I hope we’ll get to see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex before the end of the year, but who knows. A month ago, I hoped/suspected that they would be back to do something Christmas-related with the royal family, but at this point, I think they’ll probably avoid the whole thing, especially given that Prince Andrew will be slithering around. Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair did a piece which is supposed to be like “Meghan’s year in review,” but really it’s just an interview with Andrew Morton. Morton was Princess Diana’s biographer and he wrote an unauthorized biography of Meghan this year. Some highlights from this VF piece:
Meghan did what she was supposed to do: “Meghan has done everything that a new royal bride is expected to do,” said Morton, author of Meghan: A Hollywood Princess. “She has given birth to a beautiful baby, she has undertaken numerous engagements abroad and at home. She has made a number of competent speeches and has made the Queen laugh.” But Morton also acknowledges, “It’s been a tough year for Meghan and there has been a lot of criticism. I think she’s been unfairly criticized from the outset just like Diana was and just like Fergie was. Meghan is no different. Royal women tend to be more criticised than royal men. They are scrutinised for what they wear how they look what they say.’
Meghan’s A-list support: “Meghan is smart and she showed her purpose at her wedding by the people she invited,” Morton said. “She invited people she didn’t know well – Oprah, George and Amal Clooney the big Hollywood hitters. It was a clever move, because they are the ones who have stood up for her when she has been attacked.
The outsider: But even with A-list support behind her, as a former actress and an American Meghan in some ways remains an outsider within the royal family, says Morton. ‘I don’t think people have given her latitude for being American,’ says Morton. ‘Plus it’s a difficult family to marry into. The Royal Family is full of traditions and rituals such as who walks into a room first, who curtsies first. Things that are nonsensical to an outsider. The whole etiquette of royalty is hard to get grips with. Just because she seems competent and was a successful actress doesn’t mean it’s been easy for her. Nothing could have prepared her for everything that has happened.’
Her support system: “Her faith is important to her as it is to the Queen and Prince Charles and I think one of the reasons they get along is that there is a spirituality and sense of faith about her that is real and apparent,” Morton said. “I’m sure like the Queen she draws on her religion in times of need.”
Predictions for 2020: Looking to next year Morton predicts another royal baby and a busy itinerary for the hard working couple. “One will hope for baby number two to complete their family, and I think we’ll see them travel and fundraise around the world. There will be an international element to this couple as Commonwealth ambassadors, they’re in a good position to go around the world and I think things look very positive. There are storm clouds ahead though. and court cases are coming up that will be unpleasant. You also wonder, is she ever going to be reconciled with her father?’
“I think she’s been unfairly criticized from the outset just like Diana was and just like Fergie was.” I must have missed all of the racist criticism of Diana and Fergie. It’s unsurprising that royal reporters and royal biographers continue to try to minimize and normalize the attacks against Meghan – it’s like their argument is “this is just the first-year hazing ritual, don’t worry, we do this to EVERY woman.” Like that makes it okay, or like we can’t see that entirely different “hazing” rules are being applied to Meghan. As for what 2020 will bring… I don’t know. Maybe another pregnancy, but not immediately? That’s my guess. I feel like the coming year will bring some big shake-ups all over the place, not just with the Sussexes, but also with the Queen, Charles and the Cambridges.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red and Backgrid.
And the womb watching begins in earnest… I wonder if some of these writers have ever birthed a human being…
I actually think there will be another pregnancy announced very soon. I didn’t think that would be the case, but some people commented on that yesterday and it makes sense to me. I don’t think she’s pregnant now, but I would not be surprised if there was an announcement before Archie’s first birthday.
I am excited to see what she is going to do in 2020. She has proven that she is exciting and fun to follow and can come up with projects/initiatives that spotlight her causes.
I despise pregnancy watches as a rule, but the last couple of photos of that came out before they went off the radar I swear she had that skin glowiness she had with Archie. And tbh I wouldn’t be shocked at all if she and Harry immediately started trying again. Having siblings close in age is definitely a thing, and I know a lot of type A working women who pretty much planned their pregnancies in a 3-5 year timeframe to coincide with a long term sabbatical before going back to work full time.
My siblings are all very close in age, as are my step siblings, and our half sister is about 12 years younger than us, and I can tell you it’s a different kind of hard to get back into baby/toddler mode once you’ve mentally moved past it.
I think she’ll get pregnant again soon too. I think she’ll want to get the pregnancy stage over with and get her body back (in terms of not being pregnant or breastfeeding) and her sleep back and get on a routine. And although she’s not “old” I can’t imagine she’d have a ton more time without possibly running into fertility issues. I think they’re probably happy to have two kids close together.
“ You also wonder, is she ever going to be reconciled with her father?’”
Are people seriously still wondering about that?!? Gross…
Yeah, I’m giving that idea a hard pass, as Meghan seems to be. What a rude thing to say.
Yah, Leigh … that is disgusting. I would NEVER reconcile with that tool. NEVER. Also, hazing women, nice family to marry into, lucky girls. Racism on top of it. I have never thought abolishing Royalty made sense, this article makes me think it might be time. Come join us all in the Twentieth Century folks. Jeez. Add to all of this the protecting of the rapist pedophile??? Unreal.
No one ever wonders if her dad will ever be reconciled with all those other children and grandchildren he’s estranged from.
I hope she never reconciles with her father. They have their hands full Dodging smears from his family which “employees” them so they have to deal with it at present. Her father is a malignant narcissistic oozing puss on humanity’s’ rear and they have the choice to at least avoid him and his she-Satan spawn (her horrid half sister). I would not sign back up for that abuse. She can only take so much before any sane person would crack.
My gossipy prediction for 2020: They are adopting a baby (in the States) and that’s a big reason why they currently take the 6 weeks off. Absolutely not based on facts, of course!
😂😂😂😂😂😂 that will never happen
Agree, sadly.
Imagine if they adopted babies in need from other countries in the Commonwealth and had a beautiful multi-cultural royal family?
Daily Mail, Express and others are going to have two editions every day: DM1, DM2, E1, E2…. All of them full of “nice” comments from the most kind trolls.
wasn’t Katie Nicholl name checked as one of the folks who hacked Prince Harry’s phone?
Any credibility associated with the name “Vanity Fair” is wiped out when I see Katie Nicholl’s name.
Agree and — based on his rather negative book on Meghan — Morton appears to be playing both sides of the aisle However, his negativity towards Meghan comes out with that snarky comment about “wondering if she is EVER going to be reconciled with her father.” As if her father’s horrible behavior towards her requires her to fix their relationship.
What credibility? Vanity Fair thought South Africa still has a Prime Minister (the position was abolished 35 years ago). Their so-called “writers” are poorly educated, and/or poor researchers, and/or too lazy to do any research. Vanity Fair’s “credibility” is in the toilet to begin with.
It used to be better though but has deteriorated since Graydon retired. That, coupled with garbage from the likes of Katie Nicholls is why I chose not to renew my subscription.
So much shade in his comments:
Will she reconcile with her father? The onus is on her father to right the wrong.
she invited people to her wedding that she did not know well?? How would he know. If William could invite the king and queen of Malaysia (who he hardly knew) to his wedding, then Meghan can invite Hollywood royalty to hers.
And the upcoming court case will be unpleasant? For who?
So transparent, snooty and disgusting.
Also, the blurb abut Clooney and Amal was funny, like it was clearly trying to make it sound like it was Meghan who just randomly invited them.
I enjoy George and Amal so I mean this with no shade, but I bet they lobbied hard for an invitation.
Oh my guess is they donated generously to their wedding gift charities which earned them a prime spot at the wedding. But yea. It was such a snarky comment
@royal – I think it was something like that too. Lets not forget they also made a large donation to the Prince’s Trust after the wedding as well. (well I think we assume they did, since there’s a scholarship or something named after Amal now.)
I don’t hate it, this is what rich people do.
William inviting the King and Queen of Malaysia is a diplomatic thing and something the government wanted. I don’t know exactly what Meghan’s relationships were like with Oprah or the Clooneys before the wedding, but it’s really not the same thing at all. I do think that she was thinking about the connections more in terms of furthering their charity work rather than just plain having A-listers there who would stand up for her. Harry is doing a project with Oprah after all.
The Beckhams were invited to William’s wedding. They aren’t diplomats.
David Beckham is a long-time friend of both Princes. William and Beckham even worked together in an attempt to sway the Olympics or other sporting event associated with soccer to be held in England. They failed. I’m pretty sure Harry and Beckham have done charity work together too.
That said, inviting whomever you want to a wedding seems fine to me. I really enjoyed watching both ceremonies.
Wasn’t Amal a co-host for her baby shower? So I doubt she and George paid to be invited. Sounds like they are actually friends.
Didn’t she meet Amal through some UN program? And wasn’t Amal supposedly showing her around London and helping her get situated? But of course that doesn’t fit the narrative of “social climbing two-bit actress” does it?
I do think she’ll announce a pregnancy in 2020 but I don’t think she’s gonna return with a pregnancy announcement in 2020
To paraphrase Beyonce- get off Meghan’s ovaries. It’s especially gross to me when the male royal commentators chime in on womb watch.
More social climber/too Hollywood narratives disguised as positive commentary. And fact he’s still caping for reconciliation with her dad- we all know it’s not out of concern for her or her father’s welfare but for more leaks/drama.
The very people who created racial codes& structures will deny racism until they are blue in the face so no surprise Morton minimises press Meghan has had to mere criticism/ scrutiny similar to what other royal brides had. He took part in that disgusting 60 mins show- where’s similar content for other royal brides especially at early stage in their marriage? And also interesting that press always offer that female royals get more criticism then male royals to almost excuse harsh press for Meghan but cant seem to see how even that is problematic. How is that acceptable?
Anyway hoping karma comes for who it needs to in 2020 including Meghan getting massive damages from the Fail. Big year for the Sussexes with 2020 Invictus, foundation launch, Apple documentary, probably Meghan picking up more patronages and of course the lawsuits. No wonder they may need some TLC before 2020!
I agree with Brexit coming 2020 is going to be an interesting year for the royals.
I think she’s already pregnant, and using the 6 week hiatus to get through the first trimester. That or she’s trying, likely with IVF, which would also explain the desire for privacy. I’d love to see her be like “you all ruined my first pregnancy so I’m going to keep this one to myself and let you all know right before I give birth instead thanks”.
Only IVF pregnancies come with a “desire for privacy?”
No, the first trimester of any pregnancy is stressful and nerve-wracking. The IVF *process* is grueling and it makes sense that with all Meghan has been through with the press, she’d want to endure the shots without worrying about hair and makeup and bitchy RRs.
How do you know she’s using IVF? Or is that an assumption you’re making based on her age alone?
Bingo, its an assumption.
She is not Meghan, Harry or Meghan’s Ob-gyn.
IVF now? There is no basis for that kind of assumption and it seems kind of inappropriate. Infertility is a serious thing. It is weird to include that in frivolous gossipy speculation.
I dislike Morton so much.
I kind of wonder if she’s meeting with her father on this break. Not that he deserves it, but as a part of getting her house in order and trying to put a stop to his side of the leaks and interviews.
I hope we never find out and only suspect it through his hopefully continued silence.
Her house is Frogmore Cottage, that is the only house, she needs to keep in order but with a child it will be hard.
The markles have nothing new to sell, they’ve been on a repeat cycle for almost three years now.
Thomas made a choice and he just have to deal with the consequences. Five of his grandchildren are adults and he was never part of their lives, why would it be any different Archie $$$$$.
If her father could ever get near MM or Archie, no matter how good her intentions were, all the planet, solar sistem, galaxy would know. Unless they tied him up first in a secret place to see her. The first thing he would do, as soon as anyone of her staff contacted him for the meeting, was to call the beloved Sammy who would contact all her “résau” of paps to build a story, or two, or ten. We would never hear the end of it.
So…in other words Andrew Morton’s book will be another tone-deaf piece blatantly ignoring the REAL reason why Meghan has been given such a hard time. Because she’s BLACK.
I thought Andrew Morton wrote his book already.
Katie Nicholl who claims she was friends with Harry, what she meant to say, she was listening in to Harry’s hacked phone for a price.
I think any woman who joins the royal family is going to be scrutinized, we saw it with Diana, Fergie and Kate. With Meg it’s the same except she’s also American and Black which gives them more ammunition. I dont recall princess Anne’s spouse getting such a hard time ( but i could be wrong), so why so much vitriol towards women?
The saddest part of it for me is the fact that other women are the ones being the most hateful and cruel. For all of our talk about supporting other women, we really do a poor job at it.
Women are second class citizens, so, pecking order. And it’s always easier to pick on a bunch of girls. The RRs are trash, interviewing each other and making stuff up. It’s no better than CDAN.
The racial thing is the issue. You are right. But if he did it, he better could move to the moon. He would burn forever his reputation because nobody wants to admit it. Even the most agressive trolls or “things” like Piers Morgan. If I had on dollar for each time I’ve read the most horrible comments about MM starting with: “It’s not about her color…; that’s no a racial issue but….; it has nothing to do with her bein african-american…..” and on and on, I would be more rich than the BRF.
Piers Morgan is just sour because Meghan wasn’t receptive to him as a journalist once she and Harry became involved. That was a good move on her part. Why jeopardize your relationship with unwanted press? Plus she was really new to royal rules and likely went out of her way not to break any. Again, smart.
So lacking are they in news that they need to make stuff up. Is the not some journalists ethics code that prevent this? He clearly does not know Meghan (now or ever), so how does he know who she knows or how she is thinking?
Also, as a black woman, the royal reporters really need some diversity in their midsts as it is clear they do not know anything about people of color.
I just don’t understand why everyone is so accepting of how horrible the British tabloid press is. I read another article about Meghan being warned against marrying Harry because of the tabloid press and because she was warned she shouldn’t complain. How can anyone be so accepting of the abuse, harassment, bullying that not only Meghan has endured but countless others have as well?? Is the British society so cowardly that they can’t say enough is enough?
“One will hope for baby number two to complete their family” grrrrr. Who’s to say when a family is ‘complete’? Maybe they’ll have one kid–some people just have one and their fam is complete. Maybe they’ll have three. Obnoxious. (I realize maybe Andrew Morton is getting this from Harry’s comments to Jane Goodall about having 2 children, but still)
I agree. That comment hit me the wrong way too. Whose to say how families are made, you know?
Should we take Andrew Morton seriously? He wrote this article. Also, no woman can say the year she will conceive, only God can. Meg may want to conceive in 2020 but only God can make it possible.
I’m pretty sure it is not as passive as that. people decide they want to get pregnant and then they take the necessary steps. They may or may not be successful depending on their biology, but given Meghan’s age and the speed with which she got pregnant the first time it is highly likely (82%) that she can get pregnant in the next year.
So if god exists (which seems pretty unlikely to me) they only seem to help people who already have biology on their side and take sensible active steps to conceive.
I’m happy seeing her do whatever. I just miss seeing her! Can’t wait to hear what she’ll be up to next…
Get out of her womb! Archie is 7 months can she take time for her body to recover from pushing a whole human out of it!
Tom Sr. sold his sold and daughter to the tabs, she will never be able to trust him that relationship is done.
It brings me joy to see Meghan, Harry and Archie any time, but of course, their privacy must and does come first. I get that. It’s always a thrill to see the President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama. But yes, the bleak reality of wily opportunists and hucksters in the White House who promote hate, division, racism, sexism, injustice, etc. is phenomenally discouraging. Phenomenally.
Traveling round the world to fundraise –? I don’t know but who will be funding the travels? I doubt the foreign office will be funding travels for the Sussexes to raise funds for their charity. I don’t know also if the queen or Charles will approve funds for the Sussexes to embark on a fundraising tour for their personal charity as they are obviously not in good terms with members of Harry’s family after the fallout of the documentary. Maybe they will be spending out of Harry’s 20m in the bank who knows…
Funding a fundraising tour will definitely be a challenge. Also getting people to donate won’t be easy. People donate to such high profile foundations in exchange for some kind of access. That’s how Andrew was able to get funds – he ensured his friends got access to the queen. With their strained relationship with the senior royals which is well documented as they themselves acknowledge, it may be difficult for big donors who want lunch or a photo op with the queen or Charles or William to Dole out millions to them. The first question a donor will ask himself is ‘what can association with Harry and Meghan who are ‘isolated’ from the BRF do for me’?
He’ll have a rich and powerful king (who’ll needs him) for a father.
Tell me something @ Lummy, are you just kidding with this post? Because I seen lots of successful charity foundations/organizations with mega rich donors that don’t have, have never asked for and have no interest in any access to the British monarchy. Can’t Sussex Royal be one like those? How much access to the monarchy has the Royal Foundation (William and Kate foundation) sold out to donors? Or are you insinuating they too sell access, just like Andrew but just haven’t been exposed? Are you for real? And I’m sorry to burst yr bubble but William, at this point in time, is really not all that and a bag of chips. People will donate to have a close working relationship with the Sussexes before they donated to gain access to William and Kate, that’s just a fact. Plus, you have no idea what relationship Harry has with his father nor his grandmather, none.
This is Andrew Morton talking, it’s not a statement from the Sussexes. Take it with less than a grain of salt please. As far as traveling, the Sussexes are representatives to the Commonwealth so that alone is going to dictate lots of travel.
Nobody’s saying the others got racist criticism and just cause the criticism they got wasn’t racist doesn’t make it any less painful for them to have to deal with. The non-racist criticism Meghan gets is probably no less hurtful then the racist stuff.
@AprilMay I’ve always said that other royal wives have suffered combination of sexism, misogyny, classism, body shaming, slut-shaming. Some have also been physically harassed like Diana, Camilla having bread rolls thrown at her etc. It’s appalling& shouldn’t be downplayed.
Meghan has had all these (less the physical harassment as far as we are aware except the invasive home pics /videos they sued over) plus xenophobia& racism in a toxic political climate. She is also dehumanised in a way others weren’t because of race. Eg Nobody particularly judges Diana for not talking to her mother at time of her death but even with all the things her father has done, some like Morton still expect Meghan to reach out to him& make amends or she’s a bad daughter because people have less empathy for people of colour.
Kate had the former prime minister defend her on at least two occasions after marrying in& when she was a girlfriend, a select committee looked into the press harassment of her. When the France pap pictures were taken, people respected when William said he would protect her against suffering what his mother endured whereas that same respect wasn’t extended to Harry when he said the same during the Africa tour. Then it was playing the victim as they don’t see Meghan as worthy of protection.
Some of the worst coverage was during her pregnancy and I guarantee that would never happen to a white royal- people would have been concerned for the mother/baby’s health.
I didn’t know Meghan is religious
Must be tough cause she hasn’t lost the baby weight. Nearly 8 months. She was absolutely beautiful and slim before. I loved the yellow dress captures. Glowing with gorgeousness. She’s still very pretty but weight gain changes people’s looks, faces and figures. She is not you and never will be, she has access to things you could only dream of, so the baby weight not shifting is odd. She was healthy & fit all throughout her pregnancy. Everyone I know loses it under 4/5 months, then is back to their toned selves.
Everyone you know does not equal everyone, ok? Get off Meg’s scale and tend to your own.
Where have you been? She HAS lost her baby weight. What a thing to comment about, really. Ugh.
Yucky comment boo.
Maybe it’s because certain aspects of this interview annoy me but saying that Meghan makes the queen laugh just rubs me the wrong way. Now I know the queen does have a good sense of humor and humor is a valuable asset to have, and there’s nothing wrong in giving the monarch some giggles. But somehow in this interview it comes across as if one of Meghan’s many requirements is to be court jester to the queen. Perhaps better phrasing would be Megan has a wonderful sense of humor which the queen appreciates. Is that yet another dig at her? I’m not sure but my tin foil hat is off now and it’s time for another glass of wine.🍷
Competent speeches? She’s the best speaker in the BRF.