The New Yorker - which, for non-US readers, is seen by many as the journal of America's educated elite - took on the Meg and Harry story today with a story entitled "Prince Harry and Meghan's Fractured Fairy Tale."
The story is currently at the top of the New Yorker's "most read" list.
It is somewhat sympathetic to the Sussexes:
According to royal experts, the only approximate modern precursor to Megxit—the term that was inevitably coined for the Sussexes’ departure—was the abdication crisis of 1936. Then, King Edward VIII stepped down from the throne in order to marry the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson, of Baltimore, Maryland; he became the Duke of Windsor and retreated into a long exile of decadent mooching, in France and elsewhere....Harry’s retirement from the family business does not affect the succession. It has, however, inspired a collective reckoning, for which the British public has been especially primed by three seasons of “The Crown,” in which the soul-crushing nature of the institution has been amply depicted. How bad must being an H.R.H. be in order to make someone want to quit?
The story is long, and covers many of the usual bases of the Meghan story - even Princess Michael's blackamoor brooch makes an appearance, as does the notorious "Straight out of Compton" headline.
Less flattering details, however, are absent - such as the excessive spending on clothing, the constant staff turnover, the mystery surrounding Archie and the "Nobody asks if I'm OK" interview.
What do you think?
The story is currently at the top of the New Yorker's "most read" list.
It is somewhat sympathetic to the Sussexes:
According to royal experts, the only approximate modern precursor to Megxit—the term that was inevitably coined for the Sussexes’ departure—was the abdication crisis of 1936. Then, King Edward VIII stepped down from the throne in order to marry the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson, of Baltimore, Maryland; he became the Duke of Windsor and retreated into a long exile of decadent mooching, in France and elsewhere....Harry’s retirement from the family business does not affect the succession. It has, however, inspired a collective reckoning, for which the British public has been especially primed by three seasons of “The Crown,” in which the soul-crushing nature of the institution has been amply depicted. How bad must being an H.R.H. be in order to make someone want to quit?
The story is long, and covers many of the usual bases of the Meghan story - even Princess Michael's blackamoor brooch makes an appearance, as does the notorious "Straight out of Compton" headline.
Less flattering details, however, are absent - such as the excessive spending on clothing, the constant staff turnover, the mystery surrounding Archie and the "Nobody asks if I'm OK" interview.
What do you think?
Comments
Capt Moore is lovely! What a great story. I hope he does get knighted.
I think so to, and if he doesn't then there's something wrong. I really hope he gets the knighthood that's being talked about. He seemed quite embarrassed at the suggestion when it was mentioned in an interview I watched earlier, but in my mind if anyone deserves one it's him. I'm also wondering if he qualifies for a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records, I've seen/heard the word "unprecedented" used in relation to the amount he's raised.
And to bring it back to H&M, are there any amusing records they could aim to break while they have all this time on their hands? It's been donkeys years since I last looked at a Guinness BoWR but I seem to remember they have some weird and wonderful ones in there that could be suitable for those two.
@abbyh: switch: Chambord is a raspberry liqueur which I have had added as a splash to champagne.
Ooh, thanks for the tip! I'm now wondering if I can get away with claiming buying champagne is a valid reason for leaving the house lol
I'm one of those very old people who's subscribed to the dead tree version of the New Yorker for decades. Like others here, I mostly just look at the cartoons now, & they've gotten less funny to me. Both the New Yorker & the New York Times seem to have lost all of their sense of fun. The Times used to have reporters with the gift of delicious snark. Now it's all guilt-tripping preachy, preachy for both publications.
Don't know about the New Yorker's finances, but they do seem to want to hold on to us old folks. I'd been sending a free gift subscription for a couple of years to one of my kids & his spouse. The New Yorker wanted me to start paying for both subscriptions. I got on the phone, & said, no, fix this for me, or I'll cancel & start taking the Economist. They did, & seem to have given me an extra year as well for some reason. Free subscriptions are a way of goosing the subscriber numbers for advertisers. A lot of outlets do it.
David Remnick is an excellent writer & by & large has put out a pretty decent magazine for many years, but like many others he's struggling to expand his audience & stay relevant (& solvent.)
Thanks to everyone who taught us how to italicize & type in bold!
I'm in the NYC tristate area, as are many of my friends & loved ones. Have had too many other things to worry about to be much concerned about a couple that has become a bizarre variation on the Kardashians. The Archie mystery is what drew me, now I don't really care. Just hope no babies or children are being harmed. I wandered over to Nutty for a bit of comic relief. Cheers, everyone. Stay healthy!
" cat that fetches and drools..
I laughed so hard, thank you! I love dogs very much and my favourite cup says "everything tests better with dog hair in it"
Isn't it a true sad symbol of our times that two healthy multi millionaires are competing for attention with a 99 years old veteran?
I can only add that it is very telling Harry didn't even bother to tidy himself up for a chat with moms of disabled kids. He looked a complete awkward mess. What an insult.
Am I the only one who feels that Harry bragging about frolicking with his child to mothers of disabled children is incredibly tone deaf? That they found any good words for him speaks volumes about their good souls. Wouldn't it be a lot more appropriate for him to listen and cheer them up instead talking of his own (healthy) kid? What is wrong with that guy?___________________________________
NO, you are NOT the only one.
This person has NEVER known what it is like to have a challenged child.
To put himself forward in this case is making himself a piece of S>>>> on the first order. Sorry.
Goodness, you are right! He identifies with with sufferer and gets angry at perceived lack of sympathy from the people around. What a walking well of psychological problems Harry is. Scary, I would not want to live next to him.
This person is a person.
editor@purewow.com (PureWow)
PureWowyesterday
"In the interview with Vanity Fair royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, the "royal rebel" (as dubbed by the magazine's May cover story) reveals that she's glad she never gave HRH titles to her two children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips.
“I think it was probably easier for them, and I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles,” Princess Anne, 69, said. “So I think that was probably the right thing to do.”
The interview, which took place a month after the Sussexes' explosive announcement, seems to indirectly endorse Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step away from the royal family as senior working members and become financially independent.
As you'll surely recall, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January that they were stepping away from royal life. In order to do so, Queen Elizabeth said they were no longer allowed to actively use the word "royal" or their honorary titles of "His and Her Royal Highnesses." You'll also recall that Meghan and Harry opted to not give baby Archie a "prince" title like his cousins George, Charlotte and Louis, instead opting for the more generic "Master" Archie.
But Anne doesn't make it easy. She says that, at the risk of sounding like a “boring old fuddy-duddy at the back," the younger generation of royals should not try to "reinvent the wheel," especially when it comes to philanthropy.
When speaking of her time spent working with the Save the Children foundation, she says that her boots-on-the-ground approach to service is something the working royals must embrace.
“I don’t think this younger generation probably understands what I was doing in the past and it’s often true, isn’t it? You don’t necessarily look at the previous generation and say, ‘Oh, you did that?’ Or, ‘You went there?’ Nowadays, they’re much more looking for, ‘Oh let’s do it a new way.’ And I’m already at the stage, ‘Please do not reinvent that particular wheel. We’ve been there, done that. Some of these things don’t work. You may need to go back to basics,'" Anne said.
Is that a reference to Meghan and Harry's newly announced Archewell Foundation? Or even a reference to Kate and William's recent upgrades to their Royal Foundation website? Or just a broad generalization of the roles royals play in today's world? It's hard to say, but the queen's second child did avoid getting too political with any of her statements.
Is Princess Anne now our favorite royal for being a self-described "fuddy duddy"? Absolutely."
Isn't it bloody marvellous? They twist everything.
Prince Harry spoke to families of sick kids to tell them he feels guilty about enjoying himself during global pandemic as death toll rises.
[contentcards url=”https://www.ccn.com/prince-harry-calls-sick-kids-in-desperate-attempt-to-prove-hes-norma/” target=”_blank”]
Thank you, Jerseydeanne, that's spot on.
Also, it's not surprising that Harry is mentioning his baby and how fortunate he is how much he enjoys playing/frolicking/dotig over baby. He would have said the second things no matter who he was speaking to on the call. These.Are.Predecided.Talking.points!!! It's a pretty excercise after all.
Also, and this I just realized. Wills has opened NHS Nightingale hospital today. This was a known fact. So, no wonder dumb and dumber have rolled out their PR sneak attqck and played the well child+Archie card.
I wonder if what Charles gives them yearly would be considered income and be a bone of contention?
I speak as one who has experienced a Calif. divorce and complicated custody case in Calif (even prevailing in the Appellate Ct. on ancillary issues) and having acted as my own attorney and done extensive research. Before I may be slammed for speaking about my personal life, I am just like others here who cite their 'personal' knowledge (better than no experience). The law may have changed a little since then but the basis premise is the same and I have looked at up to date information on this also.
>>>I wonder if what Charles gives them yearly would be considered income and be a bone of contention?<<<<
Excellent point. Court might consider it a gift though.
You are right. He is a textbook case of how not to be a patron of a disabled children's charity.
Which makes me seriously wonder, why, just why is he hanging on to this one so dearly! He makes such a big song n dance about his veterans charities but does zeron work for them. (Apart from playing dress up at a gala). Why couldn't he have chosen one of those to talk to?? Certainly that would have out him on a more informed, equal footing since he is a veteran as well. Has suffered PTSD (supposedly) and it's a cause he is passionate about (allegedly)
I'll answer my own question : Because he probably couldn't mention Arche so casually with them. He would have to serious up his game with them, and right now his mental facultiea are questionable and the veterans wouldn't be fooled. They wouldn probably want him committed and call an intervention on him.
Strictly a one-off deal. Done more for the photo-op + praise than out of actually contributing. In this case, since there were no photos, it was done for the leaked press story.
She is strictly a one-and-done person. Even her patronages barely got second visits, and then only because it served her and not the organizations.
She's a Lady Bountiful. Definition: a woman who engages in ostentatious acts of charity, more to impress others than out of a sense of concern for those in need.
Forgot to add: the Harry video, does anyone else think his face looks very smooth and shiny? My first reaction was to wonder if he'd had some work done, although I'm not anywhere near knowledgeable on things like that so I could be totally wrong.
@Lurking: Shiny facial skin is a sign of having had Botox injected. Perhaps Harry is moisturizing heavily.
>>>>Something is off, either proms story or her declared age. How old do you have to be for proms in USA?<<<<
Typically it is juniors and seniors who go to prom but it depends on the school. In addition their date may be a different age. Ultimately schools have different rules.
A 15 yr. old would usually be a sophomore or even a yr. older, depends on their age when entering school (and not being held back).
There’s nothing noteworthy, new, or applicable in Harry’s feel-good gibberish to these carers. So why do it? If he had just wanted to interact with them to convey concern, he should have just done so privately. In fact doing so privately would have allowed he and the carers to interact on a more personal level without constraints of public view or judgement.
But Harry made it a public spectacle, essentially he made this about himself regardless of how he spins this as highlighting the plight of chronically-ill children and their families. Yes Harry, I’m sure the carers haven’t once had people tell them to be attentive to their own mental health. Yes, it was kind of you to express guilt for spending time with Archie, though I don’t know what that brings to to the discussion other than to show a degree of self-awareness. Awareness that you and your narcissist wife are having a splendid time in the Malibu bolt hole.
As with anything the Sussexes have said and done, this stunt is a mere platform for self-promotion. The world is experiencing hardships and damn it, the Sussexes want in on this trend too even from the luxurious comforts of Malibu.
I’d have thought that the New Yorker (the only publication of Conde’s besides Wired that is making any money) would have been hands off. But clearly Wintour is at the helm of this decision. Last September (?), there was a devastating take down of the Conde empire in New York magazine. Well worth hunting down. Wintour doesn’t come off very well. She’s made a bunch of notable stumbles. I consider the Kim/Kanye cover to be ridiculous, Markle’s UK Vogue edition to be laughable, and now this encroachment into the world of the staid New Yorker.
I will also say that the journalist covering COVID in Wired is superb. The coverage has been excellent. My last recommendation would be to read Buck’s book, The Price of Illusion. It’s an autobiography with wonderful writing, in addition to giving the reader a sad glimpse into that world that Markle is so desperate to join. Everything is transactional. No worries about ghosting or dumping people. Basically it’s a narc’s heaven.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/taxes/gift-tax-rate/
I will ask my mother, who has worked for the IRS over 20 years and has a master's in accounting the specifically details.
This one Wizard?
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/10/conde-nast-anna-wintour-roger-lynch.html
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/royals/teenage-meghan-markle-beams-with-joy-at-late-90s-high-school-christmas-dances/ar-BBYbOSu
And according to this link, Luis was in a freshman in college in 1997.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/realtorsegura
I don't know how things work re: prom dates at all-girls Catholic schools. I thought there were usually "brother-sister" schools and dating occurred that way.
I went to a coed public high school and I'm pretty sure I couldn't have invited a "college man" to even to my senior spring prom. But that was a long time ago. And based on the outfits worn, M's high school appears much more "liberal" than the Catholic schools that were around when I was young.
>>>So, point of all that is that if Rache was not the child of extremely protective parents and was allowed to go to prom as a freshman (at 14-15 yo)<<<
Typically a 15 yr. old would be a sophomore, I was. My eldest daughter was a junior (going to college at 16) and my Dad went to college at 15. However I hardly think Meghan was so smart and accomplished. I skipped Prom as it wasn't important to me; I didn't want to waste my parents money, besides I didn't start dating till I was a senior. Some Texas girls, like me didn't go in for the show, big hair, big personalities or the Big Man on Campus. LOL
Meghan age is probably accurate as there are too many sources that report it and I hardly think a Catholic H.S. would lie. I educated all of mine in a Catholic school and it was worth the money as a single parent..
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/16/captain-tom-moore-nhs-just-giving/?WT.mc_id=e_DM1235967&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_Edi_New_Reg&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_Edi_New_Reg20200416&utm_campaign=DM1235967
I think the Project Angel Food delivery (deliveries?? doubtful) was a typical MM move.
I went on Datalounge which is a gossip site catering to the gay community ( who would be the beneficiaries of Angle Food delivery) and here are their reactions:
1)It says there was security with them. I do not understand why they take a team of bodyguards out to enable them to perform a task for which there is likely 1000s of other volunteers. then come home and put your infant son at risk.
Aren't there guidelines to stay home unless absolutely necessary?
Even if this was purely altruistic, it seems so unnecessary.
2)Getting regular volunteers who don't have to travel with a full security detail is better social distancing than these two doing it personally.
3)So, you expose yourself AND YOUR BODYGUARDS. Assholes, both of them.
4)No doubt attuned to the shellacking they've received in the press, they need to remind the public that since they left their sewing machine back in the UK to make masks, they too are contributing in their new home by bringing hand crafted cocktails to the cast of Vanderpump Rules & Shahs of the Sunset.
Not one of the 21 comments was positive.I will post the last comment:
5)What attention whores. You can see right through their motives.
To anyone who thinks W & C should be doing more on the front line, please stop and think a bit.
I imagine that the Queen may well have ordered both them and Charles to remain out of things other than to boost morale. There is a very good reason for this:
Just imagine if both Charles and William succumbed to Covid-19, who would be in charge if the Queen also succumbed? Just Harry, that's who! In lieu of HM, PC & PW, Harry would become regent.
If this happened, God forbid, can you imagine the royal childrens' lives, being in close proximity to MM? She hates their mother to the nth degree and would have no qualms about abusing them. It's no good saying that Harry wouldn't allow that as he's stood by and said nothing while MM has abused his whole family.
It's also no good saying that the above could never happen as Covid-19 has already wiped out some families here in the UK.
No, I think HM has put her foot down with a very firm hand as I shouldn't think she would ever want to envisage Harry, and especially MM, in a position of power.
Whether you agree with me or not, that is my honest opinion and I hope it hasn't upset anyone.
Heirs 1-5 have be protected lest Heir 6 becomes Regent or, even worse, if they all were to succumb, King.
Heaven forbid!
Cue: quick rendition of A Health Unto Her Majesty, with strong emphasis on the words:
`And he that will not pledge this Health,
I wish him nether wit not wealth,
Nor yet the rope to hang himself!'
"Maybe her prom date was held back a grade or two?"
Well maybe. I suppose Luis could have been held back. But if the choice is between thinking Meghan lied about something (anything) and thinking Luis lied on his Linkedin profile-- said he started college at CalState LA in 1997 (the year the prom photo was taken) but he was really still in high school.....I'm not betting on Luis being the liar. Otherwise I agree with your comment.
The timeline fits for Meg's ex-boyfriend to have been a High School Senior and College Freshman in 1997.
Clarence House has released a pic of PC aged 17 playing Macbeth, and other photos of his acting at school and university, in honour of Wm Shakespeare's Birthday in a week's time.
He seems to have had a more illustrious stage career than YKW had had. What will she do about that?
"It appears they desperately enlisted the aid of Jane Goodall to vouch for them as one of the few ‘celebrities’ that has some credibility, but no one is interested in what Goodall has to say about the Sussexes. All she had to say is that she had been in contact, and that Harry appears to be ‘struggling’––boo hoo! No one cares given the fact that people are dying from Covid-19, people are worried about keeping a roof over their heads, and finding food as many have lost their jobs and livelihoods. Why would anyone give a damn about a spoilt and petulant prince who is struggling to adjust to American life that was his choice, and who has suddenly discovered he isn’t important, and that he can’t get people to do what he wants?"
………………………..
"The end is nigh for them, and there is zero sympathy because this was self-induced. When you decide to play poker with the Devil, don’t expect to come out unscathed, and that includes the enablers.squirm, sulk, and seethe silently.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8227283/Princess-Beatrices-29-wedding-Edoardo-Mapelli-Mozzi-CANCELLED.html
Princess Beatrice 'CANCELS' May 29 marriage to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi due to coronavirus crisis as source says 'they aren't thinking about their wedding at this time'
"In the United States, High School Proms are held late Spring usually in May. Seniors then graduate by Summer usually in June and have a Summer Break. Summer Break tends to last 2-3 months. Graduated Seniors typically enter as Freshmen in the Fall by Sep sometimes Aug.
The timeline fits for Meg's ex-boyfriend to have been a High School Senior and College Freshman in 1997.
That doesn't work.
Until I saw the MSN article saying it was a Christmas prom I thought like you did----that it was a springtime prom as is typical for public schools in the US. But if you look carefully at all of MM's "prom" pictures for the various years she was in private school at Immaculate Heart High School, you can see there is a Christmas tree in the background of almost every picture. Here is another article link that has the pictures from 1996 (age 15, 10th grade), 1997 (age 16, 11th grade), and 1998 (age 17, 12th grade).
https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/10590173/teenage-meghan-markle-grins-high-school-christmas-boyfriend/amp/
The one that was taken with Luis that was published with the LA house-hunting article was taken in December 1997 in front of a Christmas tree with mainly burgundy ornaments. (Luis was also her prom date in Dec 1996 when she was 15. That Christmas tree was white-flocked with gold and burgundy ornaments.) So if Luis was at CalState LA in 1997 as his own Linkedin profile says he was (starting in either January 97 or August/Sept 97), he couldn't have been a high school senior in Dec 1997 too.
He could have been a senior in 1996 when he was her prom date when she was in 10th grade and probably was unless he took a gap year.
We have all known Markle's lies about her age.
Thank you for proof of the same.
That also makes it look like the Harkles paid for those meals, when we know that never happened.
Shameless!!!
Using a pandemic to give themselves some cheap and false publicity is just sickening
Yes! JH looks disheveled and keeps repeating the same phrases over as well. It is worth noting, even the 99 year old Major Tom who is walking in his garden to raise money for corona NHS help in the UK, is able and willing to comb his hair and put a tie for his interviews.
He is visibly nervous, can't be still for even a moment, repeats himself, touches his nose a lot a looks like he is trying to stifle a giggle a couple of times. I would guess cocaine.
Well Child must be delighted to have him as a patron. Isn't his job to calm fears, raise funds, comfort, and represent them on the world stage?I
Between this performance and the award ceremony where he either laughed or cried and had to be held by one of the staff people, I sure they are proud as can be to call him theirs.
Why do you think the Harkles are so dang eager to hang on to their patronages? Is it prestige, or a connection to the RF? A humanitarian resume stuffer? Stop-gap PR ops? Do you suppose they are going to try something hinkey with the funding? Maybe an entre with the supporters that they can use for their own charity?
I just don't get it. And I am so deeply suspicious of this pair and their motives hat I can't accept it as simply a desire to help.
Can someone please explain the, yet another, secret visit? "Secret Visit" always sounds like an article in Teen Magazine. Its that juvenile to do it again, and again, and again. And why are you exposing your security detail to the virus? why are you risking taking it home to the baby that couldn't travel to see his grandfather and great grandmother because of the virus?
If its secret, keep it secret and only do it once. Repeated secret visits come across as PR stunts and nothing more (which I'm sure they are). Classic SL move.
DM keeps reporting the BBC donation money was theirs. Why is that?
The 20 meals were delivered over two days. Six one day and 14 a few days later. Usual drivers deliver 50-60 per day.
M wanted JH to experience experience Los Angeles "through the eyes of philanthropy." Gag.
The charity is for people with AIDS in West Hollywood many of them gay men.
Datalounge which is a gossip site catering to the gay community ( who would be the beneficiaries of Angel Food delivery) and here are the reactions from some of their bloggers:
1)It says there was security with them. I do not understand why they take a team of bodyguards out to enable them to perform a task for which there is likely 1000s of other volunteers. then come home and put your infant son at risk.
Aren't there guidelines to stay home unless absolutely necessary?
Even if this was purely altruistic, it seems so unnecessary.
2)Getting regular volunteers who don't have to travel with a full security detail is better social distancing than these two doing it personally.
3)So, you expose yourself AND YOUR BODYGUARDS. Assholes, both of them.
Not one of the 21 comments was positive.I will post the last comment:
What attention whores. You can see right through their motives.
@ Genia and lizzie
The charity is for people with AIDS in West Hollywood many of them gay men.
Datalounge which is a gossip site catering to the gay community ( who would be the beneficiaries of Angel Food delivery) and here are the reactions from some of their bloggers:
1)It says there was security with them. I do not understand why they take a team of bodyguards out to enable them to perform a task for which there is likely 1000s of other volunteers. then come home and put your infant son at risk.
Aren't there guidelines to stay home unless absolutely necessary?
Even if this was purely altruistic, it seems so unnecessary.
2)Getting regular volunteers who don't have to travel with a full security detail is better social distancing than these two doing it personally.
3)So, you expose yourself AND YOUR BODYGUARDS. Assholes, both of them.
Not one of the 21 comments was positive.I will post the last comment:
What attention whores. You can see right through their motives.
_____________________________________________
Absolutely NO surprise.
Agree 100%. Forcing their bodyguards to travel through LA in the middle of a pandemic for a pointless PR task (delivering 20 meals over 2 days?) was terrible. I had posted I thought that earlier on the thread. Glad I'm not the only one.
I don't know what the guidelines are in LA. But where I live on the east coast (where we have fewer cases than LA), we are asked to send only one person out to do necessary food shopping. They had the two of them plus at least two bodyguards, probably more, for a task that usually requires only one person or at the most two. Idiotic.
MEGHAN’S BIRTHDAY
Meghan’s birthday is exactly when she has said it is—August 4, 1981.The California Birth Index,1905-1995, an official state government document shows her full birthday, her full name: Rachel Meagan Markle. Mother’s maiden name: Ragland. Place: Los Angeles, CA.
“SOURCE: Original data: State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.” Retrieved from Ancestry.com.
Pass it along, please. We don’t want to be criticized for having inaccurate information. I wish I could post the index page image, but alas, Tumblr.
May I please be rewarded with a double scotch?
An image of the index is viewable. The birth index, as well as her parents’ wedding record, may be found on Ancestry.com (fee based).
@Lt. @lizzie
MEGHAN’S BIRTHDAY
__________________________
Nice one :)
brown-eyed said...
@Lt. @lizzie
MEGHAN’S BIRTHDAY
May I please be rewarded with a double scotch?
_____________________________
How about a double double? :)
Double double scotch sounds perfect! Thanks.
@Lt.
Double double scotch sounds perfect! Thanks.
________________________
You're a star :)
The DM now has a picture of the pair, in LA [West Hollywood], being philanthropic--that is, delivering food with their masks and nice jeans with MM wearing her sunglasses on her chest.
@lizzie, yes here in California where we have stricter guidelines (earlier too I might say) than other parts of the nation, we're advised to limit to only essential outings and to not travel in groups. The larger the entourage is the harder it is optimally adhere to social distancing rules. I think Meghan's ego couldn't take the public hits that just kept coming at them this past week, and she decided to pull this little stunt. How did the shelter get in contact with CNN and other media outlets? Did he suddenly decide to use his precious time to call up the media and tell them about his encounter with the saintly pair? Or was he given a hint with promise of more favors if he would collaborate with CNN or whoever would be calling soon to confirm the story.
_____________________________________
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
It is a stunt indeed.
Harry is in a bad way, thinks me.
Markle is making him so.
https://www.tmz.com/2020/04/16/prince-harry-meghan-markle-first-sighting-los-angeles-video-delivering-food-meals-needy-residents-coronavirus-covid-19/
What proof this is The Greedy Grifters (yes I know so don't bother because I didn't). Who did the videos from multiple angles? This is L.A., hello. Actors abound. Movie "trickery" is resident. Yawn.
Yes. Indeed.
TCD has the video footage of them delivering food, looks like from a security cam. Harry’s face protection is a BANDANNA. And a commenter on the charity’s post said they tried to volunteer to do meal deliveries recently and were told they were closed to new volunteers. Once again, the Harkles are shameless!
____________________________________________
Ha ha ha ha ha
No hand sanitizer, no attempt to clean his hand.
Mask is still off when he went up the steps.
Odd coincidence isn't it, that there happened to be a camera to catch all this?
And whoever owned that camera is willing to share the footage?
Some may think Harry is being 'Brave' like his mother was, when Diana defied at the time, fear of HIV by hugging patients with the disease. Here Harry is braving contracting CV-19. a much more contagious disease than HIV, so he maybe he may look even braver than Diana perhaps?
Harry's got tics up the wazoo. That's been apparent at all of his public functions in the UK.
The nonsense coming out of his mouth might be that he's just extraordinarily boring with a motor mouth.
That footage of them dropping off the food, it looks like security cameras from the building. So how did the director of the program know to call CNN with the tip, and why did he do it so quickly? It doesn't make any sense for a busy director of a charity to do that especially at this time. Which then leads us to the obvious conclusion that this was an arranged publicity stunt.
If it takes the Harkles to 'shine a light' for this needed volunteer activity, then why begrudge them. Think of what is of ultimate importance, the end users, the poor people who need the food delivered to their home. I would like to see the wealthy donate a sizeable amount toward the CV-19 effort (there is criticism on the Virus blog some uber wealthy are not doing anything). If people of means started promoting their financial gifts perhaps it would inspire others to do so also. What about 'matching gifts' as a means of accelerating donations.
brown-eyed @ Lt.
I'll pour and order a round for the house. Looks like most of the Nuttiers here need a double double scotch!
________________________________
Thanks @Elle :)
"Everyone's a freelancer here" -- Los Angeles
Lt., you're welcome! You deserve one. I'll stick to chardonnay so that I can stand well enough to keep pouring.
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LOL! *clinking glasses*
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xxxxx said...
TMZ has the original footage of H/M delivering some Chinese takeout (hold the bat soup!) to some people with Covid. Extensive security cam footage from different angles. I would not put it past Megsy and her PR pick-up team to have this all setup previously with the apartment complex owner. But who knows. It could be the apartment complex owner found out later, sold the footage to TMZ for a nice payday. Probably was #2
"Everyone's a freelancer here" -- Los Angeles
________________________________
Yes, XXXXX.
The Harkles are in full swing.
So, all that energy/risk to deliver 20 meals. Why not just fund the organization? Oh, because they couldn't be filmed on their "secret" visits, that's right. She has on one glove, he has on no gloves, and neither had on jeans, but @Nutty I could sure tell she was pretty and they are down to earth lol. Who writes that dribble? The Dumbartons' PR?
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Well, it could have been bananas LOL
"You are wonderful" "You are super" "You are special"
LOL
Touché @Elle. You’re scenario makes much more sense than mine. Then Megs can claim once again no one’s asked her if she’s okay.
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Hey! I am NOT okay! ………………………….. well …………….. I thought I was ………….. all right, I AM okay :)
"fake or real indifference is a powerful personal weapon". - Jenny Holzer
*laughing hysterically*
*being hysterical*
*hysterical* *hysterical* *hysterical*
this is alledgedly a copy of part of the report from Megs baby shower by the security (NY Police or ?)
Interesting read if it is true.
I know everybody believes Meghan is going to leave Harry soon, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he nopes out of there long before she gets tired of whispering “call me HRH” to her own reflection in the mirror. In the security footage the DM posted, you can see her wearing the charity branded ball cap and a surgical mask (and bizarrely, one glove). JH looks like she dragged him away from his xbox to do errands, and he has a bandana tied half-assed around his face.
Harry got a lot of mileage out of his wobbly-chin “I just want to live a quiet life” BS, but he’s now getting what he ardently insisted he wanted and I wonder how much he’s enjoying the hustle.
Well said, @Snippy.
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"...…………..(where’s Archie? Left at their crash pad mansion with a nanny no doubt) at risk!...……….."
Where is "Archie" indeed.
The TMZ footage. If this is security cam footage (on the 1st delivery), why is the camera moving and swing around? It should be static. And they were allowed to go up to the apartment alone? All those stairs, swinging around? The delivery is, to me, an obvious set up for PR purposes.
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They can't even do CCTV properly.
I guess an answer to a lot of points is 1. The Harkles deserve to reap the results of their bad decision making, hence maybe they will learn to make better choices.
2. The Charity ultimately made the decision to allow the Harkles to volunteer and thus must have felt it was worthwhile to their cause. The charity's board or CEO know better than we what they think is best for their organization.
3. The consumers could have refused to meet the Harkles (I am assuming they were tipped off a fleet of vehicles was showing up). No doubt many would have been wowed that such high profiles people were coming to meet them. How many people do stupid things to meet celebrities. Can't protect against stupid.
4. Archie is a victim before this stunt and will be after this stunt. Unfortunately children are victim every day to their parents poor choices.
I am not condoning this stupid PR stunt. I think it was ill advised they way it was handled but no doubt there probably would be an increase in awareness of the charity and most likely an increase in donations because of the Harkles volunteer activity. The charity will probably milk it for all its worth. If it brings in more donations, that is a wonderful result; who could argue with more money for this needy population.
I wish the Harkles would make big monetary donations to various charities. I wish the Harkles would do a lot of things different.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8228125/Meghan-Markle-Prince-Harry-photographed-time-LA.html
* As you can see, they were not delivering to homeless or poor people (the project delivers hot meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, and some of those people are well off financially but just don't have the support of family and friends ... it is sad to think that there are so many forgotten people living with HIV/AIDS). They would have known that at least some of the places they were going to would have surveillance cameras. Perhaps they stuck with it until Megsy could confirm that they had been filmed from a couple of angles and by a few cameras?
* It seems now entrenched that Meghan takes the lead and Harry is her sidekick who goes along with her and whose behaviour sometimes borders on childlike. I find the dynamics between them in that video very obvious.
* That she had a surgical mask whereas he wore a bandanna and they shared a pair of gloves indicates to me that they did not intend to go out together. Meghan wanted to do this stint on her own but he threw a wobbly and insisted on going along. He has all the money so she has to appease him. Alternatively he is doing some kind of rebel yell thing, but I am surprised the organisation let them go out without each having a full pair of gloves (people with HIV/AIDS would be more vulnerable to coronavirus infection and I wonder why the rules were ignored for them).
Just my opinion, but I think Meghan is the type of person who needs to be hustling, merching, doing deals, doing appearances, giving speeches ... not the kind of person who can just chill in the background and have a quiet life (which they could afford to do if they adjusted their living standards). Lockdown must be torture for her. I am surprised that it took her this long to find a way to get out there, but perhaps her and Harry have been arguing about that.
I know everybody believes Meghan is going to leave Harry soon, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he nopes out of there long before she gets tired of whispering “call me HRH” to her own reflection in the mirror. In the security footage the DM posted, you can see her wearing the charity branded ball cap and a surgical mask (and bizarrely, one glove). JH looks like she dragged him away from his xbox to do errands, and he has a bandana tied half-assed around his face.
Thanks for my laugh of the day. Particularly Haps on X-box all day. And his stab at a bandanna mask as he followed Megs around.
It's unclear who funded the two security detail in the SUV's that escorted the Duke and Duchess around Los Angeles on Wednesday, but the couple were warned by President Trump on March 30 that America certainly wouldn't be covering the cost.
In response, Meghan and Harry assured the President they were never going to ask in the first place.
'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to ask the U.S. Government for security resources,' a statement form a spokeperson for the couple said at the time. 'Privately funded security arrangements have been made.'
The palace later refused to comment about whether this meant UK taxpayers would no longer have to contribute towards any future bill.
Just watched the TMZ video. Fun. No gloves for Harry. One for MM. Honestly.
Thanks for on the house, Elle. Clicking glasses with you.
Why other did they register in Delaware, the land of the Vice President?
Delaware is friendly to "charities", that is why.
@Lt. @Elle
Just watched the TMZ video. Fun. No gloves for Harry. One for MM. Honestly.
Thanks for on the house, Elle. Clicking glasses with you.
________________________
*Clink!*
I think these are different cameras, set at different angles, to cover the whole entrance leading up to the front door. So that makes sense.
Delaware C-corp registration : Charity/company is probably registered there because it's very easy to set up, remotely from any part of the world. Can be done in a day Max if you have all your documentation (registration documentation tax, bank details etc in your country of origin). I know because my husband and I set up our UD brance of our company the same way. It's not unusual or illegal in any way. You can also gethelp setting up your Us bank account, get an accountant, lawyer etc all easily made available to you once you set up in Delaware. The company would be subject to same taxation laws.
I also noticed that Harry walks funny in the video. More ambling, aimless than his usual striding walk. That definitely seems like Mm though.
Wokey and the bandit!!
On Skippys Tumblr there is a list of the Board of Trustees for Project Angel
Founded by Marianne Williamson (of A Course in Miracles?) And "In Memoriam"Elizabeth Taylor...hmmm
But the most interesting name is Ron Burkle. IIRC, isn't he one of the founders of Soho House?
So...that explains why they could "volunteer" when others couldnt. And...is that a big freakin' clue as to where they are couch surfing?
Could Rach have her eye on this older, unmarried billionAire?
Ha!! Wokey and The Bandit!!!
Good one!
Now holding hands, no living looks, no hanging onto Harry, very little communication between them.
This is not about coronavirus.
How she behaves with Harry during public appearances or when they are being papped is an act, a role she is playing, an image she wants to project.
Surely he must realise this?
CatEyes - that is an intriguing idea. I could see how it might have been dreamed up.
Sadly, like most of her (and I guess now him), these good deeds are big on photos and not so much effort. In this case, these photos make it easy to show exactly how this is more about the JH&M show than it is about the recipients than some we have seen.
As the video shows, he doesn't understand the basics of what hygiene means today, for the last couple of weeks (her too) ... That is, sigh, really bad optics after the I'm leaving to protect my family.
Am I the only one who feels that Harry bragging about frolicking with his child to mothers of disabled children is incredibly tone deaf?
@FairyCrocodile: You are not the only one. I second your statement. Here is suggestion for a future tone-deaf Harry project that Meghan will also delight in.
Go to a homeless shelter, pull out his phone and show the people staying there some photos of his home at Frogmore.
Harry should be sure to tell them he, Mayhem, and Archie only lived there six months, AND taxpayers paid for the $2 million+ renovation. Fairy Crocodile said…
Am I the only one who feels that Harry bragging about frolicking with his child to mothers of disabled children is incredibly tone deaf?
@FairyCrocodile: You are not the only one. I second your statement. Here are some suggestions for future tone-deaf Harry projects:
Go to a homeless shelter, pull out his phone and show the people staying there some photos of his home at Frogmore. Harry should be sure to tell them he, Mayhem, and Archie lived there only six months and taxpayers paid for the $2 million+ renovation! What a deal!
Next, show images of the Canadian bolt-hole they stayed at for no charge (Harry should emphasize it was free.), plus photos of whatever LA home they are currently staying at, then top it off with photos of whatever will qualify as their “permanent” home until Meghan demands a larger house. He will need to be sure everyone how much of the permanent home they plan to use as a tax write-off for use for their “foundation.” He can offer up tax planning advice by telling that the entire visit to the homeless shelter will also serve as a tax write-off.
And finally, Harry can cheerfully remind everyone the photos of him with any of the residents are copyrighted images and warn if anyone uses the photos for ANY purpose, legal action will be taken, and the NDAs will also be strictly enforced.
Oprah is a huge fried/follower of Marianne Williamson. The plot thickens...
https://www.businessinsider.com/marianne-williamson-bio-facts-author-oprah-winfrey-pal-2020-president-2019-1O
Now more information about their "volunteer" gig is coming to light. The charity, Project Angel Food, isn't currently taking new volunteers due to safety precautions during lockdown. PAF denies requests from people wishing to volunteer as it even admits on Twitter. However, they made an exception for the Sussexes to volunteer twice this past week. Also they just also happened to assign the Sussexes to deliver food to an apartment complex fitted with security cameras and to a member who's photo-ready for the feel-good story dispersed to media outlets. No it doesn't sound very coordinated at all.
@Genia: Sounds like when Meghan needed some fresh narcissistic fuel in the form of media attention this past January, so she dialed up the Downtown Eastside Women’s Center in Vancouver to arrange one of her patented “super secret” visits with the nobodies-in-her-mind of the world at the center.
It’s her, no one else has bowed, bandy spindly legs like our Meg ��
@KCM1212, very interesting about the Burkle connection to Project Angel Food. Burkle's name comes up again and again as Meg's potential "backer" via Soho House.
@Jdubya, excellent point that a CCTV camera would be static, not moving.
@elle
After some pathetically desperate celebrity does a stunt like this and it's printed, how do they assess the result? Do they scurry home and pour over comments or is there some way to measure the degree of bile rising in our collective throats after yet another vile display? How does this get monitored?
You hire a "media monitoring service" - Google for one in your area. In the old days - meaning up to a century ago - these used to be offices that took newspapers from all over the world and clipped them up, sending their clients (or their clients' publicity people) stories about themselves. Now, of course, it's online.
Most corporations subscribe to monitoring for both conventional editorial media (ie, CNN is talking about me, the NY Post is talking about me) and social media.
‘he acquired a considerable fortune and was noted for his philanthropy’
What Meghan and Harry do is not philanthropy, but she keeps pushing that story. The media keep going with her story.
I am not sure what one would call what they do. Promotion? Sporadic volunteer work? Fundraising? I have no problem with any of those activities and have done so myself (and dipped into my own pocket as much as I could for a particular fundraising drive), but have never called myself a philanthropist because I wasn't and still am not.
Megsy always has to oversell herself!
Beyond what Nutty said, they also can set their phones to ping every time they are mentioned online. They also hire people to keep files on their PR to check that it's effective, and for documentation and photos for future books, etc. Sometimes, family members are hired to do this.
Don't forget the "Q Rating" too. That is a secretive rating of just how popular they are in relation to other famous people, especially movie and TV stars, but it could be used for evaluating PR purposes, too. A high Q rating means that you're very popular and would be considered as a lead for a role, etc. Q ratings aren't available to the public.
By the way, I know you used to be a journalist - it's bugging me, what were those companies that collected and distributed newspaper clips in the old days called? Clip shops? Clipping agencies? The word is on the tip of my tongue and I cannot remember it.
In general, seeing how badly the Sussexes handle their publicity stunts gives me some grudging appreciation for the way the Kardashians handle their publicity stunts.
I still find it odd that Harry had the same video background when he was supposedly in Canada and supposedly in California.
If he's actually in the UK somewhere, as some have postulated, sending out a tall redhead to be photographed in low resolution would be an interesting way to "prove" he is in California.
We always referred to them as "clipping or clip services". There also were books of clip art, usually used for ads.
You and I seem to be the only people who noticed (or cared) that Beatrice's wedding was cancelled.
I don't blame her. It seemed to be cursed - three wedding dates went up in smoke - and the tabloids were always pointing out the closeness between Edo and his baby mama.
Pre-Corona they could have just eloped or done a super-small event, but I think her parents are putting a lot of pressure on her to have a big event so they can be co-stars and boost their own reputations.
It would be interesting to know if she and Edo are still a couple. They've been living together for at least a year, with Wolfie.
Yes, that's it, clipping services. They were just going out of fashion when I got into the business, but I do remember them.
1. Why does Harry wear the same cat puke coloured tee-shirt in every single pap pic?? For years now. Is this the god tagged and is THAAT how the paps are able to film them on their super secret missions?? The same bloody shirt.
2. Harry got new shoes!
3. Harry's walk is funny, head too small compared to his body. He seemed to have lost so much weight when he was in the UK in March. He looks.differt here.
4. The Ruddy tan from the well child zoom call...where did it go??
5. Why are they bringing the food all way inside the house and not just dropping it off at the doorstep or by the starts. Those are the guidelines after all.
6. No protective gear?? Regular clothes, just one pair of gloves between the two?
7. Did they just romp around LA, possibly getting contaminated and then just went back home to a little baby?? Are they supposed to be self qurantining in the garden shed for 14 days after this so they don't infect Archie just in case?
8. Why does this supposed homeless person have an electronic gated security system, more that one sec camera etc?? If they are so well then certainly they can afford food?! ( I'm not being callous here guys, just a question)
I'm still a bit confused though. With someone living in a gated, electronically secured, nice looking house needing meals delivered.
And Meghan, who is so paranoid that she appay wore a bullet proof vest inside the W.Abbey, for commonwealth day (it looked pretty obvious) would just be roaming around in LA, walking up and down the sidewalk, with all but a printout of the addresses with her. Not even one security person.
Being immuno-suppressed, someone with living with HIV might not be able to go shopping during the pandemic. Someone who has full-blown AIDS might not have the energy to cook and make balanced, healthy meals for themselves.
I know what you mean about having a grudging respect for the Kardashian PR team, but notice now that Kim is getting older, she is moving toward a "humanitarian" role as an advocate for falsely imprisoned people. Beauty doesn't last forever, and the Kardashians know that, setting up each new K generation to take over as the older will age out and become PMKs to their children.
The TMZ video just strikes me as odd. Their look is off in some way that I can't put my finger on. The way they walk? Body language or body shape? We, as reporters, know that this video would not be considered as proof of anything because their faces are hidden. I wonder if it could be put through any sort of facial or body recognition software? Why is no security present while they are strolling down a public street in WeHo, if security is so necessary for them? Is the street blocked off? Who met them at the gate?
This was obviously planned in advance, and we see both of them at the back of the SUV with high buildings behind them, just ripe for a sniper. Why is there no security between The Harkles, the street and the high buildings or within camera range? That's a lot of open territory to cover, and it's not being covered properly. How different this is to the photo of MM walking through the woods with the dogs and Dangling Archie, with the two body guards right behind her. My Spidey senses are tingling.
I went to college with a young woman who could have filled in for MM in this instance, with her face half covered with a mask. Same body shape and height, same hair, same skinny, bowed legs. She was of Armenian/Hispanic descent.
Now that I've seen the video, the "shakiness" seems to be that what we see was recorded off a monitoring screen.
So, basically, whomever monitors that building - could be a central monitoring center far from the actual location - took out his or her cellphone and recorded it off the monitor.
Could have been just an average Joe or Jill trying to make some extra cash - but considering that Richard Ayoub, the guy behind Project Angel Food lists on his public cv that he has been the "go to guy for stunts", probably not.
I'm sure Mr. Ayoub is not above hiring doubles. Sounds crazy, but crazier things have happened.
Their statement was:
“Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date,” they said in a joint statement. When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate ‘decoy brides’ at three different locations, we realized that something was awry.”
So, the idea that decoys might have been used isn't totally out of left field.
I also think it looks like a middle class home or even a suite in a mid-range hotel. The cabinetry is not top tier. It looks like an easy-clean fake wood to me, and the tiny brass knob looks cheap.The appliance to the right could be a in a mid-range hotel wet bar or a coffee station with microwave.
What's interesting to me is that as soon as people began questioning where Harry is, and why he was alone on those videos, up pops a video of them together.
Actually, I was referring to the building Meg and Harry visited, not the place where Harry's videos were shot.
But I do agree with you about the Harry videos being shot in a less-than-palace-like location. Doria's laundry room?
Since Meg and Harry are trying to sell themselves as a double act despite (potentially) being in different locations, this would be a stunt worth paying for, for somebody.
@Nutty,
I'm no expert on video surveillance, but isn't that the clearest, brightest security video you've ever seen?
Great point about JLo and Affleck. Just look up Harry and MM doubles for hire online. They exist. A mandatory mask is a perfect cover for this kind of stunt.
on Real Housewives, yes I do watch it!!
They would have been better served highlighting an obscure charity & bringing much needed publicity, rather than endorsing
an established, well patronised project.
The door is hiding the nurses station?
Matron, Harry’s out of bed again.
@Alice, Surrey James said: Why are they bringing the food all way inside the house and not just dropping it off at the doorstep or by the starts.
I was wondering that too, especially as the second person they delivered to came to the gate to meet them (one reason I was looking at the timestamps, I was curious to see if it was consecutive footage or chopped about a bit, as far as I can tell it's consecutive). I guess a logical explanation is the first person couldn't come to the gate for some reason, but I'm not sure it's something we'll be able to find out.
@Nutty said: these used to be offices that took newspapers from all over the world and clipped them up, sending their clients (or their clients' publicity people) stories about themselves.
I used to work in one of these just after my divorce, I loved it. If any publications had free gifts on them they were put on a table in the staff room and we were allowed to take what we wanted. My kids ended up with soooo many freebie magazine toys from there lol
@Elle, we also have tropical frogs, a cat (who also has dog-like tendencies, which is fine because the dog thinks he's a cat half the time lol watching him wash himself all over like a cat is quite amusing), pond fish, wild frogs in the pond and wild hedgehogs who come every night and wait outside the back door for food :OP
Oh, the buds have just reminded me that we also have a lot of wild "BIRDIES!" who visit ~wiggles finger in budgie-side ear~
Assuming that this was set up as a stunt, might as well choose a place with the best camera.
Who knows if there was even really even a recipient inside.
Also from what I gather none of the people had Covid 19. There are so many people who depend on this type of program. And this pandemic is challenging many providers. My elderly neighbour used to get Meals on Wheels twice daily, but it hasn't been consistent for a month. They won't come in and that made it challenging for her because she's not very mobile. We found someone to stay with her, but there are others who are not getting the care or medicine or food they need. But as far as the Harkles I wish I felt like I could give them the benefit of doubt, but their track record is not good. They really are despicable.
I'm drinking a tumbler of Lagavulin.
https://www.angelfood.org/event/angel-awards-2019/
https://www.angelfood.org/about-us/board-and-staff-leadership/
Lots of names stand out to me, including Marianne Williamson and David Geffen, but two others of interest are IIlyse Faye of The Hollywood Schoolhouse (formerly known as MM's Little Red Schoolhouse), and the Vice-Chair of Angel Food is Tim Robinson, of London Guest Suites, which rents out homes in both London and West Hollywood. Could they be renting a place through him?
MM has firmly placed herself in the LA and international big leagues with this guerrilla marketing stunt, and I'll bet that she continues to use them as she has used other charities for her own PR. The 2020 awards banquet is scheduled for September.
In the intro to its 2019 financial reports page, it says that Angel Food planning a "Volunteer Speakers Bureau, to do outreach and presentations at health fairs, clinics and community centers." That sound right up MM's alley for free PR.
It's a shame that The Harkles have sullied the name of an organization that appears to do such good work for very ill people and has an A+ rating.
Did the person who they delivered food to (2 bags, mind you) ask for extras? Is that why they go back to the car and get 2 more bags??
And apart from the fact that Anglefood has talked about it on their Twitter, this could be anyone delivering food to anyone.
"Who knows if there was even really even a recipient inside."
Ha! Who knows if there was even really food in the bag?
That video looks more like a phone camera to me than a security monitor, and my guess is in that location high res color monitors aren't used.
What's sad is that somebody is going to recognize that building and snoop around, looking for answers. The poor people who live there are going to have their privacy invaded by this PR stunt. They, and Angel Food, have been Markled.
on Real Housewives, yes I do watch it!!
They would have been better served highlighting an obscure charity & bringing much needed publicity, rather than endorsing
an established, well patronised project.
This was about publicity and image building for Meghan. It was not about charity or the organisation but all about Meghan and her future and what and who she needs for it (clue: it is not Harry or the BRF).
Meghan has a connection with someone at that organisation and we have not quite pinned it down but there are some intriguing possibilities that have been pointed out. It is someone wealthy and powerful, albeit mostly behind the scenes, that she wants to establish a relationship with. It could be someone gay and Markus Andersen could be the link, but the link could also be Oprah or Ellen or even someone from her hustling past, and it could be someone straight who is going to be her next mark.
In case anyone is still completely missing the point: the charity delivers hot meals to people living with HIV/AIDS who cannot shop/cook for themselves and have no regular and reliable support from family and friends (probably typical of the culture of that city ... charity is only good for publicity). These are people who can afford to buy food but are unable to go shopping and have vulnerable immune systems so crowded places are not good places for them to be, and as Nutty said, even more so at the time of the coronavirus.
I believe that Harry and Meghan are still together. She needs him to pay the bills until she has herself firmly set up (and she is still finding it difficult to find gigs on her own because people always ask for 'the Prince'). Although Meghan has a history of dropping and ghosting completely anyone she no longer has use for (father, husband, best friend, boyfriend), I suspect that her relationship with Harry is a bit more complicated than that and as well as needing him financially (and to get gigs) some level of toxic co-dependency has developed between them. What is obvious from their behaviour in the videos is that all that PDA is for show and probably always has been. (Harry probably believed it was genuine and thinks he just has to make her happy and fix things and then they will be so in love again.) I think it is telling that Meghan knows they are being filmed but she is not even trying to pretend.
I also find it bizarre, but I noticed a difference between videos put out by various members of the BRF that are filmed in their homes and think this may be influenced by a mindset of the younger royals.
The Queen: Sitting in a chair with lots of background shown (you can work out exactly what the location and room is) and usually lots of personal stuff (the complete opposite of minimalist decor).
Charles and Camilla: Very similar to the Queen.
Edward and Sophie: An outdoor shot showing some background (could probably work out exactly where they are standing) or indoors with some personal stuff in the background but a very different ambience to rooms the Queen, Charles and Camilla use.
The Yorks: Sarah shows a middle class (which does means wealthy) kind of setting or a garden setting with her family. It is personal and not secretive in trying to hide anything.
William and Kate: Usually very little background context given (a small picture, a wall, a door, a fireplace that looks unused) so difficult to work out location never mind the room. The one shot of an office space showed a very functional room - comfortable but functional.
Harry: The same wall with the same cabinetry in the background and nothing personal or decorative or even indication of what kind of chair he is sitting on. It is not his personal space and he is being secretive about the space.
Personally, I don't like the increasingly impersonal setting of videos for the younger royals and hope this changes.
Not The Duke and Duchess of Sussex or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Just the Duke and Duchess. Maybe it refers to them by name elsewhere and I missed it. But just the Duke and Duchess could be anyone.
The organizers of my local charities are certainly taking these measures. Hospitals and hospices are taking these measures. So I'm sure AIDs charities have to take the same measures.
To be honest I just feel like it's more Diana/AIDS/I'm-not-scared-of-the-disease-I-only-want-to-serve-these-people-cosplay.
In the wise words of Sue Blackhurst - Does Meghan's latest outing pass the Duck test?? If it looks like duck, quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck, and if water just slides off it's back then most likely it is A Duck!
Thank you for replying. I agree with all you have said.
The charity does deliver to all people who are disadvantaged by illness, disability, not just HIV.
I do wonder who she is pandering to, as you say it’s someone important.
That’s the only reason Megs would contribute.
It’s a wasted opportunity to highlight less well known charities, Megs don’t care.
"This looks to me like a middle-class home in West Hollywood - perhaps Mel in SoCal can confirm."
I'm not Mel in SoCal but the guy in the original article-- Dan "I should have worn my tiara" Tyrell said he lives at Sierra Bonita Apartments in WeHo. Those are government subsidized apartments for very low-income disabled people with AIDS/HIV, mental illness, etc. The urban redevelopment project also was designed to "reduce blight in the city’s Eastside neighborhood" replacing a long vacant auto repair shop. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/casestudies/study_07062015_1.html
Current rents range from $382 to $1,070/month and are based on income.
Doesn't look exactly like the pictures I can find of the building in the video though. Tyrell also claimed when he opened the gate to take the meals for himself and his neighbor, he saw behind the couple their black SUVs and their security guards. I didn't see that in this video.
I do think WeHo is still kind of a sketchy area though. Hope Mel weighs in with more info now that video is out.
Duke and Duchess are also common names for dogs. "Heel, Duke! Good boy!" or "Roll over, Duchess. Let me scratch your belly!"
Ayoub really missed the mark on that one. There are a thousand Harkle jokes that could come out of that statement.
I'd have thought their so-called `private' status is not sufficiently private to allow them such utterances.
As for the `volunteering', they are blowing their own trumpets when they are nowt but whited sepulchres.
LOL It's just so odd to me that he used those terms in the US where royal titles mean nothing. Duke and Duchess who?
Lmao @JocelynB....is anyone else being bombarded with Sussex fluff pieces on Yahoo and Facebook this morning??
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Lipstick on a pig!
Yahoo and Facebook could be wall-to-wall Harkle, 24/7, and people will still turn their noses up.
Honestly …… how can any two people actually live like that, knowing everyone hates them. *Shaking head*
“Whited Sepulchres”. Perfect.
It reminded me of that old doo-wop song "Duke of Earl."
Also, for people of a certain age, the term "The Duke" refers to cowboy actor John Wayne.
Wayne's reputation hasn't aged well - his films aren't watched much, and many people now see him as a racist. I'm confident it won't be long until John Wayne Airport in Orange County is renamed.
"The Duke" sounds stupid, and a good PR person would have told Harry and Meghan that.
I feel the same way about calling them "the Duke and Duchess." Remember when one of the Sussex Royal posts was signed "The Duke"?
It reminded me of that old doo-wop song "Duke of Earl."
Also, for people of a certain age, the term "The Duke" refers to cowboy actor John Wayne.
Wayne's reputation hasn't aged well - his films aren't watched much, and many people now see him as a racist. I'm confident it won't be long until John Wayne Airport in Orange County is renamed.
"The Duke" sounds stupid, and a good PR person would have told Harry and Meghan that.
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BAH-hahahahaha
Nutty, you are indeed a treasure :)
I can remember seeing a 1980s clip of Fergie in Australia on the radio to schoolchildren in the bush, saying, "The Duchess here!" and thinking, you idiot, :)
And, thanks to you, I had to go on youtube to listen to "The Duke of Earl" lol
As for the late John Wayne (Marion Morrissey) ….. well, RIP. I admired him.
Wow, shocked at John Wayne.
I think MM talked him into thinking that color, and the light gray suit, are good colors on him. She wants him to fade into the background to make her stand out. A redhead with a light complexion should wear bolder colors such as deeper or brighter blues and deeper greens. Harry looks good in navy, turquoise and forest green. Dark plum would be good on him, too, if not too red. MM Markled him on even his clothing color choices.
Also, Daniel Radcliff once famously wore the same clothes every night for six months when he was doing a play (I think it was Equus). He was getting tired of the paps photographing him coming and going from the theater. So, he wore the same clothes every night when leaving the theater for six straight months. The paps wouldn't photograph him because it looked like they were using the same photo every day, so they couldn't sell them to news outlets. Maybe Harry took that tip from him?
A third option is that Harry just throws his clothes in a corner and picks up the same shirt every day. I think that's highly likely.
Sorry I didn't scroll up to see who asked the question, but it's 4 a.m., and way past my time for bed. Goodnight, everybody!
There has to be some story behind Harry and the grey colour surely. I don't think he is as smart as Daniel Radcliff to do that trick to avoid paps. He hardly gets papped, tbh. But MM wears the same white cotton shirt and black skinny jeans too (although she is merching for Misha most of the times in that).
I absolutely hate That colour in anyone. And after all these years I wish Harry would upgrade from that shirt and that hat. I can see funes coming off of those.
Anywho, I just think he has no style and doesn't actually own many clothes. And his irritating wife has told him.it somehow makes him more relatable.
I'm going to really date myself here, but I also think of the Duke of Earl when I hear The Duke. I can sing the entire song by memory.
As for John Wayne, he was well known in the boating community around the San Juan Islands in Washington State. There's even a bronze statue a marina named after him on one of the islands. He and his "fishing buddies" brought his yacht up there from LA, but not just to fish.
How do I put this? Not only were his buddies on the yacht, but also quite a few young boys, maybe 12-13 years old. I remember as clear as day sailing with my family up there, and my father pointing out John Wayne's yacht to the starboard of us and very close. It was an older, clunky-looking thing, not sleek or graceful at all. I could see lots of young boys and some older men lounging on the yacht's deck. I didn't see John Wayne himself, but maybe he was below deck or I didn't recognize him.
I was about 8 years old, but put it together years later when I read somewhere that Wayne and his buddies liked young boys. That's what the "fishing trips" were for. Privacy, and far away from home.
He is not a man to be admired.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8229601/Meghan-Markle-backs-Grenfell-surivors-project-help-Londoners.html