Duke and Duchess of Sussex, General News 3: February - May 2019


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Are we still talking about the shower?
That is so yesterday.:bang:

Now that the threads have calmed down/ cleaned up, I am enjoying the opportunity to participate on topics I haven't in the past due to the infighting and circles. I hope others are too, and am enjoying their thoughts.
 
I would keep in mind that most of us have a circle of work and university friends, and we socialize with them until we get married and move away and have babies.

Then we have a different circle of friends at our new location, and we very rarely see the old gang. This is what is happening to Meghan; you have to have friends who live somewhat nearby.

The baby shower will probably be the last hurrah for the group who attended the shower. It will be interesting to see who her new besties will be (probably not Piers Morgan).
 
I suppose people who work in show business are often networking. Many of Meghan's pals at the shower were actresses she's met over the years. A couple were in Suits. There were friends from her days at NorthWestern.

I've always understood that Serena Williams and Meghan met at Wimbledon in 2015, when Meghan was promoting Calvin Klein sportswear. I don't believe they were close friends before Meghan's engagement to Harry, though, which suggests a celebrity type friendship to me, though Serena was pretty generous re the baby shower. I've read that Meghan and Harry became friendly with the Clooneys by both couples being regular members of the Soho Club in London and in Oxfordshire and grew close because of that.

AFAIK Meghan and Jessica Mulroney met after Meghan settled in Toronto and was working in Suits. They bonded over a love of fashion. I really don't know what the Oprah/Gayle King connection is except that Oprah and Doria attend the same church in LA and I have a strong suspicion that Oprah would really really like an interview with Mum!

This is totally untrue, however many times it is repeated. They met in Miami Florida in 2010 at a Superbowl XLIV VIP party, Serena Williams said it herself during an interview at the Australian Open, and their friendship started to develop from this point. They are pictures of them together again at the Superbowl XLVIII, which took place in New York City in 2014 (precisely The Metlife Stadium in New Jersey). They were taken after they both took part in a flag football match at DirectTV’s Celebrity Beach Bowl, playing on the same team. So basically at time of the wedding they had know each other for 8 years.

I am having trouble understanding why her friendships are being scrutinized and vetted this way?
At Eugenie's Wedding, Demi Moore, Naomi Campbell, Robbie Williams were seated in the Quire. These people are showbiz as it can be. Yet the same questions are not asked. Ed Shareen; the singer, during a Graham Norton show told the story of being cut in the face with a sword by one of the princesses (Beatrice or Eugenie) when they were playing Queen and wanted to knight James Blunt; the singer, at a Party. Actress Margot Robbie talks about finding herself at the housewarming party of top model Suki Waterhouse with Prince Harry. Incidentally she did not even recognize him. There is a photo-booth picture of many guests at this event, Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie can be recognized on the said picture. My point is Royals mingle with celebrities. At least as far as Meghan is concerned, she is coming from this field.
 
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Yes, she is, and I do happen to like Meghan a lot. I'm not denying that royals and celebrities mix. We know they do. What prevents me from believing that Serena and Meghan were great friends before Meghan's engagement to Harry is the fact that while they may have met before, in Florida in 2010 and at the Super Bowl in 2014, then at Wimbledon, there are no photos of them socialising together on other occasions, and Meghan did not attend Serena's Hen do nor her wedding. I don't know if Serena had a baby shower but I don't think Meghan was there either. Their friendship, on the other hand, may have deepened lately.

And that's fine. There are all sorts of friendships between people of various depths and shallowness, and it doesn't matter. Some friends are besties and see each other every day, some people see each other only occasionally. And in the high flying celebrity world the latter is more common, (due to scheduling.)
 
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If one believes in the Effet Papillon (Butterfly effect), it could be argued that it is Serena who is at he origin of Meghan and Harry meeting. Meghan was in London in 2016 to watch Serena play at Wimbledon. It was during this visit that the famous blind date was arranged by their mutual friend they talked about in the engagement interview and the rest is history.
 
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I thought that mutual friend was supposedly Misha Nonoo, once married to an Old Etonian who knew Will and Harry. I don't think Serena knew Harry. Others have been mentioned as Cupid as well.
 
I did not say Serena knew Harry and played cupid. I said that Meghan was in London to watch Serena play. If she were not friend with Serena, she maybe would not have come to London, and the opportunity of the blind date to happen would have never been there, and they might have never met
 
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I have never seen any suggestion Serena played matchmaker for them. There is really no connection to be had between Harry and Serena. To say Serena was the reason would be to suggest they met randomly through Wimbledon, and were not set up.

There were three main contenders, though one was eliminated when it was revealed it was a woman. Three who have an actual connection to both of the couple. The one eliminated was of course Marcus Anderson.

That left:

Misha's ex husband Alex Gilkes was an Eton friend of Harry. He owns Paddle 8, the company Eugenie worked for in NY for a time. Her and Meghan been friends for years, and even vacationed together with Marcus.

and

Violet von westenholtz who seems the more commonly accepted one now. Her father, an Olympic skier, is friends with Prince Charles. Violet often went skiing with the princes as a teen. She met Meghan as a stylist, as she was working in PR for Ralph Lauren.
 
IIRC Serena herself actually gave a quote or was quoted as saying they'd known each other for years but grew closer when they were two of the most famous WOC in the world in inter racial relationships. That makes sense if true.

I actually think the dynamic must be fascinating. Meghan had a lot of friends/acquaintances who were much more famous than her and suddenly, Boom! Interesting to navigate.
 
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I think it's entirely possible that Meghan's existing friendships with some famous women were strengthened when she herself started to become famous. Those women might have helped her emotionally & practically to deal with the issues that come with fame. If they did (& they surely did), the relationships would become stronger & they probably felt more protective of her as she faced the onslaught of press coverage.
 
My honest opinion is that over the years, Meghan has amassed a pretty nice circle of friends that she still keeps as close friends. Fame, fortune and "celebrity" and situations in life change sometimes even on a dime yet the friendships persevere. She's also added another wide circle of friends since her relationship with Harry began.

Her situation in life has changed dramatically over the past three years but Meghan, herself, is still the same person. Reminds me of the old Girl Scout song "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the others gold." :D
 
I think it's entirely possible that Meghan's existing friendships with some famous women were strengthened when she herself started to become famous. Those women might have helped her emotionally & practically to deal with the issues that come with fame. If they did (& they surely did), the relationships would become stronger & they probably felt more protective of her as she faced the onslaught of press coverage.
Well all power to Meghan for choosing her friends carefully, yet I do not understand those that assert the only reason they are her friends is because of Harry as if Meghan herself is worthless. It is an ugly mindset.

A wonderful mindset was that of Jessica when she took a job as a fashion guru on GMA. She was totally up front that her friendship with Meghan was personal and totally off limits. Needless to say, when they found out that not only was Meghan in NY but that she was one of the women organising her Baby Shower they were quite ugly about someone "who was supposed to be a member of their team keeping them in the dark".

The real kicker was the statement that they only offered her the job because she was Meghan's BFF and the caveat came back to bite them. I will not be surprised if the calls for her to be fired are successful. Needless to say, since she was totally upfront about the situation I think they thought everyone can be brought and that she would betray her friend for this gig and were truly quite shocked that she did not.
 
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Well all power to Meghan for choosing her friends carefully, yet I do not understand those that assert the only reason they are her friends is because of Harry as if Meghan herself is worthless. It is an ugly mindset.

A wonderful mindset was that of Jessica when she took a job as a fashion guru on GMA. She was totally up front that her friendship with Meghan was personal and totally off limits. Needless to say, when they found out that not only was Meghan in NY but that she was one of the women organising her Baby Shower they were quite ugly about someone "who was supposed to be a member of their team keeping them in the dark".

The real kicker was the statement that they only offered her the job because she was Meghan's BFF and the caveat came back to bite them. I will not be surprised if the calls for her to be fired are successful. Needless to say, since she was totally upfront about the situation I think they thought everyone can be brought and that she would betray her friend for this gig and were truly quite shocked that she did not.


Another made up story .



So made up in fact that 2 days after the story came out GMA extended her contract by a year .
 
So her friends can talk to the press and divulge private information, private companies can advertise on their social media that they took part in the shower (why was there no privacy clause signed?!?).. but her dad gets crucified and shunned for doing the exact same thing. (And no her dad never said a single bad word about her- all his interviews were practically gushing what a wonderful person she is- the only difference in crime is that he gave those interviews to the Daily Mail and GMB rather than people)

Once again, optics and perception.

https://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-baby-shower-nyc-wedding-reunion-friends/
 
:previous:Her father flat out lied about a number of things. And was paid to do so.
 
So her friends can talk to the press and divulge private information, private companies can advertise on their social media that they took part in the shower (why was there no privacy clause signed?!?).. but her dad gets crucified and shunned for doing the exact same thing. (And no her dad never said a single bad word about her- all his interviews were practically gushing what a wonderful person she is- the only difference in crime is that he gave those interviews to the Daily Mail and GMB rather than people)

Once again, optics and perception.

https://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-baby-shower-nyc-wedding-reunion-friends/

I don't think it's the same thing, but on the other hand, it's the problem that crops up when "friends," and I use the term loosely, feel free to give interviews to the press about things like details about a private party, that really are no one's business. There would be much less criticism and discussion about the shower if it had been held somewhere more private than the middle of Manhattan, minus a red carpet entrance from the guests, and if some of the attendees had resisted the temptation to give out details to the press. This is the kind of thing that causes royals to cull their friendship lists, and is also why you very seldom hear inside details of parties given for or attended by the inside friend groups of the BRF. It may be time for Meghan to take a hard look at who she is including in the inner circle, and keep those who have shown they can be discreet, and allow others who are in it to polish their own status to fade away.

I'm also going to add, that this is exactly the problem when you give permission for friends to speak to the press (George Clooney et. al) because then the line becomes blurred on what is and isn't ok to say, and you lose control of the narrative.
 
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I don't think it's the same thing, but on the other hand, it's the problem that crops up when "friends," and I use the term loosely, feel free to give interviews to the press about things like details about a private party, that really are no one's business. There would be much less criticism and discussion about the shower if it had been held somewhere more private than the middle of Manhattan, minus a red carpet entrance from the guests, and if some of the attendees had resisted the temptation to give out details to the press. This is the kind of thing that causes royals to cull their friendship lists, and is also why you very seldom hear inside details of parties given for or attended by the inside friend groups of the BRF. It may be time for Meghan to take a hard look at who she is including in the inner circle, and keep those who have shown they can be discreet, and allow others who are in it to polish their own status to fade away.

I'm also going to add, that this is exactly the problem when you give permission for friends to speak to the press (George Clooney et. al) because then the line becomes blurred on what is and isn't ok to say, and you lose control of the narrative.

Agreed.
I think that if she truly loves and respects Harry and his family and the way they do things, she will have to stop and take a hard look at the people she’s friends with, or at the very least how she goes about with the friendship - because right now she’s coming across as a major hypocrite to many people.
If she won’t be able to reign in her friends to keep her privacy even after the baby is born I have no doubt that the theory that the marriage won’t last will become a reality, perhaps even sooner than was theorized.

If she won’t I truly think that at some point (and I very much believe it will happen shortly after the baby arrives and Harry will discover the unconditional love that a parent has for their child and that it can very easily trump the love for a spouse) Harry will get tired and fed up with her friends talking and information leaking, and a tiny voice in his head will start asking questions about their joint futureand whether staying together is what is best for their child.


That’s just my point of view at this point.
 
Now that the threads have calmed down/ cleaned up, I am enjoying the opportunity to participate on topics I haven't in the past due to the infighting and circles. I hope others are too, and am enjoying their thoughts.

Same here, I have been peeking in OMG:whistling:.

OR...
She is confident enough to trust her own and Harry's judgement on what is proper. Honestly, sometimes it seems like we think it is a GOOD thing that the UK establishment acts like a bunch of high school girls to enforce highly dated rules of proper dress.
We have heard all this before especially with the height of Kate's skirts. I don't want to get off on a fashion discussion but Meg is just not doing anything that crazy that we need the smelling salts.
Why is it that we complain when the royal men are rumpled or not flashing enough cuff, but we shame women's judgement for different fashion choices. It's sexist and ridiculous.
Sorry - had to let that out. :flowers:

BRAVO,???
 
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My two cents is that she's still learning, made some mistakes but some pretty successes too. She's a princess in progress (just like Kate some years ago, and look how confident she's now !), and i do think she'll find some good, and universal, recognition in the future.


Although Kate had her own bumps on the road, I don't think her situation is at all comparable to Meghan's. Kate fit in surprisingly well, much better actually than Diana, who was a bit of a disaster despite her "superior" ancestry (I mean, compared to Kate's middle-class background).

Meghan is an outsider in ways that Kate or Camilla for that matter are not, so it's always going to be tougher for her. She could learn, however, from her sister-in-law and stepmother-in-law on how to keep a lower profile and be more discreet. A situation like the baby shower was perfectly avoidable.
 
Although Kate had her own bumps on the road, I don't think her situation is at all comparable to Meghan's. Kate fit in surprisingly well, much better actually than Diana, who was a bit of a disaster despite her "superior" ancestry (I mean, compared to Kate's middle-class background).

Meghan is an outsider in ways that Kate or Camilla for that matter are not, so it's always going to be tougher for her. She could learn, however, from her sister-in-law and stepmother-in-law on how to keep a lower profile and be more discreet. A situation like the baby shower was perfectly avoidable.

I think the major advantage in terms of friends that Kate and Camilla had that Meghan did not is that they both had years to weed out the indiscreet, the disloyal and the people who were just looking for fame before they got married. Meghan hasn't really had much time to figure out how this whole friend thing works when you're a member of the royal family, but I have no doubt that she will.
 
I think the major advantage in terms of friends that Kate and Camilla had that Meghan did not is that they both had years to weed out the indiscreet, the disloyal and the people who were just looking for fame before they got married. Meghan hasn't really had much time to figure out how this whole friend thing works when you're a member of the royal family, but I have no doubt that she will.

Which is part of the reason why many people to know what royal life is like, and those of us with a logic train of thought, kept saying that maybe they should have waited a couple more years before tying the knot - yes they’re in their 30’s but 2 years is nothing of a time to be honest, and those extra 2 years would have given time to come out if the honeymoon period. it really would have been a smarter idea had she relocated to the UK first (several visas she could have done that on), had been able to truly get to know the UK and date Harry while they were living in the same country, let alone same city and maybe even house, rather than jump straight in as a fiancé without plenty of time to do all that weeding and allow herself to take proper time to get a true feel of British, let alone royal, life.


I think being the turtle rather than the rabbit in this race would have benefited her, and IMO their relationship too, in the long run.
 
I for am glad she knows she has a small group of very close supportive friends she can rely on. She’s American, she’s allowed to visit her homeland every now & then to see trusted close family & friends - and for some respite away from the cruel atmosphere of smear campaigns and backstabbings from within, here in UK. She works her socks off supporting her loving husband representing the queen and helping present the monarchy in a more favourable light to UK communities and many Nations within the commonwealth.
 
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Meghan was contracted to Suits for the seven years she worked on the show. She could hardly have jumped on a plane to live elsewhere and broken her contract. And what visa could she have applied for during the two years or so she would be waiting around? Hardly a fiancée visa if she wasn't engaged. And all to wait until she was 38!

And nobody knows what Royal life is like until they are in it. Camilla had hiccups when she first married. So did Kate. No-one said it was easy. However, Meghan joined Harry on an extremely successful long Pacific tour last October. Anyone would think she has been stumbling from disaster to disaster when performing her engagements! Over 100 in 2018 btw.
 
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Another made up story .



So made up in fact that 2 days after the story came out GMA extended her contract by a year .
If that is verifiable then good on GMA and the Company for respecting the terms of her contract. It shows a corporate level of integrity not often found in this somewhat dog eat dog world.

Conversely, it also shows the intricacy of the fake Royal News machine. The story I watched on TV was well put together and the reporting itself low key and not the obvious FAKE NEWS.

Someone is spending an awful lot of time, money and expertise to show Meghan in a very bad light. You cannot help but wonder what the endgame is given the sheer volume of this stuff.

That's not to say that a few RR's weren't more than a little put out on their own account for missing a scoop. But hidden in the avalanche of dross it is East to be mislead.
 
Meghan and Kate were never going to have the same experience, that was clear from the beginning. All one needs to do is look back 15 years in the past, to see what lives these drastically different women lived and what choices they made that shaped who they were and are. These are two fundamentally different women, in fundamentally different situations, joining the family with fundamentally different levels of life experience, achievements and personal history.

One makes a wonderful Consort-to-be for William, the other a wonderful Duchess for Harry.

Yes, it is quite a shame that Meghan's and Harry's paths have not crossed earlier - I am sure she would have greatly appreciated a low key life in her newly wed phase. Maybe then she would have even been deemed worthy of a 'grace period' to acclimate to her new life - would have been quite lovely, yes. Alas, it wasn't so - and maybe it was just right for them anyway.

So yes, despite facing a strikingly (and at times shamefully) different start to her royal life, Meghan learns, adepts, engages and takes initiative.
Those who see the death of the monarchy in everything she does would likely not have been content with Harry's choice of bride either way. (& To presume that the majority are in this camp is actually quite a bit removed from reality.)

Who knows - maybe, some people will learn to adept too. That there is not only one singular way of doing things and that different people have different contexts, which yield different situations.
 
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Very interesting read. Although, I don’t agree with the commentary on the DoC. Won’t get into that part on this thread though. Not wise!

The Silencing of Meghan-
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2019/02/meghan-markle-duchess-sussex-princess

It looks like an excessively long piece that, nevertheless, doesn’t make any coherent point in the end.

I also disagree with the opening premise that Meghan was supposed to be “ the face of a modernized monarchy”. As a member of a collateral branch of the Royal Family, it is not up to her to define the “ future face” of the monarchy.
 
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