Meghan and Harry Plus One

[Madame Verseau]

Gayle King, Meghan"s guest at her baby shower, is doing a special called Meghan and Harry Plus One airing Friday May 17 at 9 pm EST on CBS. It's to coincide with the Sussexes' one year wedding anniversary. After filming King met with Harry and Meghan at Frogmore two days before Archie's birth

https://www.google.com/amp/s/pagesi...-prince-harry-right-before-babys-arrival/amp/

The Sussexes are not giving an interview on the show but they may have given input on the final product. Either way the British press is going to resent the fact that an American newscaster has such access to them.

 

[MARG]

Gayle King, Meghan"s guest at her baby shower, is doing a special called Meghan and Harry Plus One airing Friday May 17 at 9 pm EST on CBS. It's to coincide with the Sussexes' one year wedding anniversary. After filming King met with Harry and Meghan at Frogmore two days before Archie's birth

https://www.google.com/amp/s/pagesi...-prince-harry-right-before-babys-arrival/amp/

The Sussexes are not giving an interview on the show but they may have given input on the final product. Either way the British press is going to resent the fact that an American newscaster has such access to them.

Oh yeah . . . bring on the acid rain. They really can't do right for doing wrong. However, the to do surrounding Archie's birth along with all the "advice" from said RR's which sounded more like thinly veiled threats, made this a well deserved UY! [emoji13]

 

[Dman]

Gayle King, Meghan"s guest at her baby shower, is doing a special called Meghan and Harry Plus One airing Friday May 17 at 9 pm EST on CBS. It's to coincide with the Sussexes' one year wedding anniversary. After filming King met with Harry and Meghan at Frogmore two days before Archie's birth

https://www.google.com/amp/s/pagesi...-prince-harry-right-before-babys-arrival/amp/

The Sussexes are not giving an interview on the show but they may have given input on the final product. Either way the British press is going to resent the fact that an American newscaster has such access to them.

I really don’t think Harry and Meghan really care. The British press has been horrible to them for months now.

 

[jacqui24]

I don't know what the freak out is about. Specials like this a very typical of CBS, and just include public information and generally a fluff piece.

And she's certainly not the only person in the media that the Sussexes or other royals have a personal relationship with. Tom Bradby comes to mind.

 

[Dman]

I don't know what the freak out is about. Specials like this a very typical of CBS, and just include public information and generally a fluff piece.

And she's certainly not the only person in the media that the Sussexes or other royals have a personal relationship with. Tom Bradby comes to mind.

When it comes to this couple, there seems to be a lot of unnecessary freak out from the British press.

 

[Marengo]

This thread is about the CBS/ Gayle King program "Meghan and Harry Plus One"

- This thread is NOT about potential reactions of the British press to a program that is yet to be aired.
- This thread is NOT about the British press.
- Those who want to voice their disapproval the British press at every opportunity are encouraged to do so by (e-)mail or telephone. This forum is however not the right place for such a campaign.

Irrelevant replies will be deleted without notice.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Meghan Markle's makeup artist says the hands-on new mother will 'totally make her own baby food' - as he breaks down in TEARS while defending her against 'undeserved negativity' in Gayle King special on the royal couple

Gayle King interviewed make up artist Daniel Martin and actresses Jessica Alba and Janina Gavankar for the special.

 

[AdmirerUS]

Gayle King has more than a bit of a crush on the BRF - and lot's of opinions about them. She's been the host for a number of CBS shows on the family and did the coverage for Harry's wedding.

What she does not understand about the BRF is a LOT and, at least for me, she's a painful to watch on the topic. She's either fawning all over them or seriously calling them out for not doing what she would do. TBH, that's her schtick with everyone though, all smarmy or saying "I just don't understand" as a passive aggressive putdown.

CBS just re-upped her contract and seems to have given Gayle the task of all BRF coverage. On the morning of meeting Archie - her morning show devoted a full half hour (that's a lot for a morning program) to rewatching that short vignette with the family and then her whining about how Harry should have shown that baby's face. You know, hold Archie up for the world to view in detail. Cringeworthy coverage, but because the network had a crew there, they seemed determined to not move on from that short moment. And as great as it was to see them after the birth - it was just not worth showing it over and over and over and over.

The CBS shows on the BRF usually take existing footage and use it to rehash earlier scripts and then find hangers on who will comment on what little new info there is. Gayle's show on Diana was a particularly boring rehash, IMO. I thought she sounded like an ill-informed tourist on the wedding coverage. With a new hat every half hour. Ick.

And that's what I find so unacceptable about the Gayle King version of the BRF - it's American tourist at it's worst. It clamors for "entertain me, please me, let me wear funny clothes" while completely ignoring any cultural subtext that is other than American.

I am trying to figure out some kind of drinking game to go along with the show. Otherwise, I'll probably watch the front end and the back end to hear what message CBS is trying to peddle about why Americans should care about H, M and A.

And yes, as an American who follows the BRF, I am also challenged to find the cultural subtext that is uniquely UK/Commonwealth. But I also try to engage with the inherent issues of leadership and modern royalty; changing roles in the BRF; the double edged sword that creating royal idolatry brings. Because it is about more than Harry holding up the baby or changing my hat every half hour. JMO.

 

[jacqui24]

Meghan Markle's makeup artist says the hands-on new mother will 'totally make her own baby food' - as he breaks down in TEARS while defending her against 'undeserved negativity' in Gayle King special on the royal couple

Gayle King interviewed make up artist Daniel Martin and actresses Jessica Alba and Janina Gavankar for the special.

Jessica Alba? I didn't even know she was interested in the BRF or Meghan.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Jessica Alba? I didn't even know she was interested in the BRF or Meghan.

They share the same makeup artist...

 

[Madame Verseau]

The show is on at 8 pm EST

 

[sndral]

Gayle King, Meghan"s guest at her baby shower, is doing a special called Meghan and Harry Plus One airing Friday May 17 at 9 pm EST on CBS. It's to coincide with the Sussexes' one year wedding anniversary. After filming King met with Harry and Meghan at Frogmore two days before Archie's birth

https://www.google.com/amp/s/pagesi...-prince-harry-right-before-babys-arrival/amp/

The Sussexes are not giving an interview on the show but they may have given input on the final product. Either way the British press is going to resent the fact that an American newscaster has such access to them.

Thanks for the heads up - looks like it will air at 7 pm here in California. It’s always a challenge to figure out when things will air on the West Coast, sometimes things air at the same real time as the east coast which would be 6 pm my time, sometimes they air at the same scheduled time, so 3 hr.s after it has aired on the east coast, it looks like in this case they settled on an hour after it airs on the east coast ?

 

[Ista]

Like AdmirerUS I find Gayle King's coverage of the BRF completely cringeworthy. For an obviously intelligent woman, I don't understand how she can so resolutely be so ignorant about things that aren't that difficult to find out if you are really interested.

 

[evolvingdoors]

I understand using talking heads for such shows- historians, former royal employees, media people who cover the royal family, ... but I scratch my head about her friends are being interviewed-were any of Harry’s friends interviewed (ever)?
Either their friendship has ended, or they her blessing- and if they have her blessing to blab out.. I find that even more problematic, because she is essentially than using them as mouth piece to boast her up.


I don’t watch documentary shows about the royal family made by non British media (unless it’s super recommended). Having lived in the US, yes most United Staters have zero understanding on the traditions, protocols and cultural importance and history of the varied royal families, especially the British one. They view the royal family like a bunch of celebrities.
I imagine because all they mostly see if the pomp and fleshy things and not the day by day work things the family does. And probably because the US doesn’t have a ceremonial head of state like the UK and many other countries do, they fails to understand the importance of such a position (be it a president or monarch)

 

[Fem]

I understand using talking heads for such shows- historians, former royal employees, media people who cover the royal family, ... but I scratch my head about her friends are being interviewed-were any of Harry’s friends interviewed (ever)?
Either their friendship has ended, or they her blessing- and if they have her blessing to blab out.. I find that even more problematic, because she is essentially than using them as mouth piece to boast her up.

Wait, you mean like... actual friends? People with whom she still may be in contact with, not only the kind of "we went to school together 20 years ago and worked on a science group project"? That's... interesting.

 

[Dman]

I watched this program yesterday. It’s been an eventful year for the Sussexes. Their engagement, their UK tour, wedding, pregnancy announcement, their first overseas trip as a married couple and the birth of Archie. It’s all joyful to watch this happiness and long may it all continue.

I find it very touching and important that Meghan’s friends have come out to set the record straight about who Meghan really is and not allow the British media to twist the truth to fit the version of Meghan they want to present to the masses.

I remember a long time ago, there was once a princess that had to face the pressures of royal life and the worlds media alone. She had no real support and was forced to fight the whole world on her own. Thank God, Meghan, have all the love and support she needs to succeed in this new royal world.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Who is to say that Meghan's friend's version of what she is like is the right one? They could easily be trying to spin us a tale as well.

The truth is that we don't know exactly what is happening but that there does seem to be a higher than normal turnover in staff and many 'sources' saying things.

Those 'sources' are not always fiction but often are actual staff who are supplementing their miserly income with leaks to the media. The media can't identify the individual as they would then lose their 'sources' and get the person sacked.

The BRF also use their staff to sometimes leak information so long as the 'leak' isn't identified, in case the real source is identified as a member of the BRF.

Many years ago I had a friend who worked for the BRF and she would often have afternoon tea with a member of the press. Sometimes she told them 'snippets' of information that weren't that important but sometimes she was asked to let something slip by various members of the BRF such as The Queen and Princess Margaret. She worked at BP for over 20 years and left with a glowing reference - even though The Queen knew she supplemented her income with 'leaks' to the media.

I therefore do listen when 'sources' inside the palace say things as I know that there are real sources the media have access to inside the BRF.

I am less inclined to swallow the words of 'friends' in many situations as they don't tend to see the royal when deal with their staff but I am prepared to hear both sides and not blindly assume that one is telling the truth and the other lying.

 

[muriel]

I remember a long time ago, there was once a princess that had to face the pressures of royal life and the worlds media alone. She had no real support and was forced to fight the whole world on her own. Thank God, Meghan, have all the love and support she needs to succeed in this new royal world.

My fear is that not that long ago, there was a British Princess who sought to engage with the Press, outside of the usual royal norms. That ended badly. I so do hope Meghan, with the benefit of the experience of that Princess and her sons, is careful in how she seeks to manage her / their media profile. I also hope she has the wisdom that authorising her friends to speak out on her behalf is not going to solve her issues with the media. Hard work will. There are great examples within the BRF of how the media narrative has been turned around: Anne, Sophie, Charles, William, Catherine, Prince Philip...

 

[Ista]

I haven't watched this, and probably won't since I find US made shows about the royal family of any country to be riddled with inaccuracies and not much substance. I am assuming that any of Meghan's friends who were interviewed are interested in presenting their version of the truth, which may or may not be strictly accurate, and that they aren't going to say anything that might be even mildly negative or critical. There's an agenda there. It's a data point. That's how there can be multiple extensively researched biographies of someone, all of them highlighting different details of that person's life, and many of them drawing different conclusions. A healthy skepticism about anything that's put out in the press, including stuff that is glowingly positive as well as stuff that is just nasty seems to me to be a wise stance.

 

[jacqui24]

My fear is that not that long ago, there was a British Princess who sought to engage with the Press, outside of the usual royal norms. That ended badly. I so do hope Meghan, with the benefit of the experience of that Princess and her sons, is careful in how she seeks to manage her / their media profile. I also hope she has the wisdom that authorising her friends to speak out on her behalf is not going to solve her issues with the media. Hard work will. There are great examples within the BRF of how the media narrative has been turned around: Anne, Sophie, Charles, William, Catherine, Prince Philip...

By that standard, Meghan should of had the most glowing reports of all the royal spouses after the first year then. Yet the British media tells NYT they are settling scores with negative coverage.

I haven’t watched this (I don’t watch TV when it airs anymore, only streaming), but I do plan to watch it online after reading some of the reviews. It seems that it did actually cover some broader social issue that’s happening as well.

 

[jacqui24]

Who is to say that Meghan's friend's version of what she is like is the right one? They could easily be trying to spin us a tale as well.

The truth is that we don't know exactly what is happening but that there does seem to be a higher than normal turnover in staff and many 'sources' saying things.

Those 'sources' are not always fiction but often are actual staff who are supplementing their miserly income with leaks to the media. The media can't identify the individual as they would then lose their 'sources' and get the person sacked.

The BRF also use their staff to sometimes leak information so long as the 'leak' isn't identified, in case the real source is identified as a member of the BRF.

Many years ago I had a friend who worked for the BRF and she would often have afternoon tea with a member of the press. Sometimes she told them 'snippets' of information that weren't that important but sometimes she was asked to let something slip by various members of the BRF such as The Queen and Princess Margaret. She worked at BP for over 20 years and left with a glowing reference - even though The Queen knew she supplemented her income with 'leaks' to the media.

I therefore do listen when 'sources' inside the palace say things as I know that there are real sources the media have access to inside the BRF.

I am less inclined to swallow the words of 'friends' in many situations as they don't tend to see the royal when deal with their staff but I am prepared to hear both sides and not blindly assume that one is telling the truth and the other lying.

The only turnover that was surprising is Amy and her female bodyguard. Samantha was always to leave after six months. I think she did extend her stay a bit to after Archie’s birth. ELF’s departure didn’t surprise any of the media and they did say it was long planned when it happened, but of course later it was changed to blame it all on Meghan. We still don’t know if this Melissa person actually worked for them. Unlike a lot of aides, we’ve never seen this person with either of the Sussexes.

Why do I believe Meghan’s friends than those “leaks” in this case? Because it’s not a case of her friends’ words against the “leaks”. This isn’t a woman we didn’t know before. She had her own profile and worked in an industry that WILL gossip about people that are difficult to work with. Her costars have always spoke of her in glowing light as a colleague. She’s had assistants before. Unlike a lot of other royal spouses, she’s had an established track record. And all of sudden it just does a 180? And certainly the “leaks” have had their own differences it seems.

And here’s the thing when I saw some clips of her friends. It must be terribly frustrating to see this happening. On one hand, people seem to like Harry and are happy for them. But on the other, as a friend, how can you wish them to be in a situation like this?

 

[Madame Verseau]

I saw the special and while it gave glowing recaps of Meghan's life as a royal it also served as an indictment of the British media's coverage of her. Apparently it struck a nerve because DM put out a story accusing Meghan having a hand in producing the special. BP put out a statement denying it quickly. At least Gayle King got royal experts and friends on the record. The tabloids can't say the same. When you are reporting things that damages reputation you have more of a responsibility to back up what you say. Name your informants and produce documents and subject both to further scrutiny. Fear of job loss is not good enough and what they are telling is not a matter of national security. And how do the reporters know those informants are not feeding them false information just to get cash? The reporters apparently don't believe in fact checking. And the RRs wonder why people think their reporting is dismissed as fake news in some quarters.

 

[Dman]

My fear is that not that long ago, there was a British Princess who sought to engage with the Press, outside of the usual royal norms. That ended badly. I so do hope Meghan, with the benefit of the experience of that Princess and her sons, is careful in how she seeks to manage her / their media profile. I also hope she has the wisdom that authorising her friends to speak out on her behalf is not going to solve her issues with the media. Hard work will. There are great examples within the BRF of how the media narrative has been turned around: Anne, Sophie, Charles, William, Catherine, Prince Philip...

Meghan is American and biracial. Some folks are determined not to give her a chance like they gave others. That’s been clearly evident over these past months. She’s working hard by doing her duties and focusing on her family. She’s doing what she is suppose to do.

A long time ago, a British Princess was put in an impossible situation and with no help. That left her no other choice but to go in the fight in the way she saw fit. No other royal woman should have to go through that.

I’ve always said: the only way for a woman, who marries into the royal family, can survive and thrive in their royal career is to have a massive amount of love and support around them. Without that support, all hell could break loose.

 

[muriel]

Meghan is American and biracial. Some folks are determined not to give her a chance like they gave others. That’s been clearly evident over these past months. She’s working hard by doing her duties and focusing on her family. She’s doing what she is suppose to do.

A long time ago, a British Princess was put in an impossible situation and with no help. That left her no other choice but to go in the fight in the way she saw fit. No other royal woman should have to go through that.

I’ve always said: the only way for a woman, who marries into the royal family, can survive and thrive in their royal career is to have a massive amount of love and support around them. Without that support, all hell could break loose.

I agree with you in that love and support of friends and family is good. However, trying to set the record straight in the Press may work for celebrities, but it never works for royals in the long term, unless you have the Palace machinery behind you.

 

[Dman]

I agree with you in that love and support of friends and family is good. However, trying to set the record straight in the Press may work for celebrities, but it never works for royals in the long term, unless you have the Palace machinery behind you.

Meghan have a palace machine behind her. She’s not doing anything without palace backing. Although, I think there was a underestimation in the KP’s press office when it comes to the media reporting on Meghan. I don’t think those in the palace press office know how to deal with the onslaught of extreme negative and racial undertones in the reporting on Meghan. A lack of diverse experience and perspectives in that office and royal media is also causing problems.

It’s 2019, but the world Meghan married into isn’t in 2019. The royal world gotta catch up. Now. There’s a problem though...some folks don’t want it to catch up.

 

[DuchessMia]

This was more than a joyous celebration of Meghan and Harry and baby Archie. This called out the unfair coverage and maligning by the British media. How it all is tinged with racial bias and racism. It didn’t hold back and I for one applaud Gayle King for not sugarcoating what has been a year mixed with happiness, love and joy for Meghan & Harry and ugliness/maltreatment by the British media by coddling her toxic family.

 

[Rena M.]

This was more than a joyous celebration of Meghan and Harry and baby Archie. This called out the unfair coverage and maligning by the British media. How it all is tinged with racial bias and racism. It didn’t hold back and I for one applaud Gayle King for not sugarcoating what has been a year mixed with happiness, love and joy for Meghan & Harry and ugliness/maltreatment by the British media by coddling her toxic family.

I agree
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meghan...e-special-cbs-watch-tv-channel-online-stream/

 

[Madame Verseau]

This was more than a joyous celebration of Meghan and Harry and baby Archie. This called out the unfair coverage and maligning by the British media. How it all is tinged with racial bias and racism. It didn’t hold back and I for one applaud Gayle King for not sugarcoating what has been a year mixed with happiness, love and joy for Meghan & Harry and ugliness/maltreatment by the British media by coddling her toxic family.

I couldn't agree more about the Markles. The media weaponized them as "proof" that Meghan is of low character not only based on what they said but based on how they acted. I'm glad Gayle only mentioned Dad's Pap gate and left the half sibs out, basically stating they are not important.

 

[muriel]

Meghan have a palace machine behind her. She’s not doing anything without palace backing.

If she continues to persist with authorising her friends to speak to the media on her behalf without the consent of "The Firm", as was widely reported when the 5 friends spoke to a US publication not that long ago, she will find Palace support will rapidly vanish. For her, Harry and everybody's sake, I hope it does not come to that.

 

[Princess_Carys]

Ingrid Seward said Meghan "irritates" because she is not an "English Rose". Meghan will never get fair coverage if the British media is annoyed by her complexion and nationality.