The Hollywood Reporter recently published a bizarre “hit piece” on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. While THR has been extremely snide about the Sussexes several times now, the Rambling Reporter’s “Why Hollywood Keeps Quitting on Harry and Meghan” came across as six-year-old stale tea from British reporting, with “sources” claiming that Meghan marches around the office, barking orders and making grown men weep. One of the big tells was that THR repeated the “Duchess Difficult” moniker which was started in 2018 by the racists working for Prince William and Kate. It really did feel like THR’s whole piece was sourced out of Kensington Palace… circa 2018-19. Meanwhile, the Sussexes have lived and worked in Montecito for more than four years. Well, there’s some pushback. And now I have a hard time believing that the Sussexes’ team would decide to push back on THR’s story… by talking off the record to GB News? Really? Not Variety? Not Deadline? Anyway, this is seemingly rare pushback from Team Sussex, so enjoy:
Allegations about Meghan Markle’s attitude to her staff have been labelled “fabrications” by Archewell insiders, GB News can exclusively reveal. A damning report published by The Hollywood Reporter had labelled Meghan “Duchess Difficult” and alleged “everyone’s terrified” of her as scathing claims about working conditions under the Sussexes came to light.
The outlet had included source quotes saying the duchess “marches around like a dictator in high heels, fuming and barking orders” – while in the past, Meghan herself has called comments on her so-called “bullying behaviour” a “calculated smear campaign”.
But now, GBNews.com has unearthed fresh details which look to have put the claims to bed in a new twist in the staffing saga. GB News has been handed an absolute denial of the allegations – as well as Meghan’s message to her employees – and has confirmed with several current staffers that the “Duchess Difficult” moniker has never been used.
One Archewell source, who asked not to be named, said: “These quotes were fabricated by someone lacking knowledge of our company. The duke and duchess work from Montecito, and we’re based in Hollywood. They likely think we’re all in the same office and that this quote would fly, but the circumstances don’t even allow for it. If she’s ‘marching around’ and ‘barking orders’, no Archewell employee could factually claim that… It’s total nonsense.”
The Duchess of Sussex had also been targeted by claims that she had filed “angry” 5am emails to employees. In response, another source said: “Who hasn’t sent an email when they can’t sleep or are awake early? I’ve never once ever gotten an email from either of them at that hour – and even if I did, the duchess specifically notes in her email signature that everyone has a different working day, and to not feel obligated to respond outside of normal business hours. These source quotes don’t make any sense!”
In another condemnation of the claims, GB News understands that Meghan’s email signature contains the phrase: “My working day may not be your working day. Please do not feel obliged to reply to this email outside your normal working hours.”
This is a solid rebuttal and I genuinely hope it’s from someone connected to Archewell. I just wish it was in Variety or Deadline, you know? Why are Sussex sources going to GB News of all places? This whole storyline has been bizarre, another asinine piece of the larger narrative the British media has been trying to force for years: that the Sussexes have not been welcomed in “Hollywood,” that they could be “kicked out” and “sent back to Britain.” It is not happening. As for Meghan’s alleged sign-off… I believe that too, and she probably started using it when she moved back to California. Those British people acted like they had never received an off-hours text or email from their boss or coworker ever. They’re still crying about it.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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- ** RIGHTS: WORLDWIDE EXCEPT IN NETHERLANDS ** Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA – Meghan Markle The Duchess of Sussex is seen during a visit to the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, part of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), of which she was announced as Patron in January 2019. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 1 OCTOBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** London, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, attend the WellChild Awards Ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London, UK. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 15 OCTOBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – BGUK_1763809 – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, attend a roundtable discussion on gender equality with The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) and One Young World at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, UK. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex,, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex BACKGRID USA 25 OCTOBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – BGUK_1763809 – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, attend a roundtable discussion on gender equality with The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) and One Young World at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, UK. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, BACKGRID USA 25 OCTOBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – BGUK_1763809 – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, attend a roundtable discussion on gender equality with The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) and One Young World at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, UK. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, BACKGRID USA 25 OCTOBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are seen after a visit to One World Observatory with Governor Hochul and Mayor de Blasio. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were seen sharing a laugh with the NYC mayor as they stood for photos. The royal couple ascended to the 100th to 102nd floor observation deck of the Freedom Tower for meeting. The couple are due to spend three days in NY marking their first trip together since Megxit and following the recent birth of their daughter. and Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 23 SEPTEMBER 2021 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Dusseldorf, GERMANY – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attending a lunch reception during the One Year to Go event, one year before Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023, at the City Hall on the Market Square in Dusseldorf, Germany. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 6 SEPTEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stir up a media frenzy outside of the Hilton Hotel for a special event. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 6 DECEMBER 2022 BYLINE MUST READ: T.JACKSON / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- KINGSTON, JAMAICA – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at the world premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Jamaica as King Charles prepares for a prostate operation and Kate Middleton is a week into her hospital stay. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Andrew Holness, Juliet Holness BACKGRID USA 23 JANUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Huevo started those fake stories though knauf.
Karma is Bi@+ch, BP and THR… which is filled withmonarchist. Y’all something else.
Anytime he and his wife are rocked back on their heels, they dust off one these old songs: Meghan’s a bully, Meghan made grown men cry. So sexist, and yes, racist. It’s the whole idea that a black woman should not, and cannot be a boss. She must always be nice, or else, here come the stereotypical accusations. It reminds me off an episode of NPR from decades ago, when they interviewed upper class black women, who talked about the trouble they had with household staff who disrespected them.
I don’t think these KP dwellers will win the PR game. They’re bullies and they pay and allow people to bully the Sussexes. They don’t have the authentic, real, dynamic vibes that the Sussexes have. At the very least, they’re just poor copycats.
I actually believe this. I think GB News reached out and someone on the team briefed. I don’t believe they would pretend to know Meghan’s email sign off. That libellous. It is possible that big US publications haven’t reached out because they feel no need to pursue this story. Only the UK seem invested in this.
Yeah. All this nonsense started in the UK anyway, so why not refute it in the UK?
THR is filled with Brits here in LA, so it does not surprise me THR keeps carrying-the-liesof the British tabloids.
Most of THR writers are monarchistandbrexitsupporters not sure why they are here in our country. We beat them fair and square in the Independence War.
@the Robinsons … I fear The Hollywood Reporter has gone the way of the Heritage Foundation and/or have been given the Thomas Markle pay for play treatment. it seems to me that THR just ran with that crud to see if any of it would stick. In my humble opinion, I believe the goal is to have this stuff published by American media so they can say Americans think they’re grifters, soiled, and difficult.
Most Americans didn’t pay attention to the predatory tabloid frenzy against Harry and Meghan designed to crush them. Over the past three years I’ve only noticed 2 or 3 direct hit pieces here and there, most notably in the NY Times, in Opinion sections of prominent American publications (easier to get an Opinion piece past a reputable Editor than a feature article based on facts). But when I’d click the byline name(s) I’d find the author of the piece was either British or had worked for a British media publication.
In this instance, The Hollywood Reporter editor who has taken ownership of this hit piece is Maer Roshan. **Kaiser, I hope it’s okay to link this here. This is the link to an Access Hollywood video interview with Maer Roshan about the hit piece. Note how he mentions that one of the employees they talked to was ‘a high up source’.
https://youtu.be/uJS5MB7rxh8?si=D45rEgrBDlcfB85Z
I’ve just read Maer Roshan’s bio. They spend three full paragraphs listing all of his American publication jobs with related accolades, but then end with this small paragraph: “Hired by Tina Brown as editorial director of “Talk”, Roshan oversaw double-digit circulation gains in his first year. Brown later described him as “the most natural male editor of his generation.”
Yayyy the Robinsons!!!!! We did win the war of independence.
First, GB News too had reported the NYP and THR Meghan bullying hit piece. So this was a backtrack. The question is why?
2). Me thinking – could it be that Meghan’s lawyer has sent c-and-d letters to all the outlets who started and had spread these mainly old allegations, and GBNews decided to backtrack in this way?
3). And is it possible that, to get it right this time, a GB reporter reached out in disguse – like as representing a more reputable news outlet – and the Archewell staff, some less familiar with the names of the rats in the RR landscap, felt for the trick? Many of the GBNews reporters are freelancers. They (and other H&M obsessed royal reporting hacks, who are starved from royal news these days) are up to any tricks to get paid.
*landscape
I think they where sent legal letters probably from H&M legal team or Arie Emmual. What was said was beyond slander and a outright lie. It’s understood that Hollywood Reporter has a indirect link to Murdoch and the NY post that reprinted the story.
GB News is the scum of the earth. No one from camp Sussex would brief this lot. Jason Knauf is in bed with this lot, he knows Meghan’s signature block as he uxed to be their press officef. Think if TMZ married the daily fail this would be the offspring.
You can schedule emails/slack to deliver later. I use that feature all the time to schedule messages to send at 9am the next work day so people don’t feel obligated to respond immediately (or forget about it entirely because they don’t respond immediately). A disclaimer is nice but I think delaying sending is the more efficient practice, and more respectful of other people’s time.
How does she know when people’s 9am is? She deals with people around the world, and not everyone is 9 to 5. But find a way to put her down.
I don’t think it was meant to put someone down.
It’s becoming more normal to not send emails outside of work hours. Some countries are even talking about forbidding it, which is 100% a good thing in my opinion. I know super stressed people that were heavily pressured to answer at like 9m30 pm on a Friday or sunday morning (not saying Meghan does or did pressure people, talking in general about the subject).
It is then handy to have tools to make sure emails don’t arrive outside of working hours. I didn’t know much about scheduling them, but a manager I know has been sending emails with something like that in signature for years.
Why trust the scheduler which might glitch when folks can just not look at their emails if it stresses them out?
No its not a good thing to forbid people from sending emails when convenient.
exactly. I don’t care what time emails arrive in my inbox, as long as I don’t have to answer until I start work.
Her email signature is perfect.
I’m not sure why some are acting like there isn’t something called time difference. Even here in the US, the west coast is 3 hours ahead of the east coast. Delaying emails to send at 9am whose time exactly? And govts are banning sending emails after whose working hours exactly? Please, Madam Duchess’s signature is just perfect. People have different working hours based on different time zones. I’m in SoCal and its 9.30am now here but my folks back in E. Africa are getting ready to go to bed, its 7.30pm their time. Are you even for real with this “she should delay sending emails till 9am or with the govt should ban her sending emails before 9am”?
@Lawrenceville: the west coast is three hours behind the east coast. Also, lots of folks maxi-flex any more, so their start time can be any time, really. 9AM seems late in the day to some of us.
I work for a global company and outlook will ask if I’d like to schedule send to the recipient’s normal working hours & give me that range so it’s entirely possible. But for myself I could be working at 4AM, I could be working at 8PM but I’ve gotten much better at my own boundaries to not feel the need to immediately respond
Are people really upset if an email comes in after their work hours? I get emails 24/7 because of the industry I work in but just like I know that my coworkers that are in different time zones will respond during their working hours, they know the same about me. Are people really having their phones (if their emails are even on their phones) go off at all hours indicating that they have a new email and jumping up to answer it? I just really don’t believe that, and I don’t believe that it’s a huge deal that is evidence of inconsiderate nature it just seems like something silly to beat someone over the head over. Maybe how I operate is an anomaly though.
@Dee, that definitely happens, along with messages and even calls if there is no quick response.
I know several people who were pressured like crazy that way, at the weirdest times.
It caused a lot of anguish and eventually mental heslth issues, because they never had a moment’s rest
Michaelacat- that is not the fault of emails. That’s the fault of a boss/co-worker with no boundaries who needs reporting to HR.
@Michaelacat then yeah people are correcting the wrong issue then. That’s a boss without boundaries that has nothing to do with emails. That would tell me that that boss is also probably likely to dress people down in public, set unreasonable expectations for deadlines on projects, and not collaborate or acknowledge input from their direct reports. Unless your boss has specifically told you to answer emails whenever they come through, or dress you down for not answering the 2:00 a.m. email most people would answer when they get in. I think better evidence of work-life balance now is I don’t even require my new hires to put their emails on their phone anymore, which was an absolute necessity 10 years ago. If they choose to that’s fine they still don’t have to answer emails outside of work hours, but they don’t even have to have any email app downloaded.
The emails were definitely part of it.
Not all cultures are the same and in some there is an unspoken (and sometimes spoken) expectation that if the boss works, you should also be working as well.
So seeing an email from Saturday makes people feel pressure in that case and that is why having something in the signature like that can be very helpful.
Agree that not having it on the phone is a good thing too.
Same here. I get text messages and emails even on my days off. I choose to or not to respond. The idea that someone has to take time to schedule individual emails to multiple people is just one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. Someone in an MSNBC interview when the Queen died, talked about how the palace staff were just not used to working. The showed up at noon, or left at noon. I think the other part is that they didn’t want to take orders from a black woman. Seriously, I cannot believe that this many years later, they are still trying to make fetch happen with this nonsensical story. No MichaelaCat, this was not about a Saturday email. This was about the fact that she is black and William and Kate’s staff were used to the fact they THEY did not work, but Meghan did.
@Proud Mary
People were talking in general and thus so was I about the subject of emails. I even made it clear twice I was NOT speaking about Meghan. Note that I wasn’t the first one who spoke more broadly on the subject.
In some countries, the expectation that people work when the boss works is very much a thing.
I am happy for the people who never had to deal with it to the point they can’t imagine it and know they can put their foot down, knowing it won’t have consequences.
That doesn’t mean it’s not an issue for people in other situations than your own.
Can we stop this BS? I have sent emails in the middle of the night and have received emails in the middle of the night as well. That’s what happened when you work with people around the world! No one is expected to respond until they start their day. There are urgent cases e.g.: Brexit or when Trump surprisingly won in 2016 when I got a call around 3-4am ET. I know I am from the USA but there is so much nonsense in your ‘respect time bla-bla-bla’
It shouldn’t matter when emails are sent. Nobody is expected to answer emails outside of office hours.
Commonsense dictates you respond during your working hours. To make an issue of sending emails in the early hours is nonsense. I send emails at all times of the day and early mornings with an expectation that a response would be given when you start your day. Seems more likely to me that lazy folks do not want to start work once they get there.
It’s different when people are working at different times and everyone understands that, but sometimes they also don’t and want an answer NOW, no matter what the time is.
Yes, even on a Saturday or late in the evening.
Not talking about Meghan here, but there are lots of people around the world working under that kind of pressure.
This is serious desperation on the part of the haters, trying to make fetch happen with this stupid story. I send emails when I’m thinking of something. If your feelings get this hurt over someone sending emails, Maybe you should hold up in a basement and just work only by yourself. This story is total BS.
Or people could, you know, just not be whiny babies over this and use the flag function to flag emails to go back to respond during business hours.
As I write this, I just recieved a 5:20 am email from the President of the college I teach at. A mass weekly memo to everyone at the campus. Nobody grown up is bothered by this.
Or you could, you know, understand that not everywhere in the world things are the same.
Sad how there is so much judgement when there are definitely cultures and companies where there is an expectation that if the boss works, so should everyone else. Having a manager put that in the signature is very helpful.
“whiny” ?”babies”?
Really. Expected better and a more open-minded view here. Not every culture in the world is the same.
What an odd assumption that your work situation is the norm. There are countless people who work for bad companies or, more commonly, bad bosses who absolutely expect immediate responses at all hours and while you are on PTO. There is retaliation/consequences for holding your boundary.
Germany has passed “right to not respond” laws protecting workers. If it wasn’t a problem, that wouldn’t have happened.
Michealacat- of course that email signature is helpful.
As for the rest, just nope. If your boss is bugging you to work after hours, that’s a problem separate from emails.
Thus, email times shouldn’t matter. Period. Deal with the bigger problem re: your boss, and stop complaining about something besides the point.
But again, that’s a fault of the workplace culture and a toxic boss and extreme expectations, not an email.
There were bad and toxic bosses before emails and there will be bad and toxic bosses when we’ve moved on to the next thing.
A boss who expects you to work when they’re working isn’t going to have that in their signature so its a moot point.
Worktowander- the issue you and michealacat are describing goes beyond emails. Any email law is just a bandaid on a greater wound that needs addressing.
@Rapunzel.
“Shouldn’t”, but it definitely does in many cultures and sometimes in companies.
Glad for you it’s not an issue, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an issue for others.
Ummm okay, I’m truly sorry for everyone out there who has a toxic work culture and toxic bosses. That must suck. Truly. The issue at hand is that Meghan is not one and she absolutely should not be getting hit pieces in the HR and NYP that she is a toxic boss. All y’all out there with a truly toxic boss and truly toxic work culture should be getting an expose on the people you work for. Rather than Meghan.
If the expectation is to respond to Meghan’s emails during your working hours no matter what part of the world you live in or what culture you’re in, then WHY do people keep bringing up that there are employees unrelated to Meghan’s situation that have 1) crappy bosses or 2) cultural expectations that…do not pertain here?
It isn’t an issue with Meghan. Or her employees.
I only do that if I am working on something on the weekend. But most people have staff that are countrywide now because of hybrid working environments. I am not tracking 15 people to recall their start times. That’s insane.
Her signature message is very clear. Also, If she send a message at 5 am or 3 am. It doesn’t mean the recipient opens it as soon as receive. Beside, does anybody believe a uk courtiers would read his/her messages at 5 am? Those people are too lazy.
I work globally. While I can schedule emails to go only during someone’s working hours, I don’t use the feature. The reason being that I’m usually sending to more than one person and even with set working hours, people do sometimes work outside of those because it’s convenient for them and it’s confusing to get a response to an email before you receive the original email. The UK is probably one of the few places where people are either strict about sticking to standard working hours or they have built in flexibility to what they consider “normal work hours”.
If a message is urgent, I mark it urgent (my teams know when we’re in critical stages of projects) and provide an indication of when I need info by. If it’s not urgent but I do need a response or action taken by a certain date, I include that in the email as well.
It’s called turning your work phone off at the end of your business day or when you are ready to go to sleep. My company phone is different from my family phone and never the twain shall met.
Piffle. Doesn’t matter when the email is sent; you read emails when you’re on the clock & respond accordingly (or not). Scheduling emails is a useless function.
I’m an admin and a disclaimer is more than enough. It let’s me know I respond when I’m in and that’s it. There’s no need to bend over backwards, and if people are butthurt over it that’s on them.
The article may have landed on American soil, but its audience is across the ocean. It’s a British tabloid talking point, so rather than give it more oxygen and extend the news cycle over here, they’re taking it directly to the audience it was meant for originally. I don’t like seeing H+M take hits, either, but them paying little attention to it and doing their work is better (to me) than using muscle to bury stories, etc. It would become the second paragraph in every story right now that focuses on their good work.
I think you are right. No need to make it a big deal in the US by putting an article in Variety when the majority of people in the US are not talking about this. If you want to push back do it in the UK where they are trying to make it a talking point.
Agreed, excellent point.
Yes, but of all “news” outlets, GB News?? I smell a fish.
The same media wrote about how Charles works until late hours and expects his employees to be awake too. Of course, no one called him bully or difficult for it.
Yep. He was getting praised for blowing up someone’s phone outside working hours to get info.
Expecting people to stay awake is just rude.
I get there are times when you need to speak to someone but then you schedule that at a time that fits everyone.
Meghans email is perfect.
Wait, a powerful man is called a leader while a woman gets slammed for being difficult? I realize there’s a lot more going on here with the BRF dynamics, but show of hands who hasn’t seen this exact double standard in their own workplace?
I know that they have a UK press representative now but I don’t believe that they would start by going on the record to GB news either. I believe that GB news somehow probably got their hands on an email that Meghan has sent and decided to play both sides, using sources (themselves) to see how it would play out. Even the slow learners should be able to figure out at this point that constantly being anti-Sussex and Pro-Wales isn’t going to give you much to work with. So they’ll probably continue to lie but thread the needle to see how much more engagement it gets them. If it gets the haters angry enough to keep clicking and commenting but still coming to the website, and makes the supporters share these articles then win/win for them.
Yeah, they always publish a few positive articles to get clicks from other side. I remember Sussex Squad telling everyone not to click those articles.
These people are being ridiculous about the emails. And imagine that, Meghan being a professional who travels, acknowledging that different time zones means messages may be sent at in opportune times and to reply when it convenient. I hope this is the last of this b.s. I guess their UK spokesperson gave this to a contact at GBN (yuck but whatever).
The only reason I think there is a bit of credibility here is because the source specificizes that they are based in Hollywood and H&M are based in Montecito (which is something the British tabloids routinely pretend to forget/overlook/ignore) and that email signature makes sense to me. Meghan isn’t just working with people in Hollywood through Archewell and other ventures, I’m sure she (and Harry) are in contact with various people across the globe on a regular basis and are interacting with people in different time zones. It’d be stupid and arrogant to expect people to respond within California working hours.
I can also see this making sense as a credible source if its someone who genuinely likes H&M (as most of their staff seems to) and was frustrated by the story and when they got a call from GB News, they responded.
Anyway, even if this pushback is 100% false and GB News is making it up – that’s almost more interesting, right?
Yeah, the “Hollywood” reference raised a question for me too. I was pretty sure I’d read at some point their main Archewell office was in LA, and looked it up. It’s actually listed on Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills. There is an actual “Hollywood” section of LA, but the Archewell office is south and west of there, and seems to me a credible source would know and be unlikely to claim that’s it’s in Hollywood. Hmmm…
I think saying that the Archewell offices are in Hollywood is suspect too. Regardless of whether the “source” knows that the offices are LA based, I imagine “Hollywood” is also used for their usual audience. A lot of people seem to think Hollywood is town in and of itself. On another day, they will be able to write stories about how “Hollywood” snubs the Sussexes. They must think “Hollywood” covers all American show business.
My guess is that James Holt responded because he’s most knowledgeable about the Archwell setup.
Also THR posted a story about Kate being seeing at Balmoral. It looked like a cut and paste from the DM.
No regular American would consider that a story relating to the movie or tv industry so the writers and not as neutral as the derangers pretend them to be.
I guess they have absolutely nothing in her and create bs stories to deny afterwards. I guess I’m difficult too cause I send out emails at 3 and 4 in the morning if I can’t sleep. I am usually a very early am person so my day starts way before my coworkers and direct di reports. I never expect them to answer before their work time.
I am thrilled that they rebutted this nonsense, and did a great job as I think it’s very effective.
I’m a manager and I don’t want my staff checking their email and messages all the time (they work a lot of hours during seasonal crunch times) so I will not send anything nights or weekends unless it’s an absolute emergency. Instead they get a flurry of stuff first thing Monday morning because I’ve been working on the weekend. Even if they don’t respond, I’ll know most would check messages regularly if they thought I was sending any. I’m sure Meghan’s staff really appreciate her kindness and considerate management style.
This is exactly it. I get that it’s completely different if you work across time zones and have colleagues with completely different work schedules, but in my own context I find scheduling emails to be a really helpful and respectful practice in many situations. I know many of my colleagues would check and respond to emails when it’s not necessary (I am guilty of it myself) and so I feel that part of encouraging us all to maintain healthy boundaries is for me to schedule certain emails when it is not urgent and outside of business hours. It takes 2 seconds to schedule send and isn’t remotely a hassle. It blows my mind how negatively people upthread have responded to the idea that for some, scheduling emails to be sent later is the appropriate choice.
In Meghan’s context, the email signature bit seems like the best option and it’s a nice touch no matter what I think.
Why @Lee? re: email scheduling My understanding is that people aren’t opposed to email scheduling, it’s that it’s irrelevant to when Meghan expected a response. That’s the issue. Meghan wasn’t/isn’t expecting an immediate response during off work hours. That the THR fable is a rehash of BM talking points is what should be held into question.
Meghan might send early morning emails. Stop. She’s not expecting an immediate reply. The scheduling thing is kind of not important. It’s great you think her email signature is a nice touch no matter what you think.
I turn off notifications on my phone when I go to sleep. Shut my computer down too. It’s not that hard to ignore the noise in your off work hours.imo
I appreciate the pushback that these publications are peddling about Meghan. The Sussexes urgently need a seasoned, formidable PR strategist with a background in politics, non-profit, or academia. The continued spread of damaging false narratives and disrespect towards them is unacceptable and disgusting.
GBNews run a hate campaign against the Sussexes I can remember when they got a normal article about them so they would have to somebody just covering there shit
It certainly sounds like someone who has worked with Meghan, and it tracks – she’s a professional, she’s worked in high-pressure situations before, and she understands how email works! We all know where this story about her being “difficult” was really coming from, and what’s more, the more reporting on the “bullying” the press does, the less I think the public are buying it. They know how email works, too! It’s KP that has always been the source for this story, and it just makes them look out of touch, lazy, and very much racist, too.
I think GB “news” made this up. The Sussex team always put their name on statements so this anonymous Archewell source doesn’t exist, IMO. And there’s no way they’d go to GB “news” anyway.
I think Dee is correct that they saw a copy of her email signature and are trying to spin it into a story.
And if that really is her signature – instructing people not to respond outside their working hours – then it’s proof the whole 5am bullying narrative was a complete lie. So that makes me wonder if this is really meant to be a warning to Willy that his leash is tightening. The British press are hungry so he’d better give them something to chew on.
Omid Scobie was pretty clear in his last book that there are anonymous sources on the Sussex side. He thought the we don’t use anonymous sources announcement was a misstep as it meant people disregarded the anonymous sources speaking out in support of them. We should probably interpret the statement as just the Sussexes themselves don’t personally play the anonymous source game that William does, in which he is at times the anonymous source, not that no-one independently decides to speak out in support of them.
Omid Scobie also said that he did not disclose who the “racists” were in his book. He sure cried foul hard when he and his family got a tiny fraction of the attention as the Sussexes. As for Scobie’s claims that Sussexes should not have made the “misstep” of saying they would not have anonymous sources speaking for them — that is entirely self motivated on his part; he’s trying to muddy their water to protect his way of working, not cool.
@SussexWatcher – agree it sounds like GB made it up, easy to fill in ‘holes’ of story where certain facts are known.
As someone with a non-email-centric job, I still have the same questions I had when KP was crying about her emails the first time around. Why do people get so upset about an off-hours email- do you have a siren set to go off every time you get an email? Change your notification settings! I get emails all night from various mailing lists- I’ll see it when I see it. Why are you checking your email in your off hours and then getting mad that you have a new email? That’s your own fault. If Meghan really does use that as an e-mail signature phrase, it’s just another example of her being unfailingly polite.
I work that way as well! I’m not aware of emails until I sign into my computer & open up the email app. I don’t have a work phone in my current job, but even when I did, my settings were such that I didn’t get any sound notifications about incoming email. My job is not that kind of job; if it were, it would have been mentioned in the job announcement and my position description.
Is Deadline or Variety interested in this story? I think it would be foolish to go to them unsolicited. Furthermore it was only the UK press that seemed interested in it and my guess is that the mainstream press didn’t approach Harry and Meghan’s team for a comment. You could ask why they didn’t respond to THR’s enquiry but I suspect given the contents of the piece that they knew the true source of the article and didn’t deem it serious to respond. I think there’s more to that Josh Kettler story.
The marching around in “high heels” should give this away as a lie since Meghan seems to wear flats when not dressing up.
Or even the idea that she’s showing up to an office every day.
Why in the world would they go to Variety? Isn’t that giving credence that they are too HW now? I think it’s smart they want to GB News. I didn’t want to threadjack the other article, but this whole thing got smacked on it’s face within a day. Shrug.
Exactly! Not that any argument the palace had against Meghan was legit, but for me the whole “sending texts and emails at 5am is a problem for us” narrative was just so incredibly bonkers. She sent it because she sent it. People do this like all the time. You just don’t respond until you’re working hours. That is literally what everyone does ..so really my guess is this…William and Charles and Camilla and Kate, Andrew etc. expect INSTANT reply from their staff and idiots assumed that Meghan, whose up doing yoga and probably doesn’t want to forget or lose a thought, sends emails for whenever that staff get it and those racists basterds exploited a normal thing and thought “aha! We’ve got you!”
It was always dumb because it implied that no one in the RF should be bothering people til about 9 a.m. I thought it was insane to bring this up years ago and really crazy to do so now when we know she’s on CA time and they have business worldwide.
Meanwhile Andrew berates staff if his cuddly toys including a hippo aren’t placed on his bed according to the diagram provided….
It Madame Duchess ever wants to teach a course in how to March around in high heels preferably designer ones and bark orders to grown men that reduces them to tears, then sign me up. Have these people seen this woman? I mean in my opinion not like I know her . But she seems the kindest. Most agreeable person to work for . I am sure she has work ethic and standards and she should, it’s called be a grown up and taking and having pride in your work and what is associated with you . But you can’t tell me that she doesn’t do everything in her power to be as understanding a boss as possible. If the likes of Jason couldn’t take orders from a woman, a woman of color and more so a woman with a work ethic, then boo hoo . I know he is use to working for work shy people like buttons and wank . I will forever Stan Madame duchess. These grown ass cry babies who pretend to be men get on my last nerve
‘Sources’ will no longer speak for Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Only the official communications team at Archewell will comment – or not – on any stories concerning the couple
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/01/01/duke-duchess-sussex-say-unnamed-sources-will-no-longer-speak/
Makes me wanna investigate several “journalists” and toy with their world.
I would love an expose on the RR’s personal lives, financials and everything. That would be a money maker for someone.
Its not sourced from Archewell. The clue is we are based in Hollywood instead based in LA. Nobody says we’re based in Hollywood in USA, lmao. GBnews already knew about the remote work arrangement from last years tax return filings. As for email signature, yeah, any 3rd party dealing with Meghan could have told them that. I think thst email signature is something she uses for everybody she communicates with across the world. Also for the love of God, read that THR article and then tell me if you truly think that insanity deserves a rebuttal in USA. There’s a reason nobody serious picked it up except Murdoch owned outlets. Its too crazy to touch with a 6 feet pole.
Also, there is a North Hollywood and a West Hollywood, and they are in two very different places, so no one who lives in LA would just say “Hollywood” in reference to a section of LA.
This email thing is so crazy to me. I RECEIVE emails at all time of the day/night but once my working day is done, I turn off notifications for them and the notifications aren’t turned back on until I’m back in office, at the start of the day. There’s never been an expectation to respond outside of my working hours. I feel bad for anyone who has different experiences because getting an email late at night or early the morning shouldn’t bring anxiety or anything like that. That sounds really unhealthy. As others have stated, M does business worldwide so her signature is fine.
The Unroyal Family is behind the sexist, racist trope, misogynoir hit piece in THR. The Hollywood Reporter is owned by Jay Penske (Penske Media). His father Roger Penske (Indycar Racing) is in a media partnership with Rupert Murdoch to broadcast The Indycar Racing Series. It’s not a coincidence that The Hollywood Reporter article ended up in The New York Post & the racist UK media. I truly hope The Sussexes, particularly Meghan sue the Unroyal family & their racist minions. Enough is enough!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penske_Media_Corporation
The reason the Sussexes might not have responded via Deadline or Variety, for example, is that Penske owns them, too. And I was unaware of the Murdoch connection, C T.
Curious that GB is being positive about the Sussexes. Set up to pivot to their usual agenda or a sign that something is wrong with the RF and this is the pivot to fairer reporting?
The fact that Meghan still is targeted by this racist, sexist BS is infuriating.
Couldn’t agree more.. enough about her emails and the fragile egos of small minded men and women who are inadequate at their jobs.
This is an escalation, I think. I don’t remember actual tears from men being mentioned before. And I thought it was one person who was supposedly traumatized, not a bunch of quivering staffers. Good luck working in Silicon Valley, guys!
Good for her!
Respect office hours so employees can have a decent work/personal life ratio.
Misogyny is rampant everywhere, but when it comes to Princess Meghan of Nigeria, the rota rats gleefully ramp up the racism too. The difficult, angry Black woman is a hugely popular and perennial trope with the deplorable tabloids.
In truth, misogynoir is popular everywhere, but the Brits are really digging in their heels!
Much ado about nothing. !!!
Nothing wrong with her email signature. I use a similar one myself. My job is part-time and from home so I like to sleep late and work late.
I think the THR story was written by AI.
Thank goodness, finally, some pushback. And very good and specific pushback. It’s about time. In the US, if someone prints a rebuttal, usually it is dropped. Let’s see if the Brits keep wagging this out. I just can’t be more delighted at the rebuttal. It has been a long time coming, and I hope it stands for, and will send the message that the Sussexes have had enough, and they won’t put up with anymore. Meghan is just as tough, in her own feminine way, as Harry. We all know who the real bullies are, and what a bully really needs is a good one-two punch in the nose.
I suspect it’s that publicity firm Meghan hired. Lots of people are wary of them and Archewell spokesperson would never contact GB.
What publicly firm 🤷♀️? People are just making things up now 😂
People aren’t making things up, you just haven’t been paying attention.
She signed WMA over a year ago, specifically Ari Emanuel.