Inevitably, the Duchess of Sussex’s With Love, Meghan had become another referendum on “Meghan versus Kate.” I think Kate lost this war the second she started copying every single thing Meghan wore, did and said, but whatever. This is going to be the conversation in many quarters for many more years to come. Kate will be queen consort (maybe) and they’ll still compare her to her sister-in-law. Which is insulting to Kate in about ten different ways, not least of which is that they can only make Kate sound good in connection/comparison to Meghan. It’s obvious that Kate is still watching and obsessing over everything Sussex-related too, that’s what the jam stunt and cake-baking stunt were all about last week. Anyway, there was some commentary this week:

There is “no comparison” between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, according to one royal expert. On Tuesday, the same day that Markle’s new lifestyle series premiered, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams noted to Fox News Digital that Princess Kate and husband Prince William’s popularity is “very high.”

Meanwhile, Markle has a 21% approval rating, another British royals expert, Hilary Fordwich, told Fox News Digital, citing a recent YouGov poll in Britain, adding that the Princess of Wales is “Britain’s most popular living royal.”

“Princess Catherine actually is a beekeeper,” Fordwich said, referencing Markle’s beekeeping segment shown in a preview for “With Love, Meghan.” “Her bees are at Anmer Hall, in the corner of the gardens on the Sandringham estate. Instead of monetizing her real hobby, back in the summer of ’21, she actually took honey from the hives whilst visiting schoolchildren attending the biodiversity hub at London’s Natural History Museum.”

Fordwich said that everything Middleton “does is to help others, those mentally challenged, the less privileged, the disadvantaged, the young, as well as those suffering from cancer, to name a few causes. She never belittles others, whereas this Netflix show is actually denigrating to those less fortunate,” Fordwich opined. She added that, to her, Markle is “not only doing everything for money, she is seeking more fame and self-aggrandizement,” whereas Middleton and her husband, Prince William, do everything “without fanfare.”

“Meghan married for titles and prestige,” Fordwich added. “Catherine married in spite of the title and prestige.”

Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner disagreed. “The beauty of Meghan is she is very precise with all the intricate ingredients and presentation and, obviously, with the usual Netflix styling the show looks immaculate,” he said, adding, “I am a self-confessed Meghan fan and for me the show works.”

Pelham Turner called it a “shame there is such a chasm with King Charles,” noting that the longtime environmentalist “would like the show content, especially using the homeopathic herbs from the garden.” He added that the royal family would be “fools” not to watch Markle’s show because “royal members like Meghan show how [a] 21st century monarchy can be.”

[From Fox News]

Ian Pelham Turner’s comment reminded me of the jam war last year, and how Buckingham Palace played into it by highlighting THEIR jam at the same time Meghan was sending out jam-baskets to friends. BP and Clarence House got sales bumps just from… Meghan sending out jam. That’s the strength of the Meghan Effect and yes, if Charles, Camilla, William and Kate weren’t so jealous, dumb and racist, they could have easily benefited from a peripheral shine. Instead, we know what happened. As for “Meghan married for titles and prestige. Catherine married in spite of the title and prestige.” The exact opposite is true – Meghan married in spite of Harry’s weird family and the insane British media. Kate married William because of the titles, because of the money and because that’s what her mom wanted.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, Netflix and Cover Images.