product they haven’t delivered. She is apparently moving at the speed the people who have them signed to contracts are comfortable with. I think the commenter Robert(?) had a fair point some fans just want to be all in their business like the tabloids.
@Rebecca
So if you don’t see her, she’s not working? She’s obviously working on projects that will be presented or announced in due course. Do people expect to be entertained with something new everyday? I don’t understand this comment at all.
Did you hear about the Welcome project Meghan has been working on since 2022? Welcoming Afghan women refugees and helping them build community? Unlike Keen with her pie charts and posters with little to show for it besides lots of new pantsuits, the Sussexes produce results.
The Sussexes can do whatever they like. They are under no obligation to anybody. They are raising two children and running a home, they keeps you busy if you are doing properly.
I have to admit I would like to see sustainable deals coming through – movie production strikes me as a stopgap – more likely to lose money than make it.
I always thought she would tap into business projects – reliable money makers. I really hope she does. The series they did on leaders was really good, but it didn’t make a huge splash. So I hope they’re not investing too much time into that.
Give us merch Meghan – please use your huge fan base. We want to buy your stuff 😀. We’ll make you billionaires 😁
OTOH maybe they want a company like the one Reece Witherspoon had – I know she sold it for almost $1B?
Whatever it is – I just hope it’s more than production.
They have independent investments and Harry has an actual day job with BetterUp. Who knows how much his shares are worth in that? I doubt Meghan had a mentor like Melody Hobson just for being a producer. I don’t get this sudden concern. Also, maybe it’s good to concentrate on one thing professionally, especially when their foundation takes so much time and making strides.
I always figured they used their seed money to invest so that they would never be in the situation they found themselves in, in April 2020 again. I think that some fans/supporter’s whatever want them to spend their time entertaining them by clapping back at the BRF and letting them vicariously spend their time” winning” by comparing Will and Kate and the Sussexes. It’s not healthy nor what they seem like they want, and I’m seeing it more an more in comments.
‘Sudden concern’? I’ve been concerned about sustainable finance for the Sussex’s for a long time.
The one way to shut the Brit press up is to become too rich to easily attack. They must quake at the thought of writing all the crap they deliver on a daily basis.
Investments are great, but are long term.
I just hope it’s stuff I can buy – fragrance, skincare, shapewear – field is wide open. Merch is where the money will be made.
I noticed yesterday on my newsfeed here in Oz all the hate stories about Sussexes and fluffy love ones about the others were full on .
I thought ,here we go they are in full on attack mode again .
It’s disgusting that they just want to destroy them and so publicly .
It makes me sad .