One of the most iconic moments of the 1990s was George Clooney giving a press conference just after Princess Diana’s death. George was so angry, and he raged at the media for killing Diana. In retrospect… God, Diana’s death was on so many people’s hands, and I think after 21 years, it’s almost childish to say that “the media killed Diana.” But in that moment, when George said it, it was quite something. George had a great deal of affection for Diana, and he seems to have a similar affection for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. So George decided to say something about the way the press has been treating Meghan:
George Clooney is standing up for his friend Meghan Markle. While promoting his upcoming Hulu series Catch-22, Clooney, 57, slammed the way Meghan, 37, has been treated since joining the royal family and compared her experience to that of the late Princess Diana.
“They’re just chasing Meghan Markle everywhere, she’s been pursued and vilified,” Clooney told reporters at a press panel, according to Australia’s Who magazine. “She’s a woman who is seven months pregnant and she has been pursued and vilified and chased in the same way that Diana was and it’s history repeating itself.”
“We’ve seen how that ends,” Clooney said, Who magazine reported, in reference to Princess Diana’s fatal car crash in 1997 during which she was being cashed by paparazzi.
Unlike last week’s People Magazine story, I doubt this was a statement authorized by Meghan, Harry or the palace. I think George was just doing his thing and taking questions and he decided on his own to speak out. His perspective is interesting and while I don’t agree with him 100%, I still think he’s making a valid point. Meghan is not being “chased” the way Diana was – after the divorce came through and Diana lost her HRH-status, she also wanted to live outside of the royal bubble of protection, which is why the paparazzi could (and did) chase her. Meghan is still very much in the bubble of protection, and she will be for a very long time.
But George’s larger point is, as I said, completely valid. It’s a reminder that the British press still don’t know how to treat Diana’s life or her death, and neither does the royal family. Was Diana a cautionary tale or a saint or a martyr of the press? They don’t know what to say, so they canonize Diana in one breath and then use Diana as a cautionary tale to criticize Meghan in the next breath. The way in which Meghan and Diana are similar is that Meghan, like Diana, understands the press and understands fundamental public relations. But in Diana’s early years, she was never vilified the way Meghan has been right now. That came much later for Diana.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Us regular people love her! The work she’s focused on is a breath of fresh air. I think a lot of us see through the narrative!
I’m personally tired of it.
May I ask if you are British? Just curious
I’m British, and I agree. I think most Brits either like her (and are a bit sick of all the tabloid stuff) or simply have no interest either way. People pretty much feel sorry for her over the awful family thing. It’s only a handful of racists and Tumblr stans with zillions of sockpuppet accounts giving the impression she is hated.
The average Brit doesn’t really care about royals one way or the other. But MM is certainly not disliked the way, for example, Camilla used to be,
@Meganbot
‘The average Brit doesn’t really care about royals one way or the other. But MM is certainly not disliked the way, for example, Camilla used to be’
This is why I was asking – and I agree. I’m British, and I can’t think of a single person in my life who would say they care either way – let alone say they ‘hate’ or ‘love’ her. Of course this may just be reflective of demographic (I imagine [hope] my friends are sitting around reading the Fail). I’ve said before that the only outlet that I regularly engage with which mentions Meghan regularly is this one, so I’m curious where people are from, when they say they love/hate her.
@MEGANBOT2000
yeah, i think camilla was (is) the most hated person in the british royal family. i was a kid in the ’90s but the rottweiler stuff was inescapable. then andrew, prob.
in all three of the women’s cases, buck palace didn’t give a shite. in air miles’ case, all stops are always pulled. that family and their gra(e)y minions are gross and viperous.
I agree – I’m British and I don’t know anyone who is interested in the Royal Family. It does seem to be American sites that have a lot of engagement on Meghan stories and are really invested in the Royal Family. To be honest Brexit is what people tend to talk about as that is going to affect the country for generations. An outdated institution isn’t on my radar.
I’m American, but have been to Britain many times, and I also don’t think most Brits care that much about the royal family. It’s more the American public which eats this crap up. Meghan being American and marrying a prince is a Disney fairytale. Now as far as the press hounding her, I think it’s probably a bit more than she expected, but she’s smart and I think she expected most of it. I think the issue is her crazy white family, and it’s sad.
I remember George going all out on the press during Diana, but honestly I thought then it was a bit crazy and today I think it’s a bit dangerous. Cause society isn’t really differentiating the media anymore. They put them all in one boat, and I think that’s a bit dangerous for them not so much for Meghan.
I am giving George a major side eye for invoking Diana. The situation with Meghan is entirely different and he knows it.
I’m so glad George is defending Meghan.
Even some Fashion magazines were calling out British reporters after Bafta’s asking why wasn’t Kate’s one shoulder called Vulgar, after they ripped Meghan to shreds for wearing a one shoulder. Two Fashion magazines called the British press total hypocrites and said they were tired of the hypocrisy.
She wasn’t ripped to shreds for wearing the dress
What Meghan Markle is going through in the press, makes me question why I read about other people’s personal lives. It is so nauseating every day reading something that has no bearing on our own individual lives and the notion is YES, WE LIVE FOR GOSSIP. It is so exhausting and it feels kind of disgusting just because of the frequency and level of negativity. I hope she is able to find some peace.
I just like looking at the clothes. I am pretty tired of all the comments and judgement, but this is so rampant because of social media and everyone being able to give their opinion, like I am right now. There was a time where people couldn’t comment like this unless it was face-to-face. It’s pretty bad, especially on FB. The hate and negativity is really horrible to read, and I have really been trying to stay away from it. And, it must be really tiring and hurtful and scary for the people we read about, who we don’t know, who have their own struggles. They may have money and fame, but it is really horrible being picked apart by strangers. I have a difficult time with people commenting on ME or gossiping, and I am just an average person.
I like that George said this.
The interviewer asked him if he was going to be a godparent to the Sussex baby, that’s how Meghan was even brought up, he didn’t just start talking about her. His response was no because he’s a father of twins, and he literally is around too much shit already. lol Then he went and made his very valid point above.
Meghan is 7 months pregnant, and no one in the UK press seems to care about how all their crap could be effecting her and the baby. I don’t remember any other pregnant royal UK spouse being attacked like she has while pregnant.
Of course they don’t think about that. I’m glad he said this too.
Please let’s have more respect for princess Dianna . It’s wrong to use her memory as a sympathy case like this
It’s not at all wrong. It’s about not repeating the same kinds of mistakes over and over again with more people.
Well of course Diana was not vilified early on. She was a patriarch’s dream. A virgin until marriage, a true blushing bride.
It was only when she began f’ing without permission that she was vilified.
In the very beginning she was called shy Di and too fat- they werent really welcoming her with open arms either
no wonder so many women in the BRF shrink so much in their first years of marriage – imagine people calling Di fat! That kind of insanity would mess with most people’s minds.
Too fat?! On what planet was she too fat?
I think they used to compare every woman to Twiggy. I was an athlete in the late 70’s, early 80’s and I was mocked for my muscles and told I needed to diet — I was so low in body fat that I stopped having periods — and I eventually became anorexic. That didn’t help my sports performance any.
I love how strong women are now considered beautiful.
I don’t think it was the media who called Diana fat – it was Charles. He put his hand on her waist and made a comment about fitting into her wedding dress (or something like that). Even the wedding designers said they had to keep taking the dress in because she was losing more and more weight.
I don’t think the media made comments on her weight (they saved that for Fergie). Also, I don’t think the ‘shy’ moniker was meant to be an insult, but rather another way to say how young, virginal, fresh, unsullied, innocent, etc. she was.
I agree with Darla that Diana was not vilified early on at all. For Meghan OTOH, it started as soon as it became public knowledge they were dating.
Please don’t disrespect princess Dianna. She should not be used in a sympathy case like this
Use Diana’s death to explain Megan’s shenanigans will anger William. George should just shut up.
What “shenanigans”?
What “shenanigans”? If you’re talking about the current situation William needs to suck it the hell up.
Meghan has been the UK tabs punching bag on overdrive since she came back from Australia. Her friends are worried about their very pregnant friend & her baby, that is what’s important, and Willian can deal.
@Ira
I don’t think that George should shut up but your comment… is so problematic.
Bot?
William uses Diana, has for years, especially for as an excuse for his and his wife’s laziness.
What does Meghan have to do with William? His precious ego can’t take being out of the spotlight? As the future King, he needs to put up and shut up. His tantrums are worse than my 5 year olds.
The only person using Diana’s death is workshy William. If you think putting together a wonderful cookbook with the women of Grenfell Tower to help them continue cooking for their families while they wait to get rehoused “shenanigans” then I pity you. She’s stepped up to the plate and thrown herself into work unlike most other royals. Also, her name is spelled “Meghan” – at least get that right.
All right, you guys need to stop. As the mother of a child who lost the other parent young, these comments are awful. If you want to say William is lazy go for it, but to say he is using his dead parent to justify this is gross. How a son feels about losing a parent is different for all of them, and to use it on a gossip website is just wrong. Honestly, I think the world has lost its empathy chip. Please don’t say it’s been a while and he’s dealt with it, which by your tone and comments above is what you think. To quote Shonda Rhimes on grief, “the right way to grieve is however the hell you want.”
When he makes comments about working parents being bad parents, when he makes comments about Diana being a bad mother because she worked too much for charity? He is using her plain as day.
@noway and V, so agree with all you’ve said, thanks for saying it.
Sometimes I wish Harry had just moved over here and lived with Meghan! She could keep working as an actress and HE would be the one to blow up his life. We know he likes Vegas! Come on over Harry!
Why should they have to run away because of some haters who are probably secretly envious and or hate themselves
. That’s exactly what the press and haters want them to do. Leave,. That’s exactly what bullies and racists have tried to do for POC for years, run them out of their own homes. If the bullies and haters can’t handle Meghan, then it’s their problem.
All of this bashing is only turning on the press. Meghan has won already , she has a Prince who adores her, they love each other.
I think Diana and Meghan are indeed very, very similar. They both pull an absolute ton of spotlight. And I think they both anger the powers that be by doing so. Diana was and Meghan is amazing at charity work. Both women were born gifted in front of the camera. Both exude charisma and people love them. This is racism fueled but I think most of it is just good old fashioned jealousy. Meghan has shown up the Royals. She is better at being Royal then most and has only done it for a short time period. I am fully and completely in love with her. XO
Yes this. I must say before the relationship I didn’t know that much about Meghan even though I was a huge Suits fan (I’m not into the personal lives of actors). But since I have done some – she’s had a long running interest in charity, female empowerment, helping others and parlayed that into working with UN, going on locations in US military base India and I think Rwanda, her high school drive to provide prom dresses for those who couldn’t afford it, done public speaking infront of the UN, dinner party with Stanley Tucci where they raised money for charity, know how to interact with celebrities and normal ppl naturally. It’s obvious where her interest (away from acting) lay and now she gets to leverage the power of the royal family to do the same thing on a global level. So it’s no wonder she took to this whole thing quickly. I mean I read that One25 got so many donations (and their first from overseas) after her visit, and look at the Hubb women now working with Stella McCartney. It all seems so natural to her. I get why some in the firm and media are also threatened by it all. We cant have her overshadowing those closer to the throne. I think there was some coordination with the palace.
And It’s all so unnecessary bc like all things the Meghan fever will die down and the royals should have been leveraging all that goodwill and effect she currently generates. But no, they would rather be threatened and then the media vilify her, call her names and insult her. The latest being the analysis of her writing. And when you compare this to Kate’s coverage and you see the injustice of it. And it just doesn’t sit well with me.
This is great. The Palace has appeared to do little to defend Meghan and now powerful and influential people are coming out. In the past couple of days George Clooney, Princess Tessy of Luxembourg and Sarah Ferguson have all come out publicly to defend and support Meghan. TV journalists on Sky and CNN have made reports which sound sympathetic, and that Daily Mail idiot Richard Kay has now written an article of sympathy after writing the opposite a week ago.
People are very mercurial and often want to be seen to be on the right side and I guess that we shall see a lot more peopl, some genuine others not so, come out on the right side.
Hats off to Serena Williams who said weeks ago that a stop must be made and a serious handle needs to be put on all the nonsense. She should know more than anyone. Although she does get still a lot of racist and sexist abuse, it is a fraction of what it was. ‘Rena’s army is everywhere, ready to quell any rubbish or lies. Serena knows how to do it.
Good for George! And Tessy and Sarah! And Serena. And US! We love Meghan!
Tessy is not influential. Tessy is angry about her divorce, mad she didn’t get a huge payout and a title, and is trying to make herself relevant through stupid social media posts. She is the new Fergie and that is nothing of which she should be proud.
I know about Tessy, but at this stage almost anybody who comes out to support the Duchess of Sussex , especially against hogs like Piers Morgan is fine by me.
Come on anyone with compassion can see the difference in the way the press treated Kate during her pregnancy verses the way the British press is treating Meghan . I honestly think they driven by the racist disgusting biases toward someone they think in the minds don’t belong with the royal family. Society has never seen black woman as Victim or need to be protected the ruthless in which the British media has gone after a woman who is pregnant is disgusting and I can’t believe that palace hasn’t done anything to stop it . If the palace could issued statements defending Kate possible wearing hair extensions but doesn’t nothing to stop the abuse of a pregnant woman . It was only when the American press started to call out the royals reporters and the British press that the hello magazine came out with their bs kindness campaign and the daily mail unmasked the trolls . It was all a smoke screen to get the American media to back off once they did the British media does what is does best went back to racially abuse a pregnant woman.
Yeah, that Hello to kindness is straight bull shit.
Talking about online trolls changing their behavior, when the biggest trolls are the UK press who don’t give a damn about causing stress to a pregnant woman.
The social media trolls aren’t the one who linked the HUBB ladies to terrorists, or that eating avocados causes famines. The press has fed the trolls with the dumb protocol stories and even this week we saw how Kate’s one shoulder dress made her a princess when Meghan doing the same was vulgar. The UK press is being called out by all corners and they have egg on their face. Deservedly so.
I just saw that article about when the Royals issued a statement years ago to defend Kate against allegations about having HAIR EXTENSIONS. Unbelievable. But Meghan has to sit there and “never complain, never explain,” even when the media is enabling her father’s emotional and psychological abuse of her? Even when other royals definitely break with this approach? God forbid the public have opinions of Kate’s hair but let’s not do anything to protect the Hubb ladies and Meghan from accusations of terrorism.
Actually the Palace didn’t offficially issue that no extension statement.
It was responded to, yes, but if the wording was as I recall, it was basically, it came from someone close to Kate. It was through someone Kate told to respond, but it wasn’t an Official palace statement. Some said it was either Carole who went to the salon also, or the other guy who did her hair at the salon, were told to deny it, because a few days later the guy at the Salon who told about the extensions was suddenly let go from the Salon.
@ 90sgirl The article I read quoted Clarence House
I’m not trying to compare Megan and Kate. I just think it’s important to add that Kate was also very much pursued and chased by the press. Heck they even hacked her phone. Possibly trespassed on private property to take pictures of her sun bathing topless. Called her waity Katie and so on. So add Diana (who was called fat and literally chased everywhere) Kate and now Megan.
None of that happened while Kate was pregnant. And Kate never had to deal with the racist trolls or people thinking because she is a WOC she doesn’t BELONG in the royal family
We all know that Kate was a victim of press in her early days no one is saying that but Kate since she became a duchess she has by all accounts been overprotective by firm . When Kate was pregnant she was even more protective like she should been but for Meghan she been bullied harassed every single day she never once been protected she been throw to wolves dens the media and Meghan haters has gone in overdrive to point where her Friends had to defend her . And remind people hey she a human being with feelings and she pregnant with a child. its like people refused to acknowledge or understand that the press is being racist hateful in their coverage of Meghan it’s not about Kate we all know she was target too . But it eventually stopped with Meghan it’s only increased and gotten worse since she announced she was pregnant I truly believe that the British wants something horrible to happen to Meghan. One thing that pissed me off is when people say well Kate was treated the same way too Kate was never ever hated for the color of her skin merely being black .
Yeah, we need to stop acting like the way Kate was treated by the press is the same as the way Meghan is treated. Yes, Kate was treated poorly during the dating years and I don’t envy her for that treatment.
But – once they got married the tone around her changed DRASTICALLY. Like, almost a total 180. Sure, there were still some negative/bad events and the topless sunbathing pictures were bad – but again, not the same as Meghan. For the most part the worst thing the press said about her was that her work numbers were low (but it was okay because she was “learning the ropes.”)
And then once Kate had kids – the tone shifted again. Kate didn’t work that much? KIDS. HANDS ON MOM. RAISING A NORMAL FAMILY. and if you pushed back against that, you must hate all SAHMs or something (I mean we see that here on this site….Kate’s role as a mother is often trotted out as the excuse for anything questionable she might do.)
And as things currently stand – I’m not sure how many examples need to be presented of the differences in their treatment. Kate attends an entertainment industry event* in a one shouldered gown and she is praised for “holding her own” with the A list celebs or being “stunning and regal” etc. Meghan attends a fashion event to present an award to the woman who designed her wedding gown and is slammed as being too Hollywood, too risqué in her one shouldered gown, and OMG SHE WORE DARK NAIL POLISH the monarchy is going to collapse. The criticism re: Meghan centers around what a diva she is, how hard she is to work for, how “Hollywood” she is, how she is going to cause drought because she likes avocados, all with the implied sentiment (sometimes its stated out right) that she is unsuitable for the royal family and will be Harry’s downfall.
It’s not that there is no criticism of Kate, or that Kate didn’t deal with her fair share of negative publicity during the dating years. But show me the last article about how Kate is unsuitable as a royal or is breaking protocol (with that being a BAD thing, usually when Kate “breaks protocol” its a good thing.)
I feel like we have this conversation frequently on here and I’m not sure how to be clearer about it.
*I know Kate attended since Will is head of BAFTA, so it wasn’t like she was just there for funsies, but still.
Yikes, sorry that was so long.
True but Kate and her family were dragged through it for 10 plus years as will and Kate dated. But when they married Will wasn’t a full time working royal. They were able to live in northern Wales and Anmer Hall until a year and half ago. Compare that to Harry and Megan dating, whilst Harry was a full time royal, getting engaged and six months later marrying, 5 months later announcing a pregnancy.
The fact is there has been racist reporting(daily mail). But actual royal reporters that most people follow, have been treating Megan fair.
@whatabout – see I find even that interesting re: Wales and Anmer. Meghan and Harry announced they were moving to WINDSOR and some in the press freaked out and there was a huge deal made over what this meant for their relationship with Will and Kate, what kind of work they would be doing as royals, etc. Can you imagine the backlash if Harry said he was going to work in the private sector on a part time basis for a few years and move away from London while Meghan “adjusted” and did relatively few events for that time frame?
@becks1 I know it’s not even a possibility for Harry as he retired from the military and became a full time working royal before he even met Megan. Which should be a bit of a new plan for the royals. Let George/Charlotte/Luis be non working royals to they’re married or until they decide they may not want to be married. I think that leaves space for there to be less pressure for their spouses.
@Whatabout – sorry, but I completely disagree that Meghan has been treated fairly by other royal reporters (outside the DM). I mean, Camilla Tominey called her work with the Hubb woman ‘Meghan’s mosque’ FFS. No word about Charles’s mosque, or William and Harry’s mosque when all three of them had visited it first. Meghan 100% is not being treated equally by other RRs.
I also think other people have talked about how there really is no such thing as a “part-time” royal. This was made up to excuse the lack of working (same as the semi-state wedding, so they could get away with not inviting certain heads of state). Whether they were living in Wales or KP, the Cambridges were still spending tons of money, needing as much security, and certainly had a ‘full-time royal’ scale wedding! The only thing they were part-time on was working.
She was called Waity, not until years after she graduated from college, because all she did was wait for William to marry her. Kate was not chased for years and she was always treated far better than Chesly. She and William were known for baiting the paps in order to get photos. She would even deliberately go out the front of clubs when the owners would offer to sneak her out the back. She wanted to be photographed as William’s Girlfriend. The Middletons had Katie Nichol and Niraj Tanna on speed dial, used to approach paps for copies of their photos for the family album, and had DM editors as their media consultants.
None of that compares to what Meghan has faced from day one.
Chelsy had her looks insulted by the tabloid media in a way they never did to Kate. And she was always accused of being a drunk even though they all went clubbing and Chelsy is the only one who got an actual job as a solicitor, for a few years anyway. And when she left she didn’t blame the paparazzi but instead stated she just wanted to do something else.
And what the media has done to Meghan has been even worse. The world is watching and the insular British press is not looking good.
Kate was never treated like Meghan is being treated. Kate was called Waity Katey, common and her mom trolley dolly, but it was the friends of Williams who called Kate’s mom, doors to manuals.
Kate had a PR person her mother hired several years, who helped shove her down the publics throats every time she stepped out the door as Wiliam soon to be Fiancée, even before it was super serious. Also Kate and her family worked overtime getting press and staying in the press as Williams , Offficial girlfriend ..a madeup handle,by the Middleton PR and pushed through the British press, because William wasn’t proposing year after year.
Kate was never treated like Meghan. Kate had a cakewalk practically in comparison.
It’s Chelsy who was treated horribly by the British press.
I use to feel so bad for Chelsy.
Harry even gave an interview once defending her, saying she is nothing like the press reports.
Kate was never treated like Meghan is being treated. Kate was called Waity Katey, common and her mom trolley dolly, but it was the friends of Williams who called Kate’s mom, doors to manuals.
Kate had a PR person her mother hired several years, who helped shove her down the publics throats every time she stepped out the door as Wiliam soon to be Fiancée, even before it was super serious. Also Kate and her family worked overtime getting press and staying in the press as Williams , Offficial girlfriend ..a madeup handle,by the Middleton PR and pushed through the British press, because William wasn’t proposing year after year.
Kate was never treated like Meghan. Kate had a cakewalk practically in comparison.
It’s Chelsy who was treated horribly by the British press.
I use to feel so bad for Chelsy.
Harry even gave an interview once defending her, saying she is nothing like the press reports.
Well said notsugarhere.
I remember those years well.
Kate would go in the bathroom before exiting a club, and redo her makeup, then exit exactly where a certain papz was known to be waiting.
Her treatment was an cakewalk compared to Meghan.
Kate may have gotten her share of negative press for sure, but was never driven to the point in her pregnancies where she could have lost her babies through vicious unrelenting stressful attacks. And say what you will about the Middletons, they are a close knit supportive family who don’t turn on each other or sell one another out. There’s a very real danger to Meghan’s health and the health of her child if this continues and the really frightening part is that the rabid press doesn’t care.
Exactly.
True, and frightening as hell, Feeshalori.
While I don’t care for George I’m glad he spoke up about this and publicly call out this treatment by the press. They should be ashamed. My only consolation is Meghan married into the BRF in her 30s and has had media training and exposure. So I hope she can survive this.
I’m glad some people are speaking up about it. Keep calling them out!
I’ve always been hesitant about Diana comparison but in this case, I think it is fair and George is right.
The way the British Media is treating Meghan is appalling and I think many scratch their head and wonder why. What exactly has she done to deserve this treatment?
What Meghan is going through is not as bad as Diana, but it can certainly escalate there and is doing so, so Clooney is absolutely right. The media needs to back off her.
It’s nice he’s coming to her defense, but I sincerely doubt George Clooney gave Meghan Markle the time of day before she met Prince Harry.
I doubt he ever met her before. So what is your point? George has kept “nobody” friends throughout all of his success. He never abandoned them as he moved through fame and power. By all accounts, he is friendly to anyone and everyone, low the totem pole on films or high. And what is wrong with the fact he is friends with a lot of succesfull Hollywood people? Is that not allowed?
I think George is a standup guy for doing this. She is friend of his wife’s and I think George is witnessing firsthand the unrelenting, dailing attack on Meghan. She is frickin’ pregnant. It’s disgusting. And he is a true gentleman for calling this out. The rags like DM, etc., should be digusting with themself And the royal family should be coming out and blasting the so-called press. And the trash Markle family should be ignored.
Sorry about the messy mispellings. I was trying to type this before I headed out for lunch, and I looking back at at it, it looked like I was typing while high on Ambien late at night. LOL
+1 Jayna. Who cares when or how he met her. His points still stand.
Kate was vilified in the press for being common and a non-aristocrat. She and Pippa were constantly referred to as the Wisteria Sisters for their social climbing ways while their mother was the evil one for pushing her common daughters into aristocratic matches.
But they were not vilified. Yes negative articles were written, but Kate’s press was overly glowing during her years and years of dating. Wisteria sisters was a few articles one Summer, for the most part Kate was promoted as future fiancée by the British tabloids.
Kate was never vilified by the press, n fact just the opposite.
@90sgirl – Not only that, but as soon as William and Kate got engaged, the negative comments and coverage stopped and, in some cases, negative stories were scrubbed from the web. Kate’s image was completely rebranded as the loyal queen in waiting and W&K as a love affair that stood the test of time.
Meghan has been vilified since news broke of them dating, got worse after the engagement, and has just gone off the rails since her pregnancy was announced. She hasn’t gotten a break. No easing in, no “honeymoon” period, nothing.
Wasn’t Meghan also vilified for being a social climber?
But was Kate accused of helping a “terrorist mosque”, or causing drought and murder? Was she called vulgar or too hollywood for wearing a one shoulder gown and dark nail polish? On the contrary, as we have just seen recently, she was praised for looking like an “angel’ and like a “celebrity”. The hypocrisy and double standard is real.
Kate’s coverage was very classist and sexist,and not just made of the “waity Katie” monikers ,which are being used here as a way to dismiss the rest. But,above all, people forget that Kate will stalked and harassed by paps for years,who really had their cameras in her face,and this happened when she was still a private citizen. Outside her own home.
Now I see above that the same people who complain about Meghan and the nasty press are rewriting the history with “Kate was papped because she deliberately went out the front of clubs”. Right. Since it’s Kate and she must be hated,it was her fault and asked for it. RIght.
Since Meghan joined the Royal Family, the narrative around Kate is she’s the future queen. Never know, she might not be. They way Meghan is being treated is pure racist and the Royal Family does nothing, makes them look really bad. I believe when the baby comes it will get worst and they’ll attack the child in the press as well. IMO, The Royal Family is going about this all wrong. One day the commonwealth might decide they want no part of this family, since the majority of the commonwealth are poc. Better yet, Harry might decide f it and leave the Royal Family.
I’m not saying the press isn’t completely racist and vile toward these women, they are. But the narrative about the press killing Diana is a bit much, no?
The detail that her driver was completely loaded always seems to escape the accusations that “the press killed Diana” her drunk driver had a pretty big hand in that.
True, driver was drunk, but he was speeding b/c the paps were chasing them. I saw a Diana documentary where a Paparrazo said he was there when another pap was leaning into her car to take pictures of her saying, “smile bitch, I have make my living.” She asked “and what would you do if I died” and he replied “take the pictures.” Look at documentaries of her running from the paps and their screaming obscenities at her to get her to turn around and look at them. There would have been no need for her to get in a car w/drunk driver if not for them.
Dodi was also yelling at Henri Paul to speed up wayyyyy over the speed limit. That tunnel has a dangerous sharp curve at the bottom with lots of concrete supports along the way and he just wiped out. Period. If Dodi hadn’t insisted they leave the Ritz to go to his apartment none of this would have happened. He acted like a spoiled brat who had to have his own way and the consequences were horrific.
@Jaded
I’m always surprised when people know such things. How do you know Dodi was yelling at Henri Paul before they crashed? Is there a recording? I’m genuinely curious.
Presumably from Diana’s bodyguard, the fourth person in the car and the only one wearing a seat belt. He survived.
@Anitas and nota – yes, the bodyguard remembers Dodi pushing Henri Paul to drive faster, and that it was Dodi’s decision to leave the Ritz for his apartment.
People blame the press because the tragic story of Diana doesn’t just include her death which occurred on 1 night but the ways she was mentally and emotionally abused and worn down through media obsession and intrusion. There was a condemnation of the press and media collectively in the aftermath of her death that continues to this day
+1
Just a few days ago multiple British media sources were comparing Meghan to Diana unfavorably, saying that she was playing with fire and making the same mistakes she did, the insinuation being “it ended badly for her and will for you”. But George Clooney makes the comparison in a way that paints Meghan in a positive light and all of a sudden they lose their minds. Some journalists are already having meltdowns as well as some of the “neutrals” you commonly see on social media. What does it say about these people, that they can’t stand to see her praised or defended? So many of these same people diminished her cookbook or tried to act like other royals have done similar things.
George is absolutely right and What makes me feel absolutely giddy and petty is that his words will be spread both in the UK and internationally and will get far more coverage than the British RRs’ own personal opinions, which quite frankly no one really cares about outside their niche demographic.
Yes.
@MA – Yes + a million to your first paragraph. So, so true.
Well said, MA.
George looks good in that photo. I love the gray hair.
Good for him for saying this. Since he is high profile it will be amplified. British press also risk having their access to him curtailed. I’m glad he is using his platform in this way .
The header pic just reminded me that Amal & George were my fave looks at the wedding 🙂
What were they doing at the wedding anyway and how did they get such good seats? We’d never heard of them being “friends” before that. He and his wife are so thirsty and desperate for credibility. I hope George humbles up; his wife is beyond help. A serious case of NPD, that woman has.
“The press hounded Diana to her death” inb4 all the people who will show up to say that the press didn’t kill Diana, the driver was inebriated, she wasn’t wearing her seat belt, they were driving dangerously, etc. etc. etc.
And frankly, this is why I don’t like the Diana comparisons. I think people miss the overall larger arc of her life in order argue the details to death, because they’d like to say that they’re being fair and equal in portioning the blame for the breakdown of the marriage. But at the end of the day, the truth is that was married far far too young into a family and a situation with an enormous power imbalance that was ultimately weighted against her. This is a painful reality for many many women around the world. She courted the press because she felt like she wasn’t being heard in the place where she wanted to be heard the most–her family and her marriage. And she reacted in the way that an immature young woman who had never been given the time to become more sure of herself and grow into her identity would react.
Meghan isn’t in that situation. It’s one thing for George Clooney to speak up about the press coverage, specifically the fact that no one in the press is holding Thomas Markle accountable for his own stupidity and lying. But the Diana comparisons are unnecessary, and it’s terribly melodramatic if you ask me. It’s not good to use her as a rhetorical figure of comparison for everything that befalls the royal family, and given the way things have been going so far, people are simply going to write another screed against Meghan outlining all the ways she’ll never be like Diana no matter what. We don’t need that.
George looks so aged. Face, hair and neck. Yikes!
George is wrong this isn’t like Diana who couldn’t go to the gym without being papped. The only time Meghan gets papped is at official events. The only reason Meghan gets so much attention is because of her crazy family if it wasn’t for them there wouldn’t be this much interest in her, the vilification comes mainly from Meghans own crazy family. Sure a lot of people hate her but there are also a lot who like her or simply don’t care.
I don’t see Meghan ending up like Diana. First, I don’t think she and Harry will have a nasty divorce (or any divorce), and I could be wrong of course, but I don’t see her as being as fragile as Diana was. Diana married Charles very young and I think pretty naive. I feel like Meghan’s tougher, has a thicker skin and a better marriage.