I'm on vacation, but here's a space to discuss the developments in the Sussex saga over the past week.
Recently there was (yet another) post somewhere out in the world about how they will soon divorce. And my first thought was: Haven't I heard this before? which moved quickly to: how many times have I heard this (through the years)? There were a number of questions raised which ... I don't know. I'm not a lawyer. One of the points which has been raised is that KC would somehow be shelling out beaucoup money to get her to go "away". That he has all this money stashed away and can pull it out at a moment's notice. But does he? He inherited a lot of "stuff" from his mother but ... isn't it a lot of tangible stuff like properties? and with that staff to maintain it and insurance. Inside said properties is art, antique furniture and other "old stuff" which may be valuable" but ... that kind of thing is subject to the whims and bank accounts of the rarified people who may be interested in it (which is not most of us in terms of bei
Comments
If I was one of Kate's staff watching Megsy treat Kate like that I would personally arrange a good dollop of laxative in Megsy's kale milkshake.
May be this is exactly what happened and prompted Megsy to complain that nasty people want to eliminate her "Yes, H, they will get rid of me just like they got rid of your mummy, never mind a drunk driver and unfastened seatbelt".
Here's the ONLY bone I will throw Meghan, I am sure that any of us would have issues adjusting to the rigors of the Royal Family's life. I am positive it's not easy. But you trade that with the immense, wealth, privilege and global adoration you receive and well, it's a good trade off! I thought Meghan seemed bored at many of the events she was at. She was only happy when being clapped at or when people would scream for her. She had ZERO interest in doing that charity work. She wants glitz for doing nothing
You think they will benefit from the book? Morton's book was a bestseller and it undid Diana.
There are probably some wastes of skin that were calling her the n word in places but it had to be very few and very far between. Meghan just jumped on that. It instantly gave her emotional blackmail to use on dumbo Harry.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/ref=pd_zg_ts_books
They’ve put their relatives in a difficult position. The BRF cannot afford their PR thorn in their side for years to come, as Meghan uses it to keep herself in the papers. The only way to stop it is to cut the funding, which then puts Harry and Meghan in difficult living circumstances, which the BRF clearly doesn’t want either.
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You've just made me realize the long, horrible vista of a future with the Harkles doing their non-stop best to undermine the RF until the end of time.
*shudder*
I'm still scratching my head on ways they could possibly silence them or get rid of them somehow.
Finding Freedom is #1, is at the top of Amazon UK for books. Meaning all books, all book categories.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/books/ref=zg_b_bs_books_1
Charles is the only one who can stop this. He needs to call Henry Charles Albert David back to England, take a few swigs of whiskey and tell his kid that if one more book or PR story is released, authorized or not, he will assume it is being by H & M and all funding will cease. He has got to get this under control.
I’m disappointed that so many people are buying the book and making it a hit. It will be seen by Harry and Meghan as a triumph, regardless of the fallout.
Yes, but it’s backfiring massively on their reputation. They thought this book would have everyone falling at their feet and it’s basically shown them up for who and what they truly are: a couple of vindictive jealous parasites. It’s a massive backfire overall.
Lt. Nyota Uhura said...
I'm still scratching my head on ways they could possibly silence them or get rid of them somehow.
..................
I've been thinking about this too but I'm guessing it will become easier now.
A lot of ideas come to mind but I think we need to just let all the volleys and the clap-backs roll in for now. I'm waiting to see when the mysterious circumstances surrounding Archie are addressed.
I really don't think the RF can just stand by anymore - especially with the Republican group waiting in the wings and the possibility of BRF members creating serious political problems in the US.
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You're not kidding. Well, maybe I'm just feeling pessimistic at the moment, but I just don't see any way out for the BRF. At least they locked up Pervy Andy good and solid. Best thing HE could do is opt for immunity in the U.S. in exchange for sealed testimony. Still, tho, he technically doesn't have to do anything unless the U.S. issues an extradition request, which I don't see ever happening. At least he's remaining invisible.
I can see the Harkles running the BRF down from now till doomsday, stirring the Republican pot to the point of it actually happening, at which point they'll go down with the ship, but they don't seem to care about anything royal at all.
Sheesh, I AM being pessimistic ...!
Thanks so much for finding the comment that @Wild Boar Battle Maid posted on Messiah complex. I will into it more when I'm not feeling so puny. Thanks for asking after me. I'm feeling better every day. Hugs :)
Many in UK are covid confined or jobless so this soapy drama of a book looks like a good distracting read. Finding Freedom at the top of Amazon UK means that not just her sugars want to read it. Those who are repelled by what Megs and Harry have done want to read it. Those in the middle-undecided want to read this too. So across the spectrum. .
I swear on all is holy, I didn't realize Meghan was a black woman.
....
Me, either. She was American, which is really all that I knew about her.
I thought maybe some Italian or Spanish ancestry, maybe some Latina. Whatever. It didn't matter.
In the beginning there were a small number of insulting things said but those got shut down right away.
Unfortunately, she glommed onto them and magnified them into hundreds of thousands of comments. Which just isn't true.
I think people were happy that Harry had found somebody he could love and who loved him back. It didn't really matter who she was or what she was. If he was happy, so were we.
Then you come to the engagement interview where Harry was appeared to be in a trance, like he was somewhere else in his head. He didn't seem to have much interest in Megan particularly. And then the wedding, which should should have been a joyous occasion but didn't appear to be for any of the family. It certainly wasn't smiles all around.
And it's been a downhill slide ever since.
Thank you :). No problem! Glad you re feeling better. Take care.
I can see the Harkles running the BRF down from now till doomsday, stirring the Republican pot to the point of it actually happening, at which point they'll go down with the ship, but they don't seem to care about anything royal at all.
Seriously I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The way the Duo are going, that hole they are digging themselves into will be so damn deep they won’t see light for decades. No one will (or is) take them seriously, they are just too toxic and proven liars.
Not everyone ascribes to that rule after all....I see knives listed on wedding gift registries all the time. And given that M claims to be a cook, cooks know proper knives can make cooking much easier and ultimately safer. And for awhile Kate did sport Band-Aids/plasters frequently on various fingers. Maybe she needed a better knife. :-)
Everything else I've heard about M's ideas about gifts, yuk. Having the engagement ring H gave her redone with that tacky band just like her rings from Trevor had (never will believe that was Harry's idea), criticizing Kate's gift of flowers, making beleaguered staff bake banana bread late into the night so she could give a "personal" gift to her hosts while on tour, claiming to care about starving people yet reportedly giving Archie a "smash cake" for his first birthday, giving Bogart a companion (Guy), letting them bond, and then splitting them up for whatever reason, triple yuk. (If Bogart really stayed with Cory, I'd have left Guy too.)
Harry was just like Ron in the Harry Potter movies when what's her name gave him that love potion. :D
They were positive that once people read this book they would instantly promote mm and Harry to king and queen and ditch the rest of those fuddy-duddies who were so mean to her.
Shaking my head. So far there doesn't seem to be anything that would cause me to think less of the British royal family. If anything, I don't know how they put up with it for so long.
That British stiff upper lip must really be something.
I think the BRF should largerly ignore the whole book debacle. and if they feel they must absolutly respond to some inane Harkles Narcisssitic gripe, do it through friends. This Harkle PR excerise reminds me of Randy’s car crash interview. what an idiot he was, totally misread the whole situation, tone-deaf. and the Harkles are so self absorbed, they cntinually do the same and dig their own whole with every crazy machination she coomes up with at 5.00am.
One thing I find interesting , from what i see in the serialization, is Charles, Wills & Kate take the brunt of the flame throwing. they dont pick directly at HM or PP. the rest of the family bascially gets lumped together. as some one mentioned, no glare from Sophie when MM was caught Smirking , viewing herself on the large screen monitor.
Nothing that I saw about Camilla...... sees to me Camilla would have been a primary target, PCs wife, hated by the public for years due to Diana, although she’s redeeming herself with hard work. Did Camilla make MM feel welcomed, invite her to go shopping, have tea, etc? Camilla (or Sophie) could have given the lay of the Royal land and how not to step in it. Camilla , like Kate, had a particularly rough time with the press for YEARS! Did MM invite Camilla, HM, or Sophie to Soho house for munchies in the Xrated dining room? How rude of her for not inviting them!
Goodness, Megsy clearly has no idea how the line of succession works and is total delusional. It’s never has or will be a popularity contest. Even if she’d possessed a lovely persona etc., she’d still never be Queen.
the bombs were thrown at PC, Wills (and Kate). Who will be controlling the big purse strings in the future? PC, and then it’s Wills.
What fools.
Don't be disappointed. Morton's book (bestselling) did a lot of damage to the royals but it damaged Diana more. She invaded her own privacy and thus gave the journalists excuse to dig dirt on her. She lied about her involvement too and destroyed whatever support she had among the establishment and royal circles. Charles and Diana had to separate following the book; it lead to Panorama because Diana couldn't stop, and Panorama was her suicide note.
Chilling how Harry repeats every mistake in Diana's footsteps.
Diana and Charles were told to separate (byThe Queen) after the Panorama interview. The last straw was when Diana said Charles wasn’t fit to be King (I’m paraphrasing) and that’s why she had to go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=LQicq60aJaw&feature=emb_logo
With all respect, after Panorama they were told to divorce. Separation followed the Morton's book in 1992, divorce in 1996.
The fact that they were so pissed that the Queen didn't have Archie's pic on her table during her speech is so crazy too. Do they even let the Queen see Archie ever? I bet she and Philip have seen him once or twice. It's probably painful for the family to look at Archie's pics because they don't know when or if they'll see him again.
Lt. Nyota Uhura said,
I can see the Harkles running the BRF down from now till doomsday, stirring the Republican pot to the point of it actually happening, at which point they'll go down with the ship, but they don't seem to care about anything royal at all.
Seriously I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The way the Duo are going, that hole they are digging themselves into will be so damn deep they won’t see light for decades. No one will (or is) take them seriously, they are just too toxic and proven liars.
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Thanks, Raspberry Ruffle, I needed that :)
"The baking of that banana bread by her staff was horrid. Meghan needs to stay away from bananas. The writing on the bananas"
Here's some suggested messages on Bananas for Megsy and Harry:
'Apologize not Antagonize'
'Hate your fake, for your own sake'
"Instead the lie see the other side'
'Pay your way in LA'
'Hate your fake'
'Be Real, don't double-deal'
'Regardless of what you say, you're just Cary-Cray'
'You can't be Queen, you're too mean'
'Before it's late, change you're fate'
'Scooby-do sent you down the loo'
Apologies, I meant to write divorced. I went into the other room and realised what I’d written, bad day. :o/
I do think Finding Freedom is a combination of the Andrew Morton book and the Panorama interview...It was much easier to remove Diana because she was an in-law. Unsure how they could deal with a born royal and of course Megsy. :o(
Doubtless said shops will come to curse the book, just as they do when all the other celeb stuff rolls in. It'll be shelved next to scores of Readers Digest condensed books with which they are showered but cannot shift.
The DM articles are crazy today. Piers let H&M have it. Well even though Wills is getting blasted by this Finding Freedom book, he always has the win with Scarfgate. I've never seen Meghan have such a look on her face.
I too grew up receiving anything with a blade, had a penny taped to it. Something about not cutting the friendship with the sharp blade.
"@lizzie - it depends what kind of knife it was. You assume it was a cooking knife. Maybe it was a throwing knife or a dagger."
That's true but my assumption seemed a pretty safe bet to me. But it could have been a pocket knife too--- I loved my Swiss Army pocket knife with all its extra tools like tweezers and scissors. It was quite useful to have in my bag but not good to carry when traveling since 9/11.
Personally I doubt M gave Kate a throwing knife or a dagger.
Pretty sure we'd have heard rumors if it was either of those. But I have assumed just like I assumed the flowers Kate sent were the kind of flowers most people would consider quite acceptable as a gift...but I don't know that they were. Flowers have hidden meanings too and Kate is said by many to be "the Queen of symbolism" (for her symbolic dressing on tours) so maybe those flowers were unusual in some way....buttercups = childishness, yellow carnations = rejection, orange lilies = hate and disdain, tansy = you make me sick, black roses = death!
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I've never heard about a penny offering protection if a knife is gifted. I have heard never give a purse or wallet as a gift without including some money inside.
Could she be charged with attempting to interfere with the Succession?
I interpreted Lady C's discussion of Archie's lack of a title as a hint of his not being born legitimate. Which is the case in English law if a child is born of a surrogate, regardeless of who provided the gametes. Subsequent adoption, I don't think, alters that aspect of the puzzle.
With regard to his place in the Succession - well, he may have no place in the Succession, if the truth be known. Of course, this is speculation but the truth is a `Matter for the Court to Decide'.
Lady C was very careful with her words so I may have misunderstood her meaning, and read far more into it than she intended. My fault, my opinion.
Things could change rapidly were M to find herself in front of the judge in a Criminal Court - especially if conspiracy were suspected. Perhaps her next destination could be |Holloway for many years, or just a single ticket to the States, under escort and never able to return. Even if I'm having to use a Zimmer frame by then, I'd move Heaven and Earth to get to the airport to wave her off.
Or she might be remanded for psychiatric reports and be immured for a very long time in another kind of institution. Again, I'm only guessing and she might yet pop up smirking triumphantly all over her chops.
God Save the Queen. God Save us All.
I can't see Harry ever getting the same position he had within the royal family, even if he returns. Can you? It is obvious he is not getting happier, he is getting more bitter, more vengeful and more depressed. I will not be surprised if he drinks more or uses drugs more. He is also very stubborn so he will not admit mistakes and learn from them. I can see him continuing the blame game while going deeper into the abyss.
Wills can probably forgive him for the sake of public appearance but only if Harry is brought back as a complete mental breakdown on a gurney. Sort of "he wasn't responsible he was ill" excuse. Otherwise Harry pretty much burned the bridges.
I think royals should be ready for more and more crazy attacks from the Sussexes as both are getting more delusional. May be if Trump loses the election Megsy can rejoice and plunge into political activism as a victim of political persecution, who knows. It will keep her occupied until she fails at this too.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WNRGZeQFml0&feature=youtu.be&noapp=1
Not many people follow the custom these days and I've had to explain the rationale when I do. Husband's nephews wedding list included a big kitchen knife but we opted for the requested chopping board and added a cheque, telling them we weren't going to buy the knife for them but they might like to get it out of the rest of the gift.
Whether the cash gift helped pay for the OTT reception is another matter- they did moan about not having much to put towards the deposit on a house... lets hope Bea's nuptials starts a trend for modest celebrations.
The last wedding we went to was in a tiny Cornish chapel (`tin tabernacle') the reception was an evening do in the pub, pasties and Cornish Heavy Cake. Such a sensible pair - the dress was from a charity shop and they used our present to help pay for concreting the stable yard (they were in the horse business.)
It was a truly joyful day.
I would hope no one would give them money to purchase this book but even if they make a couple million it will never be enough, they will blow through it with their incessant need for pr
In the vain of modest weddings, my sister had most modest one ever lol. She is older (first marriage) but had beautiful service and reception. Held on a Sunday for starters (wha?) still had open bar and fillets/salmon. Her cake was from Costo (pretty and delicious) and it really was nice. I think in total cost $8,000!
This was few weeks after my cousin who spent around $400,000 no lie. It was so OTT obnoxious. The 12, yes 12 bridesmaids all wore mink stoles to give some idea. It was beyond ridiculous. They also requested all gifts unwrapped (???) was so bizarre to see that table.
The revelations in Lady C’s book and the Finding Freedom book have exposed and/or confirmed the that Harry is stuck in an emotional and psychological steel leg trap of a marriage to a woman with a profound case of narcissistic personality disorder.
One of the other blogs I read in addition to nutty’s blog is the A Very Royal Narcissist/A Not So Royal Narcissist posts by H.G. Tudor on narcsite.com.
His last post was early May and he has had a tease promising the next installment soon up for several weeks. Now that he has new developments to write about, I hope he publishes A Not So Royal Narcissist - Part 16 soon. He does a pretty good job with his analysis of narcissist Meghan and Harry.
For nutties not familiar with the A Very Royal Narcissist/A Not So Royal Narcissist posts by H.G. Tudor on narcsite.com, they are written by. Brit who claims to be a narcissist himself. They are part of a larger website he runs about narcissism. His first A Very Royal Narcissist was published just a few days before the Harkle’s wedding.
He doesn’t publish on any schedule, just when he thinks there is a development with the Harkles that is worth his observations, which are pretty much spot on.
There is also a comments section with each post and he often responds to the commenters. I do not comment. I just lurk.
The series posts use the title A Very Royal Narcissist up through part 13 and then at Megxit changed to A Not So Royal Narcissist. The last post is titled A Not So Royal Narcissist Part 15.
I recommend reading the entire series of his posts.
"Sometimes it's difficult to find the perfect gift for a friend. You wrack your brain, trying to come up with a thoughtful gift that will be appreciated and defy the cookie-cutter mold. Better still? The gift will be affordable, too.
"Enter the knife. A knife is a timeless and useful gift. A knife or a set of knives can be engraved, intricately tooled and selected to fit the receiver. There are knives for outdoor enthusiasts, culinary aficionados and survivalists for any number of occasions, ranging from birthdays to weddings and anniversaries. Before you give one, however, there's something you need to know: Gifting knives has long been considered bad luck.
"According to one superstition, a knife presented as a gift will sever the friendship between the giver and the recipient. The only way around this unfortunate outcome is to tape a penny to the knife. The coin must be promptly removed and returned to the giver as a form of symbolic payment. This transaction prevents the relationship from being cut and, because the knife was "purchased," releases the giver from any injuries that might result from its use.
"Knife-giving superstitions are prevalent the world over, and many beliefs surround sharp objects. It's especially bad luck to give a knife as a wedding gift because, according to folklore, it could cut the marriage ties. For similar reasons, a pocketknife should be handed to someone only if it's closed. Otherwise, it'll cause an argument. If there's been a death in the family, superstition insists that knives should be carefully handled. This way, family members can avoid stabbing the soul of the dead.
"If all this superstition makes you hesitant to give a knife as a gift, consider this: Keeping a knife in a jar of water by the front and back doors of a home is believed to ward off evil spirits -- apparently, they're afraid of their reflections in the water and on the knife's surface. So maybe the gift of a knife isn't so bad after all."
"@lizzie- that's a pretty big assumption you're making, that it wasn't a throwing knife. You think that if she had gifted Catherine a throwing knife, we would have heard about it? We didn't even hear about Catherine giving her flowers."
We hadn't heard about the flowers but we HAD heard about a gifted knife. Months and months ago...a year ago I think as I believe the gift was supposed to be a Christmas gift in 2018 when the scarfing incident occurred. (H&M were in Canada in 2019 at Christmas. And yes, I'm assuming M didn't ship a knife, any kind of knife, to Kate from Canada! But I'm also sure I had heard about the knife present long before Dec 2019.)
And I'm making more assumptions but
1. It seems to me the info that M gave Kate a knife likely came from the Cambridge camp...M's camp wouldn't have had any reason to publicize that. And if it had been a throwing knife, I really do think that would have been mentioned. Throwing knives don't have sharp blades but they do have sharp points and would be quite an unusual gift to give someone who doesn't have that hobby. They are worthless for anything BUT throwing.
2. Back in 2018, Harry wasn't so far gone. Do you really think he would have said "oh yes, my pet. A throwing knife is the perfect gift for my sister-in-law who has 3 children. I'm sure she'd love to take up that sport in the garden at KP. Better keep Guy inside though."
We hadn't heard about the flowers but there's no reason we would have. No one in the Cambridge camp would have run to reporters to say "Kate sent Meghan flowers." I mean, big whoop, no one would care. That's pretty much a non-story so far as press reports go. And M wasn't going to share that (without the context included in the book.) People might have thought Kate did a nice thing and that would never do....
So while I am making assumptions, I just don't see them as being as wild as you apparently do. But to each her own!
Thanks for the 'refresher course' on the engagement. MM hamming it up is nauseating. At 18.22 they talk about the ring and MM looks very underwhelmed (diamonds not big enough, I presume).
Knowing what we now know, she looks and sounds even more fake.
From the Times
Harry and Meghan: Duke refused trial period because he wanted clean break
Prince had to be talked into 12-month review
The Duke of Sussex was so intent on quitting the royal family that he initially refused the offer of a trial period allowing him and the duchess the chance of returning to the UK, The Times can reveal.
His determination to make a clean break without the option of review after 12 months emerged after three days of revelations about the unhappiness felt by Harry and Meghan and the battles they fought with both family and senior courtiers.
Finding Freedom, which has been serialised in The Times and The Sunday Times, revealed how Harry believed that the “old guard” at Buckingham Palace disliked Meghan and wanted to make her life difficult.
The book, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, also told how the rift between Harry and his brother the Duke of Cambridge was sparked by William telling Harry: “Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl” — a remark which Harry felt was “snobbish”.
Sources on both sides of the family divide admitted that no one has emerged from the weekend’s coverage looking good — except the Queen. One said: “People are aware that this does not look good for anyone.”
Before the weekend palace insiders were nervously bracing themselves for the worst. Today, however, while several of them felt exhausted by the “uproar” of recent days, there was a palpable sense of relief that it had not been worse.
“I don’t think anyone looks at all of this with any particular happiness,” said one source.
However, a suggestion in one newspaper that the disclosures meant the couple had “torpedoed” their chances of creating a new position for themselves within the royal family were dismissed by more than one source.
For not only do Harry and Meghan show no sign of wanting to come back from their new home in California, but it has now emerged that Harry had to be persuaded into accepting the idea of a trial period in the first place.
The idea of the review was suggested so that the couple would know that the door was always open for them. The Queen had always made it clear to Harry that he would be able to come back if he changed his mind.
“He was adamantly opposed to the review process,” said a source. He took the view that he did not want the press to write that there would be a review, suggesting that therefore they might change their minds and come back.
He was also opposed to the idea because it had come from the institution, which in Harry’s view was enough to make it a bad idea.
The source said that “under no circumstances would they ever admit ‘this was a big mistake’.”
However, one source said the purpose of the review was not so much to allow them to come back, as to permit some flexibility about their future role.
A source close to the Sussexes said: “Do I rule out them taking on roles for the family in the future? Absolutely not.
“But a full-scale return soon is not likely. That is not down to animosity or anything like that. They have not yet reached what they were seeking to do.”
The source said that Harry’s relationship with his brother was not as bad as it was portrayed at its nadir in the book. “It is not perfectly smooth, but the uproar of the weekend makes it seem more fractured than it is.”
By Celia Walden
The Sussexes may have no way back—but Harry still has a chance
The Duke of Sussex is living with two strong female voices in his head—his wife and his late mother. But it comes with difficulties
There is “no way back” for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now. According to a royal household source, the pair have “torpedoed” any chance of resuming official roles with the publication of Finding Freedom, a 368-page whingeathon that manages to upset the Queen, alienate every other member of both The Firm and the Palace, entrench the rift between Prince Harry and Prince William, and drain any dregs of public good-feeling towards the couple in one fell swoop.
With that in mind, “it’s hard to see how they can now salvage the new role they wanted as ‘hybrid’ royals”, said the source. Hard, as in impossible. Not a cat or a snowball’s chance in hell. With any further negotiation surely off the table, it’s a no-deal Megxit.
So no, there is no way back for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – but there is a way back for Harry.
First, let’s get any pretence that the royal renegades weren’t involved in Finding Freedom out of the way. Just as Diana, Princess of Wales always denied any involvement in Andrew Morton’s biography – even lying about it to the Queen and Prince Philip, only to be revealed as Morton’s primary source after her death – the couple have denied either sitting down with royal journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, or asking their friends to. Which is understandable (the world was in a very different place when the book was cooked up), but embarrassing.
After all, Finding Freedom contains intimate anecdotes that would only be known by those closest to them, from FaceTime conversations enjoyed in the bath and text messages exchanged between the couple, to details of the meal eaten by the prince and the Queen when they met at Windsor for a final heart-to-heart.
And, of course, Markle has form. Consider the five friends who spoke to American magazine People for a cover story last year (without any agenda, consent or prodding on her part, it goes without saying) alongside this weekend’s revelations that, as a jobbing actress in LA, the Suits star had a habit of tipping off the paparazzi so that they could get pictures and “let info slip out to the press”.
But the real giveaway is the tone and language of the biography: a relentless drone of self-pity that occasionally rises up into a squeal shrill enough to make even Meghan and Harry wince, were they not so tone-deaf, it’s instantly recognisable as their voice. I say “their voice”, but really it’s Meghan’s. And it calls to mind another woman’s voice: a woman who had perfected the same “big eyes to camera”, liked to think of herself as similarly Machiavellian with the media, and had far more genuine cause for complaint.
Prince Harry is currently living with these two strong female voices in his head, his wife and his late mother. Two women who would probably have agreed on many things, from the horror of bitchy courtiers to the ease of life in California, where Diana was planning on moving to escape the scrutiny of the British press before she died.
But also two women with grievances. And as hard as it to admit that any of our parents have failings – especially if we’ve lost them tragically early – the Prince needs to remember firstly that many of Diana’s media machinations weren’t ultimately successful, and secondly that instead of making her happy and allowing her to find freedom outside of the family into which she married, they only kept her mired in her grievances until the end of her life, when she did finally seem to have let go.
As an attempt to get everyone on their side while exacting some nebulous form of revenge on The Firm, Finding Freedom is a woeful failure in a string of PR failures dating right back to the idea – Meghan’s, again, no doubt – that forming a spin-off monarchy was the only way to maximise their “brand potential”. A concept so repugnant, I feel sullied just typing the words out.
But although this is just another mistake in a litany of mistakes, it feels significant, final, in terms of what might henceforth be possible for the Sussexes as a couple in the UK. Because, as that royal household source said yesterday, very little is now likely to be.
Which leaves what? LA? A place that, as former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter told me last week, “is not for people who don’t have a part in the professional firmament”? And once the realisation of their own toxicity sinks in, what then? Then the in-fighting starts, the blame game.
Perhaps it won’t. Perhaps these two will grow out of their rancour and grow old, in a Beverly Hills mansion so large there’s a new bathroom to be discovered every month of the year. But if and when Harry manages to hear his own voice above the din of those two women in his head, he could do worse than to listen to it.
There is a way back, and we would take him back, with only one question asked: “What were you thinking?”
Here comes Thomas!!!
________________________________
Right on time, too, hahahaha -- I especially liked where the article made a point of the fact that Thomas was NOT paid for his remarks ;)
I just want to point out a few things before Rache "calls victory" after "Finding [her] Freedom":
(1) The Summer is notorious for being a slow selling season so being a "bestseller" now isn't that special. Sounds nice written in the news but likely means squat to everyone's bottomline.
(2) Finding Freedom's excerpts in the Times is a huge advertisement to a segment of the population most likely to buy books. In this day and age, it's hard to find readers and harder still to find book buyers. The reason the excerpts are not in the tabloids are because those readers are more likely to be in it for clicking and commenting than book-buying.
(3) Book publishers depend on blockbuster books to subsidize the bulk of their catalog. That means most of what is published is a money loser so there is a greater probability Finding Freedom is one too.
(4) Finding Freedom is heavily discounted so sales volume will obviously be higher because of the "invisible hand" aka Economics. That being said, such an early discount is a huge red flag that publishers are worried it is going to be a huge loser. Given those expectations, they are doing everything they can to cut their losses.
I grew up with the notion that it is bad luck to gift knives. You need to pay for it by giving some token amount. I'm not sure I believe the story but I do think the Cambridges may have leaked such a story to highlight Meg consistently being obtuse when it comes to social norms and culture.
re: Girl indicating Wills' snobbery
@WBBM @fordgirl @Calypso made points I agree with about why it doesn't make sense to infer Wills is a snob for referring to Meg as a "girl." JH has called her a girl himself and there are reasons why calling Meg a woman instead of say a lady would be sticky.
Something else I wanted to add is that from my experience, "girl" is the equivalent of "guy" in casual conversation. Although pathetic, I hear a lot of older Millennials like Wills and Harry say it without any implied -isms.
didn’t MM say in the court papers the 5 friends were all “young” women with small children, as the reaon they shouldnt be outed?
the hairdrsser guy friend, marcus and scoobie dont really qualify for thise terms.
She writes about that often in her column.
The way they traced Lainey as one of the friends is that she always uses the word "vipers" to refer to the courtiers. Scobie says in the book that one of the friends calls the courtiers "vipers".
She has a very interesting take on the "did they/didnt they" contribute to or be interviewed for the book.
The implication was that they were deeply involved in the writing of the book, which the Harkles did nothing to deny.
Until AFTER the deal with the Times was announced and AFTER the foreign rights were purchased. Both would be much more valuable with the cooperation of a Royal.
Then it was safe to deny all.
They are making money. No doubt about it.
And like Diana, they may think they are terribly clever until HM says the modern equivalent of "divorce now".
Also, there is a gofundme link to help pay expenses for the Harry Markle book she is writing. They are looking for something like $3000.00 and have more than half already.
That will be interesting to watch....
"I am not sure why they have not purchased a house in LA yet, could Charles be funding that after one year?"
I don't know why H&M's plan seems to be couch-surfing for so long either. But I also can't believe even Charles would be so foolish to buy H&M a house in California (unless Charles retained title.)
I think Harry was offended William didnt use Megs name.
I understood the year review to be
- a financial commitment from Charles to assist them in "working toward financial freedom". To end after one year.
- A requirement of the Harkles to not use HRH, respect Queens values and conduct themselves with some dignity
- A easing away from Royal patronages...after the year, those patronages should go away unless Harkles can prove comittment, and ability to maintain without damaging reputation of either party
-The Queens fond hope that Harry would discover its cold out there, and want to come home. Sans Meg.
Looks like none of those goals will be met in a year. What I hope they set up was an end date, and penalties for failures.
clearly that gag about respecting t he Queens values has been stomped all over.
So exciting!!
He looked genuinely happy in that interview, while she looked fake. Also the way that she would not let go of his hand was disturbing and should have been the first alarm bell for everyone.
The signs were all there, werent they?
For me, I finally noticed how she always, always, always stared right into the camera with an almost demonic stare.
Everyone in the stadium could be looking elsewhere, and there was Meg with a slimy smirk, staring straight into the camera.
(shudders). She just "aint right".
I just keep picturing adorable Marlo Thomas mussing up her hair and winking. Lol
She was the polar opposite of MM.
If you don't mind, can I turn it around to The Dumbarton Malibu's? :D
I think, if you go back and check, you'll find that PW referred to Harry taking his time getting to know "THIS girl", not "THAT girl", according to the excerpts Wullie's Bucket has so kindly given us.
For me, I finally noticed how she always, always, always stared right into the camera with an almost demonic stare.
I noticed that one day while looking at the photo where she has her arms wrapped around Jessica M formerly known as The BFF. Crazy eyes. Yikes
@ Tatty
I think, if you go back and check, you'll find that PW referred to Harry taking his time getting to know "THIS girl", not "THAT girl", according to the excerpts Wullie's Bucket has so kindly given us.
I typed "That girl" also because I'm partially sight impaired. :(
"@Tatty,
I think, if you go back and check, you'll find that PW referred to Harry taking his time getting to know "THIS girl", not "THAT girl", according to the excerpts Wullie's Bucket has so kindly given us."
True.
And as @Calypso pointed out, Harry referred to M as "this girl" during the engagement interview. So how is that terminology suddenly so insulting?
And as @Calypso pointed out, Harry referred to M as "this girl" during the engagement interview. So how is that terminology suddenly so insulting?
Once again, JH has proven himself an oversensitive hypocrite
It certainly sounds that way. I also wonder if there wasn't some revisionist history going on. I don't doubt H may have been peeved William said slow down. But I do wonder if the latest emphasis on the perceived negative connotation of the term "this girl" didn't arise later to fit with the overall desire to paint the RF as snobby/racist/out of touch and so forth.
Just throwing out some thoughts.
What doesn't Scobie's book cover?
......
Yes, my thought, too.
First and foremost the baby situation. Why a doll sometimes? Why rental baby sometimes? Are any of them the real Archie?
Was it an IVF pregnancy?
Did she truly deliver Archie?
Did they use a surrogate?
Was there more than one surrogate?
Did she tell H she was pregnant in order to force the engagement, and then either admit the lie, or say she miscarried?
What were her mother, her, and Marcus Anderson threatening H with at that public outing?
Is this really her third marriage? Counting the annulment from when she was younger?
What were they really doing at Canada House?
When did H apply for US visa/green card? Has he applied for US citizenship?
How long can he stay in the US at one time?
What kind of visa is he in the US on?
How long do they plan to couch surf at TP's house?
What was his family so mad about at the Commonwealth Service?
Why was he promising to hook Greta up sexually with George? Ewww.
Where did the Disney money really go? Did the elephant charity ever get any of it?
How much other money have they laundered?
What was mm planning to do with the pics she took of the Cambridge children?
What was with her making goo goo eyes at William about?
Did H notice it? Why didn't he tell her to stop it?
Did H really tell her to turn around on the balcony that time?
Are either of them making any money, directly or indirectly off of their book?
Are they getting a cut of it in any way?
Just answer honestly. No game playing. No word games.
Answer in good faith.
Another one gets markled.
https://www.eonline.com/news/1174149/the-ellen-degeneres-show-subject-of-internal-investigation-after-workplace-complaints
The Ellen DeGeneres Show Subject of Internal Investigation After Workplace Complaints
They say Ellen is not subject of complaints, but that she should have been aware and done something.
Although she has a bit of a diva rep herself, doesnt she?
I hope Tyler Perry is watching all this.
Great list of questions, Mel!
I would add:
-Is it true Doria has "an allowance" ? How much, who is psing for it? Does she really have millions thanks to Meghan?
-Where was Doria during the "missing years"
-who is paying for the security? How much exactly per year
-Did anyone live at Frogmore?
-How are they getting free mansions? Paying rent? How much, who is paying?
-Is teapot flinging story true? Who got hit?
-What reaLly happened with Kate at dress fitting?
-which flipping tiara was it?
-What was her plan? When did she plan to leave RF? Did she think JH would go with her, or was the plan to ditch them all?
-Where are all those clothes now?
- Where is Bogart? How did guy break his legs?And
And
- How much are you spending on PR every month?
"@lizzie I also think Harry lied about how William accepted Megs, perhaps to sort of burn William personally when he watched the interview. He may have also used “this girl” in that same spirit... like a victim/martyr passive aggressive thing."
Wow. If so, Harry is one really sick puppy.
I guess you could be right. But imagine being in what was supposed to be a really happy situation, telling the world you've found the love of your life, your soulmate, your helpmate, your "until death we do part person," and still being obsessed with wounding your older brother. Ugh.
Were you ever married before Meghan
Did you and Meghan secretly marry before the big public wedding?
If so, when and where?
Who else was there?
Did the brf know about it?
Did the brf know you were using a doll/rental baby?
Did the brf know about the moon bumps?
Were you embarrassed about the moon bumps?
What did the staff think about them?
Did she really purchase that $92k beige maternity dress thinking that she would wear it to the Oscars?
What is Archie's real birth date?
Did you feel stupid holding a doll?
Do you listen to anything Sunshine Sachs tells you to do?
If so, which things?
Who were the 5 friends?
Why didn't you insist on meeting Thomas before the wedding?
Didn't that strike you as a little odd?
Did you meet any of her relatives besides Doria before the wedding? Or since?
Do you really talk with William weekly? If not, how often do you talk with him?
Does Meghan supervise the phone calls, listen in?
Why did Meghan bolt off to Canada and leave you by yourself to face the music?
Was she asked to leave the country?
How about you?
Totally agree with your statements as to what the year review means. I think they’re couch surfing for so long because Charles is not going to outright buy them a house in CA, especially during the first year. I have no idea what the original plan was, but clearly COVID and a myriad of other issues have prevented them from earning money in addition to what they are already receiving from Charles and from Harry’s trust fund. But it would seem as if they are heavily spending, especially on PR and plastic surgery.
I am actually thrilled about the content of this book. It illuminates the Harkles’ spoiled, self-centered, rude, jealous, and nasty personalities to such an extent that I cannot see how even a diabetic sugar could possibly defend their actions and behavior. The only thing that could make it better is if the truth about Archie would come out. But hopefully, now that the floodgates are open, the rest of the truth shall follow.
In the meantime, I do hope that HM and/or Charles will take action, as the current situation clearly shows that, not only do they not have the best interests of the family and the Monarchy at heart, but also that they are being rewarded for bad behavior. Neither of these are acceptable.
Harry and Meghan urgently need a lesson in the art of good PR
By constantly airing their hurt feelings, the Sussexes’ mystery and magic are leaking away by the second
By Harry Mount
For a seasoned Hollywood actress, the Duchess of Sussex is not much good at PR. If the revelations in Finding Freedom, the new book about Harry and Meghan, are to be believed – and there’s every indication the Sussexes helped the authors – she has been her own PR woman before. The book alleges that, before her marriage, she set up “a paparazzi photo here and there” to boost her career.
Well, this semi-authorised book has done quite the opposite. It has put a bomb under relations between the Sussexes and the Royal family. And it has torched the Sussexes’ bridges with the press. Contrary to what the book says about Meghan’s reception in Britain, the media were overwhelmingly on her side when she first came on the scene.
Both Harry and Meghan have a one-sided view of public relations: that it’s fine when newspapers and magazines write nice things about them and that it’s OK for them to pump out positive news about themselves via social media. But, when the press are rude, then they bleat that their privacy is being invaded.
They have a one-sided view about royal attachments, too: that they should be allowed to withdraw from royal life, yet maintain their (now-withdrawn) own Sussex Royal brand. But royal life isn’t a pick ’n’ mix selection, you can’t do all the fun stuff and get all the toys without doing some of the boring things and losing some of your privacy.
When the Sussexes were still carrying out official duties, it now turns out, according to Finding Freedom, that they also wanted to have their cake and eat it. They were allegedly aggrieved when they weren’t given the deference accorded to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at this year’s Commonwealth Service in Westminster Abbey. But at the same time they allegedly attacked the courtiers whose job it is to run the Royal family in such a way that deference is maintained and all the minutiae of royal etiquette are observed. If you want to be royal, you have to accept the number one rule: the order of succession. Granny first; Dad next; then big brother.
If only Harry had asked Granny about PR when he had his long chat at Sandringham with the Queen on ending his official duties. In her 68 years on the throne, the Queen has mastered the art of being royal: never explain; never complain; never give interviews; and never go to court, as the Duchess of Sussex is currently doing.
The Queen embodies what the Victorian constitutionalist, Walter Bagehot, said of royalty: “Its mystery is its life. We must not let in daylight upon magic.” Because the Queen has never given an interview, she retains mystery and magic. Because the Sussexes constantly air their hurt feelings – as in this new book – their mystery and magic are leaking away by the second.
If they’d stayed quiet, we could still imagine them as the modern embodiment of the beautiful prince and princess with their otherworldly thoughts on a higher plane. The moment they open their mouths, talk to an author or go to court, they reveal themselves as what they are: an actress with thoughts straight out of the Hallmark Greeting Cards School of Emotion; and a not very bright, unemployed man sitting in a McMansion in LA in a bobble hat.
If the Sussexes really wanted to withdraw from public life, they could do just that: no public speaking deals; no film work; no royal brands. Plenty of royals have done it: just look at Lord Nicholas Windsor, the Duke of Kent’s youngest son, who turned 50 on Saturday with no mention in the press except in the birthdays column.
If a royal does dare to dance with the press, it’s a tricky manoeuvre. Diana, Princess of Wales, was a master at it, carefully leaking quotes to Andrew Morton’s 1992 tome Diana: Her True Story and batting those fluttering eyelashes at Martin Bashir on the BBC in 1995.
Because Diana was so deft at PR, she could use the media to bring the country over to her side against the Royal family. Tragically, her son and daughter-in-law are having the reverse effect.
"Well, I certainly don’t think Harry would answer the question truthfully about how his family was doing accepting her: “well, William did dehumanize her by referring to her as “this girl” when he questioned my timeline and decisions.” Etc. It was best to lie."
IMO it's one thing to suggest an accepting "happy family" once it was clear the marriage was going to happen. It's entirely another IF as you said in your 5:32 AM comment Harry was using words in a passive aggressive victim/martyr manner to "burn William" when he watched the interview. If it was the latter, I still say Harry is pretty disturbed.
Meghan if you are listening...no it is extremely bad taste to hint to an acquaintance that they need to throw you a party. Get Harry to go to Party World and buy you some balloons and party favors and on the way back stop at Safeway and get a birthday cake, if he is nice the bakery dept. could put your name on the cake free. If he has some extra cash (being the tightwad he is) maybe he can get you some Gallo Rose in the big 3 liter bottle and bring it home. Bet he could also score some weed if he goes through the bad part of town and watches the guys outside the liquor store or car wash afterhours.
Actually, weed is legal in California and there are plenty of pot shops within ten minutes of their place, some even deliver!
-Used to distinguish between `this' girl, `that' girl, the `other' girl? This one as opposed to any of his other girls?
- as a distancing phrase?
-Impersonal perhaps but surely not dehumanising? Which it would have been had he called her a cat, bitch or cow! All of which strike me as appropriate designations from what we know now.
Thank you @Calypso @WBBM. Wills language was distancing certainly not dehumanizing. He called her a type of person not just "this" or "that."
I think Rache being American was the biggest problem for Wills but the account was deliberately changed by Scobie to indicate his snobbery. I think he is intentionally downplaying a genuine clash of cultures and manufacturing a contrast of a cold, elitist BRF to the emotional and vulnerable Malibu Dumbartons.
Although younger than JCMH FKAP, I've seen the subtle games that happens between Millennial Brits because of one's accent, pronunciation, vocabulary, etc... Those descriptions of Rache as "girl," "that girl," or "this girl" could be construed as rude but that's not snobbery. Unless the expression carries some special meaning between JH and PW, that characterization sounds bologna.
Assuming Scobie's account of the brother's conversation is true which for all we know is utter tripe, critical context has been removed. Can't put my finger on why but I believe this account is coming straight from Rache not Harry. Something Scobie does quite a few times is make sugary Sussex claims and doesn't back up his dissent from MSM coverage. Examples include: The Kate-Meghan fight, firing Archie's nurse after one day, Melissa Toubati quitting, and more. Given this pattern, it's hard to buy his account of events. I agree with Dan Wooton's assessment that Scobie has just confirmed almost everything that has been printed about the Sussexes.
What "that girl" or "this girl" perhaps indicates is Prince William's distance from Rache. That's not hard to understand given how fast JCMH FKAP and Rache got together. From *my* experiences, Brits are extremely slow to trust and let you into their circles compared to a typical American. I adore Brits so please don't take that characterization as a knock on them. I can only imagine how much more it would take to warm Wills' heart.
Rache's expectations of being BFFs with all the aristos she was meeting was never going to happen. She wasn't going to spill her guts over tea and get gushing love from the Sloane Rangers across the table. Her heart-on-her-sleeve confessionals would have mortified them and Rache would have resented them for acting like they didn't hear much of what she said.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/280520
(I've included a couple of selected quotes, the article is quite long and has a lot more info)
---
Simply put -- every bestseller list is a lie because no bestseller list measures the best selling books. Let me repeat that, so you can grasp the gravity of what it means. No bestseller list measures the actual best selling books.
Every single bestseller list either measures a limited number of sales in a few places, or far worse, it's a curated list and a small group of people are deciding what to put on their list. And they're picking books based on what they think are important books, not based on what is actually selling.
[...]
This desire to buy status is why you've seen an explosion of "bestselling authors" popping up over the place recently. What really happened was a few scammy marketers figured out how to manipulate the Amazon bestseller rankings. In short, they help people crank out a crappy book, buy their way up these obscure mini-categories, and call themselves bestselling authors.
To show how ridiculous the abuse of this bestseller list has become, one of the most brilliant marketers I know, Brent Underwood, took a picture of his foot, published it as a book, and hit no. 1 in with it. He detailed everything here, called out the whole group of people who sell this, and it's a great read. It pulls back the curtain on this blatant buying of status.
---
The "He detailed everything here, called out the whole group of people who sell this, and it's a great read." part of the text was hyperlinked, here's the direct link:
https://observer.com/2016/02/behind-the-scam-what-does-it-takes-to-be-a-bestselling-author-3-and-5-minutes/?show=all
(haven't caught up with all comments yet so apologies in advance if something like this has already been mentioned and I haven't got to it yet)
You do not have to buy the book; the audio version is free with an Audible trial and you can keep it even if you cancel audible.Also the publishers will have paid an advance for the book and no further payments will be made until the authors royalties on the sales of the book have exceeded the advance; given the fact that the book is already heavily discounted it appears unlikely that this will ever happen
Agree. The book is less than £14.00 on UK Amazon and pre-order’s can be cancelled too. It will no doubt count as a loss to the authors/publishers.
First of all who asks someone only remotely familiar with you to throw a party, a personal birthday party for you, even telling this acquaintance (not a BFF or even a casual friend) the venue you want. Really? Like REALLY, Who Does That?!
Meghan if you are listening...no it is extremely bad taste to hint to an acquaintance that they need to throw you a party. Get Harry to go to Party World and buy you some balloons and party favors ...
________________________________________
Of course, they could always order their party goods from Party Pieces, the Middletons' business .... *wink*
By Martin Robinson Chief Reporter and William Cole For Mailonline15:35 EDT 29 Jul 2020 , updated 16:24 EDT 29 Jul 2020
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8573365/Meghan-Markle-pay-67-000-legal-costs-losing-round-legal-battle-against-Mail.html
Sorry to be commenting on my own post, bad form. I meant to comment at the end.
I have a neice currently in therapy, age 26. Her therapist has said that at one point her practice was of mixed ages & situations. Her practice now is all under age 30 and all have similar issues. They were raised by parents who rewarded for ordinary and expected behavior. Who were told they were exceptional for expected behavior. Parents who cared for them in all ways but never taught them how to care for themselves. Now they are expected to be contributing members of society and they cant cope. They only know they've been told they were special & cared for. They have trouble with jobs, relationships, substance abuse and the suicide rate has jumped for this age group to scary proportions. Weve raised at least one self absorbed generation. The therapist has said theres only so much she can do. Sounds like the person on the bicycle. You can see where this kind of upbringing pertains to people like Harry and Meghan.