The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 6: Aug. 2021- Oct. 2022

[FigTree]

Originally Posted by Lori138

I think so as well. A smoky heater as opposed to an all out fire which is how I interpreted her comment are two very different things. I think she lives in a different reality most of the time.

It's the type of thing that happens in school all the time. Oh goodness the heater is smoking, Oh goodness imagine if the kids were near it...move on. Now of it was actually on fire and I had been there I would need a sit down for a bit.

[SirGyamfi1]

Originally Posted by Durham

The fire story is puzzling. Was there really a fire? Was MM really told that there had been an actual fire? If this happened in the British High Commissioner’s Cape Town residence (?) then it would have been formally logged. The residence was only built in 2001 after the previous one burnt down. So presumably fire safety would have been at the very top of the agenda during construction.

Whatever the real truth this story has certainly generated a lot of media coverage.

After all a smoking heater isn’t anywhere near as dramatic is it?

https://roomfordiplomacy.com/capetown/

Plus she just conveniently decided to bring it up now. Wonder why she never brought it up in the ill-advised interview. Plus it has been said it just smoke but no fire appeared.

[HRHHermione]

Originally Posted by Lori138

I think so as well. A smoky heater as opposed to an all out fire which is how I interpreted her comment are two very different things. I think she lives in a different reality most of the time.

She really does seem to, doesn’t she? Even the facts as she gave them make this sound minor. Someone smelled smoke, it was dealt with. The baby was not in the room or harmed in any way. Firefighters did not need to be called.

So no, it wasn’t a good reason to cancel an engagement planned months in advance where you represent the Queen. In fact, for us normal people, it wouldn’t be considered a good reason to call out of work either. It’s not like this is some major extra pressure only high-profile people face.

I genuinely feel bad for any of the aides on that tour who had to explain this.

[Hallo girl]

Originally Posted by HRHHermione

She really does seem to, doesn’t she? Even the facts as she gave them make this sound minor. Someone smelled smoke, it was dealt with. The baby was not in the room or harmed in any way. Firefighters did not need to be called.

So no, it wasn’t a good reason to cancel an engagement planned months in advance where you represent the Queen. In fact, for us normal people, it wouldn’t be considered a good reason to call out of work either. It’s not like this is some major extra pressure only high-profile people face.

I genuinely feel bad for any of the aides on that tour who had to explain this.

Could someone tell me why Meghan referred to the British Embassy/ Consul as a housing unit, that they were then moved out of.

[camelot23ca]

Originally Posted by Durham

The fire story is puzzling. Was there really a fire? Was MM really told that there had been an actual fire? If this happened in the British High Commissioner’s Cape Town residence (?) then it would have been formally logged. The residence was only built in 2001 after the previous one burnt down. So presumably fire safety would have been at the very top of the agenda during construction.

Whatever the real truth this story has certainly generated a lot of media coverage.

After all a smoking heater isn’t anywhere near as dramatic is it?

https://roomfordiplomacy.com/capetown/

It has generated a lot of coverage. I know Meghan and Harry have moved on now, but at the time the fire (or smoke) happened, they were working members of the Royal Family on an official visit. Surely one of the hard and fast rules for these visits is that the royals don’t ever say anything that has even the slightest chance of reflecting poorly on their hosts. But anyone who casually looks at the headlines generated by this story will come away with the impression that Archie’s life was in danger due to a fire from a faulty heater in South Africa. It seems thoughtless to make this story public, especially given that, from what I remember, the Sussexes were treated to the highest level of hospitality and couldn’t have been treated better on the South African trip.

[Durham]

Originally Posted by Hallo girl

Could someone tell me why Meghan referred to the British Embassy/ Consul as a housing unit, that they were then moved out of.

Apart from the formal reception areas it's probably fairly functional. Like a comfortable mid range hotel. Think the present royal train rather than the Orient Express! Certainly not 4/5 star accommodation. It was built in 2001.

Maybe MM expected something grander.

[Curryong]

Well, that podcast, Archewell, has hit Number One in the Spotify UK and US charts, overtaking Josh Logan et al. So, tedious or not, I guess the podcast can be counted as a success.

https://www.newsweek.com/meghan-mark...charts-1736955

[HRHHermione]

Originally Posted by Curryong

Well, that podcast, Archewell, has hit Number One in the Spotify UK and US charts, overtaking Josh Logan et al. So, tedious or not, I guess the podcast can be counted as a success.

https://www.newsweek.com/meghan-mark...charts-1736955

We'll see. There are multiple companies that sell Spotify followers/plays in order to boost podcasts and musicians. If it lasts, it's probably not artificial, but I wouldn't read too much into early numbers. Meghan's PR agency would certainly know how to do this.

[iceflower]

The Duke of Sussex participated in the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup 2022 on August 25, 2022 in Aspen, Colorado:


** gettyimages gallery ** rex gallery ** dailymail Video 1 ** dailymail Video 2 **


** dm article: Getting back in the saddle! Prince Harry's Sentebale team wins charity polo game..**

[Ista]

This is a reminder to please limit discussion to Prince Harry's polo match to prevent premature thread closure.

If you are uncertain of the rules regarding discussion on the Sussex thread, refer to the first page of this thread.

[iceflower]

The Duchess of Sussex has given an interview to The Cut and posed for some photos:


** thecut article: Meghan of Montecito ..**

[hereditarytitles]

Originally Posted by iceflower

The Duchess of Sussex has given an interview to The Cut and posed for some photos:


** thecut article: Meghan of Montecito ..**

Interesting article. I didn't read all of it, but it looks like (with those fotos) that she is returning to her former role as an actress and wannabe celebrity.
Well, if that is what she always wanted and Harry goes along with it, fine with her.

[HRHHermione]

That interview left me with more questions than answers.

1) It contained the very serious allegation that members of the royal rota of reporters allowed access referred to Archie using a racial slur. This doesn’t seem likely to me, though perhaps she was referring to commenters on their articles rather than the reporters themselves. It felt like such a bombshell allegation that caution in how it was expressed would have been prudent.

2) Meghan stated several other members of the royal family have the “half in and half out” deal that she and Harry wanted for themselves, but no names are given. It’s hard to imagine who she could be referring too. Eugenie and Beatrice are the only two who come to mind, but their jobs are private and do not involve speaking to the media. So who did she mean?


3) She stated that if she lived in the UK, she couldn’t do the school run without a press pen of 40 photographers. That seems to go against press guidelines and as we know, William and Kate do the school run regularly and are almost never photographed during it.

It was a peculiar interview. It seems like the estrangement only gets more solidified with every interview given.

[Ghost]

The school run allegation rubbed me the very wrong way. Also, heaping on the general accusations of racism - who? What did they do or say? - against a whole group of people is unsufferable. She doesn’t seem to be able to let go. She’s been in the job two years, counting the time as a fiancee also, and out for almost three. She doesn’t have much to say for herself beyond former member of the working royals group.

[TLLK]

Originally Posted by HRHHermione

That interview left me with more questions than answers.

1) It contained the very serious allegation that members of the royal rota of reporters allowed access referred to Archie using a racial slur. This doesn’t seem likely to me, though perhaps she was referring to commenters on their articles rather than the reporters themselves. It felt like such a bombshell allegation that caution in how it was expressed would have been prudent.

2) Meghan stated several other members of the royal family have the “half in and half out” deal that she and Harry wanted for themselves, but no names are given. It’s hard to imagine who she could be referring too. Eugenie and Beatrice are the only two who come to mind, but their jobs are private and do not involve speaking to the media. So who did she mean?


3) She stated that if she lived in the UK, she couldn’t do the school run without a press pen of 40 photographers. That seems to go against press guidelines and as we know, William and Kate do the school run regularly and are almost never photographed during it.

It was a peculiar interview. It seems like the estrangement only gets more solidified with every interview given.

#1-I agree that if they know the identity, then they should state it rather than making a general statement.


#2-Yes I would like to know who are the "several royals" who have the "half-in and half-out" deal. Is she referring to the York princesses, Prince/Princess Michael of Kent, the Gloucester/Kent children/grandchildren or the children of Princess Margaret? None of them were ever "in" as senior royals who carry out engagements on behalf of the monarchy and government.


#3-I am very surprised that she made this claim because as I understand, the UK has very strict rules about photographing and publishing the photos of children without parental/guardian consent. This is why we almost never see photos of the Cambridges and their children at school drop off and pick up.

[Erin9]

My over whelming sentiment is: Meghan may have moved, but she has not moved ON from her incredibly short time as a working royal.
Good grief.

This is not a commentary on Harry and Meghan’s relationship. I obviously have no knowledge of it. But between the tree story at their home and the salt/pepper story in one article - she sure is trying very hard to sell a particular image of them. Maybe a bit too hard. That’s all I get out of those stories.

They bought their house without seeing the inside?! Did I read that right? Ummmm…..ok.

I did laugh a bit when she said she was happy to be able to talk. I believe it. I really do.

I wonder what the author thought of her. At first scan, it didn’t seem overly positive to me.

Not sure if this is the place to discuss the cover photo- but it looked rather harsh and unflattering to me.

I may have more thoughts once I’ve re-read it. I scanned over it fairly quick.

[HRHHermione]

Originally Posted by TLLK

I am very surprised that she made this claim because as I understand, the UK has very strict rules about photographing and publishing the photos of children without parental/guardian consent. This is why we almost never see photos of the Cambridges and their children at school drop off and pick up.

Yes, exactly. If we are being charitable, her experience with press on royal engagements where there are many photographers and her limited experience with the logistics and workings of the British media combined to form a false impression of what would be allowed and she did not ask questions about this to her husband or her staff.

If we’re not being charitable, it’s just a lie, designed to evoke sympathy from people who wouldn’t know this, which is most Americans.

[soapstar]

Some interesting quotes from the interview.

Though she has been media trained and then royal-media trained and sometimes converses like she has a tiny Bachelor producer in her brain directing what she says (at one point in our conversation, instead of answering a question, she will suggest how I might transcribe the noises she’s making: “She’s making these guttural sounds, and I can’t quite articulate what it is she’s feeling in that moment because she has no word for it; she’s just moaning”), at this stage, post-royal, there’s no need for her to hold back.

The two run Archewell from their shared home office, specifically from two plush club chairs placed side by side behind a single desk, facing into the room like thrones. “Most people that I know and many of my family, they aren’t able to work and live together,” Harry says in passing as I take a peek at their command center. He enunciates family with a vocal eye roll. “It’s actually really weird because it’d seem like a lot of pressure. But it just feels natural and normal.”

The couple has directly smashed rumors of a reality show, both in statements made to publications and in conversation with me. But, Meghan explains, there’s a difference between a historical documentary and a reality docuseries. “The piece of my life I haven’t been able to share, that people haven’t been able to see, is our love story,” she says, then quotes what she says was the end of a speech she gave at her wedding, in which she took comfort in the “resounding knowing that, above all, love wins.” She adds, “I hope that is the sentiment that people feel when they see any of the content or the projects that we are working on.”

So the Netflix doc is gonna be about their love story?

They also thought it best to leave the U.K. (and the U.K. press) to do it. They were willing to go to basically any commonwealth, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, anywhere. “Anything to just … because just by existing, we were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy. So we go, ‘Okay, fine, let’s get out of here. Happy to,’ ” she says, putting her hands up in mock defeat. Meghan asserts that what they were asking for wasn’t “reinventing the wheel” and lists a handful of princes and princesses and dukes who have the very arrangement they wanted. “That, for whatever reason, is not something that we were allowed to do, even though several other members of the family do that exact thing.”

After the wedding, The Mail on Sunday leaked a heartfelt letter Meghan wrote to her father begging him to stop speaking to reporters. Meghan sued for invasion of privacy and won, though the defense mounted against her painted her as calculating and manipulative. When I ask about it, Meghan doesn’t stay in her sadness for long; instead, she uses it to discuss how toxic tabloid culture has torn two families apart. “Harry said to me, ‘I lost my dad in this process.’ It doesn’t have to be the same for them as it was for me, but that’s his decision.”

She recalls a moment from the 2019 London premiere of the live-action version of The Lion King. “I just had Archie. It was such a cruel chapter. I was scared to go out.” A cast member from South Africa pulled her aside. “He looked at me, and he’s just like light. He said, ‘I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison.’ ”

She probably should have kept this story to herself.

[HRHHermione]

Originally Posted by Erin9

I wonder what the author thought of her. At first scan, it didn’t seem totally positive.

That’s how it came off to me too- like the reporter was very aware of how over the top some of this was. There were definitely a few snarky moments in there.

It must have been a very strange story to write.

[Erin9]

Originally Posted by HRHHermione

That’s how it came off to me too- like the reporter was very aware of how over the top some of this was. There were definitely a few snarky moments in there.

It must have been a very strange story to write.

Snarky is a good word for it. It seemed like a pretty unflattering piece to me. I sure didn’t think the author’s take-away was what Meghan imo clearly tried so hard to dictate/control. (Clearly imo because of that commentary from the author about how the author should interpret some things from her per Meghan.)

It was over the top in places. I scanned it because it frankly made for painful reading. To be clear- that’s not because I thought the author did a poor job. I just….really?! I’m almost at a loss for words on this.