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


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Not going to give the Fail clicks but from what you've posted, it does describe Doria wonderfully and we see those qualities in Meghan today. It doesn't surprise me one bit that Meghan and her mother are so extremely close.

No one has ever been successful in knocking Doria down or finding fault with her. She's a woman comfortable in her own skin and carries herself with dignity and grace. Meghan learned well from her in my eyes. ?
 
One thing we can say is that if Meghan wasn't sure about her feelings on Uncle Joe, she certainly knows what to think of him now.
There'll always be one relative who uses their relatives newfound royal associations for their own 15 minutes of fame, sadly. As others have said we've seen it with Catherine in the early years of her marriage to William and with royals both in the UK and Europe (one that comes to mind from across the continent is Queen Letizia's charming aunt Henar).
 
One thing I have noticed is that Samantha has not openly attacked Meghan's defenders as she has in the past. She may be working on her "books" where she claims they are not hit pieces but they are not fluff (her words). Sure Jan. Now she has to compete with a maternal family member not only for tabloid dollars but also can put out a counter narrative to anything she says or writes. Uncle Joe could potentially debunk three plus years of a negative narrative about Meghan from the Markles and provide receipts (proof) of their own issues. It's probably why DM is serializing his story. Uncle Joe is a new angle.
 
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You do know that all that supposition only relates to the people that read tabloids. Next up: Meghan spotted in an Arkansas woman's grilled cheese.

Tabloid fodder is *never* to be taken seriously.
 
Are we still debating on about who got invited to the wedding and who didnt and how that is a damning indictment on Meghan's character? Sigh.

Meghan had several, several long time friends at the wedding who are not celebs. The ones that were have either been friends with Meg for years and years, even pre-dating her stardom, OR ones those that followed her closely knew about. Including Amal. There were rumors her and Meg grew close back in 2017. The only true surprise was Oprah tbh. And it seems that may actually be a Harry connect now (my guess? through the Obamas).

Most of the other celebs at the wedding were friends of Harry's that are well documented to those of us who follow him and/or celebs heavily associated with his charities--also well known to those who follow him.

As far as we know (withholding the rumors about her niece and others who were supposedly there on the DL), Doria was the only family member. This is some grand indictment against Meghan even though it was ONLY Doria and Thomas at her first wedding as well---somehow you never hear these relatives complain about not being there! And Doria would have been joined by Meghan's father had he not gone off on his shenanigans.

It doesn't matter how many people you can fit into your wedding location, you only have to invite who you want. I have a lot of family. A massive family. I am estranged from some, but simply just not close to most. And you know what? I would not invite them to any wedding of mine. Its not even that I have hard feelings toward most of them. For me, they are just not central to my life. The same seems to be true for Meghan. Nothing wrong with that or those of us who prize close friends over blood.
 
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This thread is not about Meghan's friends - let's get back on-topic. If you wish to discuss the guests who attended Harry and Meghan's wedding, please take it to the their wedding thread.
 
The new story about Meghan as a child, from Uncle Joe, has been published but it is not mean. It doesn't detract from her or her family. The pictures of Meghan as a baby are sweet and interesting to see at this time - though perhaps her privacy has been breached.
Do you think the Uncle indicated to Meghan that he would release the album?
Do you know for sure that he was paid?
My opinion is that the pictures were better kept private but I don't think Harry and Meghan will be too worried. They have more pressing things to think of.
 
The new story about Meghan as a child, from Uncle Joe, has been published but it is not mean. It doesn't detract from her or her family. The pictures of Meghan as a baby are sweet and interesting to see at this time - though perhaps her privacy has been breached.
Do you think the Uncle indicated to Meghan that he would release the album?
Do you know for sure that he was paid?
My opinion is that the pictures were better kept private but I don't think Harry and Meghan will be too worried. They have more pressing things to think of.

They haven’t spoken in nearly 20 years as he indicated himself LAST TIME he did this right after the engagement announcement, so I would say no he didn’t phone them to ask if it’s ok. And I doubt they would say it’s ok if they’ve been asked.
 
@King of the Jungle - in the first series of photos Uncle Joe was asked why he was releasing the photos; he said it was time to show the world the other side of Meghan's family , "the positive side, not the degenerative.....alluding to the constant swirl of scandal surrounding her paternal relatives including her father and half brother and sister". I feel bad for the Markles who have stayed out of the fray because it looks like their reputations have taken a hit because of Dad, Jr and Sam. It also shows the tabloids never had any respect for the Markles. Dad Jr and Sam were assets to be used to sell that Meghan is a person of low character ; look at her immediate scandal ridden paternal family as proof. I saw comments stating their behavior is evidence of what kind of person Meghan is. DM is running this story to keep it fresh.
 
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I think out of Samantha, Thomas Sr and Thomas Jr, also Thomas Jr's son, Tyler has given interviews. He was in a weird reality show about 'royals', and did nothing but talk about Meghan, even though they hadn't had any contact in over a decade. His mother, Jr's ex-wife also gave interviews, snd hasn't seen Meghan in two decades. Then there was a joint interview from multiple markles, who were all expecting a wedding invitation, even though they hadn't seen Meghan in two decades either. All the markles have given interviews to various degrees.

Also, how were the Markle's disrespected? None of their stories were ever questioned, the publications printed their words like they were the Markle diaries. Meghan was painted like a horrible person based on their words. No one forced them to give one interview,they were more than willing to. So I fail to feel sorry for them if they were 'used'.

Meghan's uncle sold his and Doria's Mother's photo album. Not his. The pictures weren't his to sell. He just gave a flimsy excuse why he sold out the second time his niece he had been in no contact since 2000. No one asked him to, and again, he has no contact with Meghan or Doria.
 
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This is how the Fail and other tabloids stay alive and rake in the green dollars. Journalism its not at its best there at all. Uncle Joe is the flavor of the month right now but soon he'll even reach his expiration date as the Markles have.
 
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Cocoasneeze - the Markles I was referring to were those like Ashleigh and Christopher Hale, Sam's kids from her first marriage. I believed Meghan and Ashleigh were close (shown on the Tic blog) . Those two kept their heads down but must be mortifying for them.

The Meghan Chronicles part 3 by uncle Joe

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...Duchess-opening-presents-playing-friends.html

Meghan's birthday party with maternal cousins and other children. A family dinner with Jr and Sam as teenagers. I'm perturbed by DM's caption of the dinner picture: "Siblings before they turned toxic". I don't know if DM's plan is to show the Markle family feud is not Meghan's fault and here's why as explained in the slow rollout but this is something Meghan doesn't need now and I hope Harry is taking good care of her.
 
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I'm glad to see that Meghan had a warm family. Her Uncle and his kids obviously liked sharing time with her and keeping the photos. It's totally normal for children to grow up, fly the coop and not see as much of their Uncles and cousins unless they live nearby. Kids become independent but it doesn't deplete their connection or erase family importance.

Often family just takes off where they stopped last time they met - like old school friends. There is a heart and blood connection. Families don't have to see each other often to know that they can always call for help. I don't hear any bitterness from Meghan's Uncle, only pride and, while I don't agree with him publishing the pictures, he is exposing a pretty common upbringing.
 
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Cocoasneeze - the Markles I was referring to were those like Ashleigh and Christopher Hale, Sam's kids from her first marriage. I believed Meghan and Ashleigh were close (shown on the Tic blog) . Those two kept their heads down but must be mortifying for them.

Luckily for them, they're even mentioned in any articles, because they've kept a really low profile, and haven't courted any attention. I believe they've known for years what their relatives are like, and none of this is a surprise for them. Added, they don't go by the last name Markle, so they just might not feel, that their name or reputation is ruined in any way. Jmho, again.
 
Their names are constantly brought up whenever their mother is. So Markles or not, they certainly have got some press. Whether they courted it or not. The press just seems to have kept away from them.

Christopher it may be as no one really knows anything about him. Or where he is. Samantha doesn't sell her own kids it seems unlike her sister. Ashleigh is an attorney with a big form in DC. But of course that is known from Meghan's Instagram and the whole 'inspiration for Suits character' story line.

They likely had very little contact with the Markles growing up. They were raised by their paternal grandparents (not sure where dad was, maybe him too). It would have been easy enough for them to both have been at the wedding which was speculated and not have been noticed. The rare photo of Ashleigh wouldn't have been enough in the crowd. I don't believe we have ever seen a photo of Christopher. Could be wrong.
 
Y’all acting like y’all don’t know how it is with family. Sometimes it’s best to keep the peace by distancing yourself from some family members. Don’t send them birthday cards, Christmas cards and don’t invite them to your wedding because then some family members will know where you live and that you’re still alive. That’s how the cookie crumbles.

I know this has been talked to death here, but I'd just like to add to this that the distancing could have begun long before Meghan had a say in anything. For reasons that have nothing to do with her. At least some of us it must have; for that uncle not to have had contact with her for 20 years means something broke down before she was an adult.

When your parents become distant from family, you just don't get to really know that family in a meaningful way.

But it's also important to recognize that a family growing distant doesn't always mean anything bad or toxic happened (although maybe it did here, we don't know).

All of my grandparents were the type who wanted to get out and see the big, wide world. They chose lives that took them far from where they grew up and didn't go "home" often. They met and married people from other places, which cut even more into the frequency of either couple going "home" because there were two "homes" to visit and both took a lot of effort and planning. For the most part, their siblings didn't have that sense of wanderlust and didn't understand why they chose the lives they did. They grew farther and farther apart from their family back home, not because anything was wrong or toxic but just because they were really different people. As a result, neither of my parents really know their extended family very well. And that's ok. They're happy people with rich lives, just not people who are close to their cousins or aunts or uncles. My own aunts and uncles have never lived geographically close, either. I like them, I know them (ish), but I don't really invite them to all that much of what happens in my life or expect to be invited by them. They're more just Christmas card relatives, largely because that's the kind of family connection they are most familiar with, and we're all ok with it. We like each other fine, we're just not close.

Doria's parents left the South behind for California at roughly the same time that my grandparents were finding it very hard to keep up long-distance family relationships. There's a strong possibility that Doria grew up without having a ton of contact with her extended family, just for practical reasons. And that may have left her without feeling a strong need to maintain extended family relationships in her own life as she raised her daughter. Meghan may just not really know a lot of this family in the kind of way that leaves you feeling obliged to invite folks to things like weddings.
 
There has been a steady stream of negative comments which are not removed from media outlets.
I have not noticed any nasty comments fuelled by racism. I have not seen that, personally. I've read opinions about spending, protocol, acting, faking, ghosting - mostly uncalled for.
Quite a number are fuelled by Meghan's relatives.

I have also witnessed lots of positive stories in the newspaper and on TV - particularly when Harry and Meghan were in Australia. It was total positivity.
 
There has been a steady stream of negative comments which are not removed from media outlets.
I have not noticed any nasty comments fuelled by racism. I have not seen that, personally. I've read opinions about spending, protocol, acting, faking, ghosting - mostly uncalled for.
Quite a number are fuelled by Meghan's relatives.

I have also witnessed lots of positive stories in the newspaper and on TV - particularly when Harry and Meghan were in Australia. It was total positivity.

I think we need to understand that racism is no longer just blatantly stated. And while her relatively have not helped matters, a lot of it is certainly not from them or originated from there. They’ve hitched onto the bandwagon on some, but it was certainly already there. It’s the ever shifting goal post and the double standards. It’s that every positive thing she does is picked apart while others get credit for far less. What is good for another Royal is negative when Meghan does it. It’s the tone of the coverage. It’s one thing to say it breaks from tradition, but what the tone of the rest of the article changes it from a positive step forward to a negative snubbing scenario. It’s the othering of her. And we see that on a regular basis.

I should point out that I see that type of things a lot less in foreign media than British. In fact, some part of foreign media are starting to calling them out. Hell, some in Britain are starting to call them out, but it’s more from the Guardian, Metro, and Medium calling out traditional tabloids.

Btw, some of this, I’m well aware, isn’t done on purpose. It’s something that’s been ingrained in society through decades of double standards and stereotyping. Some have complained about the lack of diversity in RRs as part of the problem. Where they think it’s not racism unless it’s blatant. But in fact it is by adopting the dog whistling in their pieces.
 
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I think Palmer wants to have this sit down because they are seeing the media organizations' bottom line and the reporters' and presenters ' reputations take a hit because of the coverage of Meghan. They may also realize the change in the presentation of Baby Sussex may be due to their actions. Palmer could realize bullying the Sussexes will not get them what they want. 4.7 million followers on Instagram are hard to ignore their popularity and he wants to show that some in the media are willing to clean up their act. We'll see. They can start by cutting off the Markles. If they do insist on interviewing them the media needs to fact check them, vet current and previous statements and ask tough questions about their pasts.
 
Personally I feel the arrival of Baby Sussex (who is of mixed race!) has many wanting to make it clear they don’t agree with the trolling nor are actively encouraging it. That’s what I got from Palmer’s tweets. It would seem recently he became aware fellow Britons of color feel a certain way so he wants a dialogue.

Nothing wrong with that. This royal baby’s racial background could trigger some things so I don’t fault anyone for wanting to get ahead of it. Will it make a difference? Time will tell.
 
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I agree that it has started to seep through some RR's heads and perhaps hopefully their editors, that the Sussexes aren't going to keep 'smiling through' and always cooperating no matter what, particularly where the birth of their child is concerned. And why should they?

All those pages and pages of newsprint and photos the tabloids were expecting as a result of the emerging from hospital and standing on the steps with Baby Sussex aren't going to happen now, and it's starting to hit with a whooomph!

The coverage in Australia from our media in Australia was fantastic during the Sussexes tour. I think that some of the British Press contingent were taken aback, as they expected to encounter outright and nasty republican sentiment here.

As an Aussie and supporter of Harry and Meghan I'm not ashamed to admit I was proud of their welcome by the crowds and homegrown media. And then the couple went home and there was wall to wall negativity almost immediately.

It's been awful, snide, sarcastic and nasty. However, I do believe that it is being driven to a large extent by thousands of people on social media, some of whom seep onto the comments section of the Fail. And they are too cunning to exhibit overt racism. It's always disguised as something else.

I feel desperately sad but I just don't feel that while that huge block of anti-Meghan social media is on the internet that anything is going to change, until another target is found in a few years time.
 
What I find extremely disappointing is the royal reporters, correspondents and journalists have gone along or did very little to help fan away the constant false attacks Meghan has endured over these several months. We can tell that things started to go way down south after the big royal tour and it hasn’t stopped since then.
 
I've seen Victoria Arbiter and Omid both stand up against the crowd. Maybe Chris Shipp....not sure past that.


LaRae
 
I've seen Victoria Arbiter and Omid both stand up against the crowd. Maybe Chris Shipp....not sure past that.


LaRae

Keir Simmons as well, but he works for a US network. Benjamin Wareing wrote a piece about it on the Medium, but he hasn't been in the royal photography that long.
 
Keir Simmons as well, but he works for a US network. Benjamin Wareing wrote a piece about it on the Medium, but he hasn't been in the royal photography that long.

Benjamin in college and yes very young still..just getting in. I follow him, haven't seen him being critical at least. Not sure I remember him pushing back but again...he's new to it all.


LaRae
 
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What I find extremely disappointing is the royal reporters, correspondents and journalists have gone along or did very little to help fan away the constant false attacks Meghan has endured over these several months. We can tell that things started to go way down south after the big royal tour and it hasn’t stopped since then.

I don't expect them too. Omid is of mixed race himself so he as a personal stake in it and know the dog whispers more than anyone. It is what it is. Most the time things aren't deliberate and it takes a peer to bring attention to it for someone to step back.

I think a lot of the outside press coverage and publications who typically don't care about the royals suddenly writing think pieces around the cruelty thrown at Meghan makes people take pause. It is hard not to. This is the 3rd article about online trolling now. The palace had to issue their own guidelines. We are all aware.

I just don't see it changing. And sadly I do have sadness in my heart because I know Baby Sussex will get this nastiness too for no reason other than being the child of Meghan and the grandchild of someone who looks like Doria.

But it is NOT everyone and people need to make that clear too. In fact I think these trolls are the minority but that just are very, very loud.
 
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