The Duke & Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 5: June-July 2021

[ACO]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1407422748612202497

Meghan wrote a book in the 8th grade. Library of Congress posted about it. Very cute.

 

[Curryong]

I’ve seen that in someone’s Twitter, and it is indeed cute. ‘A Face Without Freckles is Like A Night Without Stars’, written in rhyme for the most part. She describes her hobbies in the info below and thanks her mother and father.

 

[yukari]

I think it’s a possibility that (if true) multiple factors could have come into play and created a perfect storm: being in a position of much greater power for the first time. (But perhaps also less than she’d thought at the same time.)

Being in a new and unfamiliar environment. She had a lot of changes in a very short period of time. She seems to have hated the UK. So, being unhappy in general could have factored in. Possibly being told she couldn’t do things x way because that‘s not the BRF way. Harry may not have guided her properly either. I can think of a lot of things that could have just led to a lousy situation. Control seems to be very important to the Sussexes, and there were plenty of things they couldn’t control at this time.

(...)

So, here we have it. A brand new senior working royal for the "Firm" that seems to *know* how the staff really should be working for her. This quote from the article Yukari posted says it all. "But Meghan is adamant the staff were not up to their job and could not deal with the pressure of working for her and understanding how she wanted things to run."

(...)

Working for someone is certainly easier than working with someone.

As actress, she was the subordinate, the director was her superior (yes, there's make-up artist etc, but they reported to the director/producer, not to her. In a way, all she had to do was to follow what her superior told her (or follow the script).

As working royal, she was the superior, her staff were the subordinate. But the superior-subordinate dynamic here is completely different than director-actress, because even though she's the superior, more often than not she was the one who should listen and follow her staff's (the subordinate) direction. And it can be said that previously she's been free agent/independent for so long, outside the filming set she's basically free to do whatever she wanted. Then there's also new environment/culture she had to adapt on top of it.

In my opinion, the best approach for the first years in this case is humility, to accept that even though you're the superior, but your subordinate might know better than you. And I certainly can't see humility in "the staff were not up to their job and could not deal with the pressure of working for her and understanding how she wanted things to run".

The same can be said for Harry too, since in military it's basically "follow your superior's order, no question asked", so he also might need to attend management course on how to be a (good) manager.

 

[Curryong]

Working for someone is certainly easier than working with someone.

As actress, she was the subordinate, the director was her superior (yes, there's make-up artist etc, but they reported to the director/producer, not to her. In a way, all she had to do was to follow what her superior told her (or follow the script).

As working royal, she was the superior, her staff were the subordinate. But the superior-subordinate dynamic here is completely different than director-actress, because even though she's the superior, more often than not she was the one who should listen and follow her staff's (the subordinate) direction. And it can be said that previously she's been free agent/independent for so long, outside the filming set she's basically free to do whatever she wanted. Then there's also new environment/culture she had to adapt on top of it.

In my opinion, the best approach for the first years in this case is humility, to accept that even though you're the superior, but your subordinate might know better than you. And I certainly can't see humility in "the staff were not up to their job and could not deal with the pressure of working for her and understanding how she wanted things to run".

The same can be said for Harry too, since in military it's basically "follow your superior's order, no question asked", so he also might need to attend management course on how to be a (good) manager.

That quote ‘the staff were not up to the job…’ etc is not a direct quote from Meghan at all, but from an anonymous source that the Fail stated in their article ‘was close to the Inquiry’. Someone who almost certainly hasn’t spoken to Meghan about anything. In other words that could be anyone, or no-one, as this tabloid has had a habit of being less than truthful for many decades.

I’ve always been intrigued by how Valentine Low managed to get hold of the email that Knauf sent on to Simon Case, and the other emails etc that Low received in order to write up his article on bullying allegations against Meghan. So conveniently just before Harry and Meghan did the Oprah interview, of which the Palace were so afraid.

If Low received everything he needed for that article from Case himself and/or others in the Cambridges office at KP, that denotes a shocking breach of trust against two members of the Royal Family who may have left the fold of working royals but were still entitled to have their inter-office affairs dealt with discreetly and quietly.


Those who accuse the Sussexes of breaches of trust towards family members seem to excuse these particular and specific leaks from aides working in the KP Office connected with the Duke of Cambridge to a journalist working for a leading newspaper, regarding allegations involving their employer’s sister in law.

A journalist moreover, who they must have known would write something that would be leapt on by other newspapers and media outlets all over the world. Unproven allegations, by the way, just like the ones Meghan has been accused of spreading.

 

[Claire]

Yes - I agree that the release of the email to Valentine Low were timed. But was it timed due to the court battle or for the oprah interview. I suspect that there is a lot more to this then what has been released.

I might be reading this wrong and then please forgive me, but the investigation into the bullying allegation is not to bring about a legal suit at all - it is just for the palace and their HR department to do it better going forward. I am concerned that there are people lining up and people with files, and I do hope that isn't the case and just tabloid nonsense. I doubt we will be given any details about it - we will get a statement about how it was completed and the basic outcomes and recommendation which the palace will comply with.
I do expect that that external team have already spoken to the Sussex's as well. The problem is everything is a he said she said case unless there is an unbiased witness or it was caught on film. This is essentially a learning curve for the HR department - not a witch hunt, which is what the tabloid appear to be making it. Think outside of who is involved, what must be looked at is why the principles requests were seen as been invasive and unacceptable.

 

[soapstar]

Posts discussing Meghan’s fashion choices have been deleted. If you wish to discuss fashion, please take it to her fashion thread.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

She was new, she should have been supervised and worked with, perhaps a courtier or lady in waiting. And it should not have gotten to a point where something was "witnessed." Harry's "begging" was reported by the media whether it actually amounted to "begging" was subject to speculation. No, I used the word "someone" for that reason, and it was not directed at Knauf specifically. If anything, this case should give royals future guidance for new married ins working with staff.

As for Katie Nicholl being a source, she has been very negative about Meghan before this happened. I would not say she is objective. IF the Queen spoke to Meghan she would not have just walked by and said this is not the way...she would or should have met with Meghan on a one on one basis.

I believe this has been discussed many times: one of HM’s most senior advisers was assigned to help Meghan: this is from one article below with the source - bold is my emphasis.

Buckingham Palace provided Meghan Markle with the Queen’s most senior staff to serve as her “mentors” before getting hitched to Prince Harry, according to a report, contradicting her claim that she didn’t receive help transitioning into the royal family.

“It is very disingenuous to make such a sweeping generalization,” a source told the Daily Mail. “There was a brilliant team of very experienced and loyal aides to help them. Sadly, she and Harry were willing to listen to no one. And that is the honest truth.”

In fact, Queen Elizabeth II enlisted her most trusted adviser, Samantha Cohen, to help Meghan prepare for her wedding and for royal life, sources told the British tabloid.

Cohen was also responsible for giving the former actress regular tutoring sessions on everything from royal etiquette to diplomatic protocol at Kensington Palace.

https://pagesix.com/2021/03/10/queen-provided-meghan-markle-help-from-senior-staff-report/

I have read this about Samantha Cohen in many different places. So I disagree with those who think Meghan didn’t have help.

Here is a very good article about Samantha Cohen who had been with the RF for 17 years before working to help Meghan. This article talks about Samantha’s background and role in helping Meghan.https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celeb...rkle-royal-trainer-queen-elizabeth-assistant/

 

[Moran]

I might be reading this wrong and then please forgive me, but the investigation into the bullying allegation is not to bring about a legal suit at all - it is just for the palace and their HR department to do it better going forward. I am concerned that there are people lining up and people with files, and I do hope that isn't the case and just tabloid nonsense. I doubt we will be given any details about it - we will get a statement about how it was completed and the basic outcomes and recommendation which the palace will comply with.

My understanding is the same. And if there has been actual bullying, then surely the victim of the current investigation isn't Meghan. I'm not inclined to commiserate with a bully, no matter how well times the emails were. (BTW, I agree they were timed.) If bullying has taken place, the unfairness isn't to Meghan because of the timing. It's to the abused staff who are actually used as steps in the learning curve of the BP. To me, it seems that no matter what happens, Meghan is out of the woods. No criminal investigation is going to take place. If the allegations are proven true, she won't suffer any consequences - but the already abused staff won't get any justice either. The only winners will be the future staff.

I was very unfavourably impressed with the way Harry and Meghan responded to the allegations. At the time, they were painting themselves as so very sensitive (unlike his hertless family). The souls of compassion. Much was made of "their truth". But they didn't even bother to acknowledge the feelings of the staff while screaming loudly about how hurt their own were by basically everyone around them. Even a formal "We're sorry they felt this way" would be better than the insistence that it was all a smear campaign against the stellar Meghan who was saddened.

That's why I believe Meghan actually said the staff wasn't up to their job. She never showed any consideration to these people. Didn't even bother with good form. And with the way she hyped her own work ethics, claiming that she was basically an workaholic who didn't want to be a lady who lunches, and the way she was clearly unwilling to acknowledge that she had help (but not the help she thought she needed), I'd say it's safe to assume that she didn't have a very good idea just what a member of the RF was supposed to be doing and where the place of the sixth in line and his family was.

 

[Alison H]

Yes, I think the Queen was well aware of how difficult it was for people marrying into the Royal Family. After the War of the Waleses, everyone was very aware that Dian had struggled, and she came from a family which had very close ties to the Royals: her grandmother was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother and her father was an equerry to both George VI and the Queen. Even the Queen Mother, when newly engaged, got into hot water for speaking to the press, although all she said was that she was very happy and she loved her ring! There was no way she was going to leave Meghan without any help. Samantha Cohen was a very experienced aide.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

Working for someone is certainly easier than working with someone.

As actress, she was the subordinate, the director was her superior (yes, there's make-up artist etc, but they reported to the director/producer, not to her. In a way, all she had to do was to follow what her superior told her (or follow the script).

As working royal, she was the superior, her staff were the subordinate. But the superior-subordinate dynamic here is completely different than director-actress, because even though she's the superior, more often than not she was the one who should listen and follow her staff's (the subordinate) direction. And it can be said that previously she's been free agent/independent for so long, outside the filming set she's basically free to do whatever she wanted. Then there's also new environment/culture she had to adapt on top of it.

In my opinion, the best approach for the first years in this case is humility, to accept that even though you're the superior, but your subordinate might know better than you. And I certainly can't see humility in "the staff were not up to their job and could not deal with the pressure of working for her and understanding how she wanted things to run".

The same can be said for Harry too, since in military it's basically "follow your superior's order, no question asked", so he also might need to attend management course on how to be a (good) manager.

Yes, any good manager knows that you listen and learn your first year and build relationships. Then you start making the changes you want. Those who go in trying to make extreme changes from the get go have a rough time with staff, even if some change might be needed.

 

[TLLK]

I believe this has been discussed many times: one of HM’s most senior advisers was assigned to help Meghan: this is from one article below with the source - bold is my emphasis.

Buckingham Palace provided Meghan Markle with the Queen’s most senior staff to serve as her “mentors” before getting hitched to Prince Harry, according to a report, contradicting her claim that she didn’t receive help transitioning into the royal family.

“It is very disingenuous to make such a sweeping generalization,” a source told the Daily Mail. “There was a brilliant team of very experienced and loyal aides to help them. Sadly, she and Harry were willing to listen to no one. And that is the honest truth.”

In fact, Queen Elizabeth II enlisted her most trusted adviser, Samantha Cohen, to help Meghan prepare for her wedding and for royal life, sources told the British tabloid.

Cohen was also responsible for giving the former actress regular tutoring sessions on everything from royal etiquette to diplomatic protocol at Kensington Palace.

https://pagesix.com/2021/03/10/queen-provided-meghan-markle-help-from-senior-staff-report/

I have read this about Samantha Cohen in many different places. So I disagree with those who think Meghan didn’t have help.

Here is a very good article about Samantha Cohen who had been with the RF for 17 years before working to help Meghan. This article talks about Samantha’s background and role in helping Meghan.https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celeb...rkle-royal-trainer-queen-elizabeth-assistant/

The Harper's Bazaar article is very informative. Also it noted that Meghan had not only Samantha Cohen accompanying her at the engagement with QEII, but her assistant secretary Amy Pickerell too. So Meghan was certainly provided with many members of staff to assist her.

 

[UglyAmerican]

What's funny is that I don't remember seeing any complaints about working for Harry prior to his marriage. He was in the army for a lot of that time, but not all of it - if screaming at people, emotional manipulation, etc. was his normal "management style," I think we'd have heard something before the issues with Meghan. So clearly he knows (or knew) on some level that this isn't ok, because he wasn't doing it himself before. It's interesting to theorize about why and how that changed.

 

[Denville]

What's funny is that I don't remember seeing any complaints about working for Harry prior to his marriage. He was in the army for a lot of that time, but not all of it - if screaming at people, emotional manipulation, etc. was his normal "management style," I think we'd have heard something before the issues with Meghan. So clearly he knows (or knew) on some level that this isn't ok, because he wasn't doing it himself before. It's interesting to theorize about why and how that changed.

According to H himself, he was feeling very angry a lot of the time.. and suppressing it.. so maybe he did feel like yelling at his staff, but he kept it hidden..

The Harper's Bazaar article is very informative. Also it noted that Meghan had not only Samantha Cohen accompanying her at the engagement with QEII, but her assistant secretary Amy Pickerell too. So Meghan was certainly provided with many members of staff to assist her.

But didn't she say she didn't know the words of hte National Anthem and had to google them?

 

[Claire]

The thing that alerted me to things not been right was when the Sussex's PR teams asked for point by point details. I have sat in and mediated many staff disputes and I have seen how often accused parties immediately look for conflicts in the details to prove that the whole accusation is incorrect.

ie - I never threw a cup at the intern (it was actually a glass of water), the argument never occurred, it was a mutual disagreement and we hugged it out at the end of it.

But didn't she say she didn't know the words of hte National Anthem and had to google them?

Yep - and Finding Freedom spoke about an arch lever file full of protocols, rules, manners, and history lessons and extra lessons about Anglicanism with the Arch Bishop and master classes on stuff with the Queen. At this point - everything is hearsay.

 

[MaryVirginia]

I’ve seen that in someone’s Twitter, and it is indeed cute. ‘A Face Without Freckles is Like A Night Without Stars’, written in rhyme for the most part. She describes her hobbies in the info below and thanks her mother and father.

Very cute title!! I will have to remember that the next time someone comments on my freckles

 

[Erin9]

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 5: June 2021-

But didn't she say she didn't know the words of hte National Anthem and had to google them?

Yes. If what she said was completely accurate to begin with. Which given this is Meghan’s recollection, I’m not inclined to take it at full face value.

This just seemed petty to me. (And a perfect example of how, over all, petty the entire Oprah interview was IMO.) This was the big complaint? Worthy of a world wide audience. This is how she was so utterly failed? This was the best example she could come up with? It’s not like Meghan was holding back in this interview. Ie- the supposed one off racism charge.

She didn’t say (as I recall): I asked for assistance with the anthem and the staff refused to help. I don’t think she “had” to google it. She opted to. No one is going to perfectly anticipate ALL your questions, concerns, issues, etc.

In any workplace that I have ever been in- questions are encouraged. I would think, given the new environment- Meghan was encouraged to ask if she didn’t know something.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

And she is blaming someone for that? She has a college degree. If she didn’t know something as easily available as those lyrics, of course she should Google them instead of whine about it. Good grief!

 

[Sandy345]

So, here we have it. A brand new senior working royal for the "Firm" that seems to *know* how the staff really should be working for her. This quote from the article Yukari posted says it all. "But Meghan is adamant the staff were not up to their job and could not deal with the pressure of working for her and understanding how she wanted things to run."

A big case of "What Meghan wants, Meghan gets"? Then again, with Meghan actually no longer affiliated with the "Firm" in any way, shape or form, demanding that she can issue a point by point rebuttal is about as useful as building an igloo on the beach in the heat of summer. The investigation is to aid and abet the people that still work there and not geared to involve Meghan in any of this. Only her past actions as a "boss figure" for the "Firm" is being looked at in order to make changes and assure staff that they can and will be heard if they have a problem with anyone.

Robert Jobson said Harry said What Meghan wants Meghan gets. The thing is that quote is Hearsay. There is no proof this was said by Harry. None.

I cannot imagine that there were no other staff complaints pre Meghan allegations. Why were these not looked into?

 

[TLLK]

But didn't she say she didn't know the words of hte National Anthem and had to google them?

Yes that is what Meghan claimed in the Oprah interview.

 

[Curryong]

I don’t think Meghan whined about it at the time. She had an enormous lot to absorb. A new husband, family, country, new way of doing things, a lot of history and protocol and traditions to learn about. New workplace and courtiers she didn’t know who may well not have been very welcoming and talked about her behind her back.

Then, within three months of marriage, while still learning the ropes with many things, Meghan became pregnant. There was a long Commonwealth tour. Then there was a new house to move into and rearrange (with the Press screaming about the cost in practically every article.) After that there was her first baby within a year of marriage.


All against a background of horrendous criticism in that first year of everything she did, said, wore, which reached a fresh crescendo while she was on maternity leave.

 

[Sandy345]

She was on maternity leave and did not appear at all in public but I noticed the media was nit picking about her engagement ring that she "changed it" and speculated how it "hurt" Harry. But it turned out that Harry had the ring changed to honor the upcoming birth of their child. I don't know if she saw this each day or if she looked at media reports or Harry did, but that would certainly create stress especially in a woman close to giving birth. I do think Meghan was positive about the royal work she did and did not mind it. I agree that all the staff might not have been exactly friendly with her when Meghan came on board.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

This does look cute - I like the title and happy that she loves her freckles. (Forgot to link - referring to book she wrote as teen).

I don’t think Meghan whined about it at the time. She had an enormous lot to absorb. A new husband, family, country, new way of doing things, a lot of history and protocol and traditions to learn about. New workplace and courtiers she didn’t know who may well not have been very welcoming and talked about her behind her back.

Then, within three months of marriage, while still learning the ropes with many things, Meghan became pregnant. There was a long Commonwealth tour. Then there was a new house to move into and rearrange (with the Press screaming about the cost in practically every article.) After that there was her first baby within a year of marriage.


All against a background of horrendous criticism in that first year of everything she did, said, wore, which reached a fresh crescendo while she was on maternity leave.

Yes, she had an awful lot on her plate. Even more reason to listen to the advice of those whose job it is to help you.

 

[UglyAmerican]

She was on maternity leave and did not appear at all in public but I noticed the media was nit picking about her engagement ring that she "changed it" and speculated how it "hurt" Harry. But it turned out that Harry had the ring changed to honor the upcoming birth of their child. I don't know if she saw this each day or if she looked at media reports or Harry did, but that would certainly create stress especially in a woman close to giving birth. I do think Meghan was positive about the royal work she did and did not mind it. I agree that all the staff might not have been exactly friendly with her when Meghan came on board.

Would it? Worrying about whether she might have inadvertently hurt Harry by changing the ring could be a source of stress if it had happened that way. But if it was truly Harry's idea to begin with, and she knew there was no hurt involved, I don't see the issue. The papers speculating about why her ring was changed doesn't seem like something that should even have been on her radar screen at that point.

 

[Denville]

Would it? Worrying about whether she might have inadvertently hurt Harry by changing the ring could be a source of stress if it had happened that way. But if it was truly Harry's idea to begin with, and she knew there was no hurt involved, I don't see the issue. The papers speculating about why her ring was changed doesn't seem like something that should even have been on her radar screen at that point.

Why did she read the papers?

 

[Erin9]

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 5: June 2021-

I don’t think Meghan whined about it at the time. She had an enormous lot to absorb. A new husband, family, country, new way of doing things, a lot of history and protocol and traditions to learn about. New workplace and courtiers she didn’t know who may well not have been very welcoming and talked about her behind her back.

Then, within three months of marriage, while still learning the ropes with many things, Meghan became pregnant. There was a long Commonwealth tour. Then there was a new house to move into and rearrange (with the Press screaming about the cost in practically every article.) After that there was her first baby within a year of marriage.


All against a background of horrendous criticism in that first year of everything she did, said, wore, which reached a fresh crescendo while she was on maternity leave.

She whined on Oprah though. Before a worldwide audience. We know that for sure. What she complained about behind the scenes- if anything- we don’t know. Though based on JK’s email and staff departures- something didn’t seem to be gelling behind the scenes.

Yes- she had a lot to absorb. A choice she made. She chose to marry in. I don’t think anyone forced her to jump in full speed either. In her words- she wanted to. They opted to do everything at warp speed. Yes- I get some of the reasons why (ie- starting a family). It was still her choice to do this.

I’m not unsympathetic, but no one forced this on her. And when it didn’t work out- instead of exercising some restraint and maturity- she opted to publicly complain about everything and blame everyone else. Scorched earth. Instead of taking any responsibility for it herself. Had she managed to humble herself and do so- I’d have far more sympathy for her. Meghan is smart, but I haven’t seen much evidence of humility.

Perhaps because Meghan has been relatively successful in many aspects of her life and she is smart- she couldn’t accept any responsibility for this short lived debacle. It had to be everyone else. She couldn’t have contributed to the problems.

Complaints about costs and clothes were not unique to her.

We have no real clue how staff treated her. Only that complaints were indeed rendered about Meghan. How accurate or fair they are or are not- that’s fact. That said- Meghan marrying in was a big deal. Everyone knew that. I find it difficult to imagine it wasn’t made crystal clear that staff needed to be welcoming and friendly.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

She was on maternity leave and did not appear at all in public but I noticed the media was nit picking about her engagement ring that she "changed it" and speculated how it "hurt" Harry. But it turned out that Harry had the ring changed to honor the upcoming birth of their child. I don't know if she saw this each day or if she looked at media reports or Harry did, but that would certainly create stress especially in a woman close to giving birth. I do think Meghan was positive about the royal work she did and did not mind it. I agree that all the staff might not have been exactly friendly with her when Meghan came on board.

I would imagine that whether or not (a) Meghan wanted the ring slightly changed or (b) Harry wanted to do it to honor the birth - that they talked about it and made the decision together. The ring talk is ridiculous IMHO - the press just picked up on something to create drama. If they wanted to change the ring, that is up to them and I can’t imagine Harry would have “hurt feelings” about it.

Sandy, I respectfully disagree with you that “ all the staff might not have been exactly friendly with her when Meghan came on board.” I think absolutely the opposite. After the disaster when Diana came on board, I imagine that ALL staff had been told from the very top that the expectations were to be welcoming, professional, and as helpful as possible to Meghan. The BRF wanted this to work! A biracial royal woman representing the RF for the Commonwealth? A PR dream for keeping the RF “up with the times” and a way to better insure that individual nations in the Commonwealth had a member of the RF who was relatable so the countries would stay in the Commonwealth!

IMHO Meghan and Harry blew it with wanting things their way, as well as wanting to be equal to Will and Kate, as well as Harry’s paranoia about the press. The business with her dad was unbelievable. They could have gotten on a plane and gone to talk with him in person before getting married and solved all the drama. In healthy families who gets engaged or married without meeting the parents of their intended?

It is very sad, but the Sussexes need to take some responsibility for the mess they created.

 

[Denville]

I press. The business with her dad was unbelievable. They could have gotten on a plane and gone to talk with him in person before getting married and solved all the drama. In healthy families who gets engaged or married without meeting the parents of their intended?

It is very sad, but the Sussexes need to take some responsibility for the mess they created.

I think that Thos Markle is an odd individual and possibly no matter what Meg did, she would not have managed a good relationship with him. But I agree that it was odd that she seems to have expected him to come to the UK and be at her wedding, and yet during all their courtship she and Harry couldn't go and see him in Mexico. Even if she made a visit and it turned out badly, at least she had tried.
Re all t he rest, I agree that its probable that staff were indeed told to be as helpful as possible to Meghan. She was new to the UK, she was the first woman of color to marry into the RF, so of course, even to put it no higher, they didn't want accusations that they weren't welcoming. I agree they did want it to work. And Im sure that the RF were willing to like her and try to get along with her... according to Harry, everyone loved her at first... so presumably they were trying to be friendly and helfpful.

 

[Sandy345]

To Royalist: She was an outsider from another country. Unfortunately, there could be some negativity about that. Some staff's attitudes may not have been changed by merely talking to them.

I noticed thousands of user comments coming in condemning Meghan in the DM about a "fake news" story.

All people are equal. I don't think Harry wanted to "leapfrog" over his brother and be the one in line to be King. I don't think Meghan wanted to be a Queen Consort either. I don't blame Harry for being suspicious of the press considering...

The business with her dad was chronicled in various biographies including Morton's. They DID try to reach her father, had a limo booked to pick him up and had sent him an airline ticket. He preferred to pose for the media and admitted later he got $30,000 for it. I don't get why he is treated like some passive thing that his daughter and son in law had to try to change. They wanted him at the wedding. Dad was living in Mexico and the media found him and he was taken in by them. He is an adult and not a baby and he did as he darn well pleased despite what Meghan and Harry wanted him to do which ws go to the wedding.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

I think that Thos Markle is an odd individual and possibly no matter what Meg did, she would not have managed a good relationship with him. But I agree that it was odd that she seems to have expected him to come to the UK and be at her wedding, and yet during all their courtship she and Harry couldn't go and see him in Mexico. Even if she made a visit and it turned out badly, at least she had tried.
Re all t he rest, I agree that its probable that staff were indeed told to be as helpful as possible to Meghan. She was new to the UK, she was the first woman of color to marry into the RF, so of course, even to put it no higher, they didn't want accusations that they weren't welcoming. I agree they did want it to work. And Im sure that the RF were willing to like her and try to get along with her... according to Harry, everyone loved her at first... so presumably they were trying to be friendly and helfpful.

I agree that Meghan’s dad is a bit odd but she had a close enough relationship that she wanted him to walk her down the aisle at her wedding but didn’t fly Harry to meet him when they got engaged? If they’d done this and Harry made sure that the comms folks did everything in their power to HELP the Markle family (yes, even the sister and brother), they could have mitigated ALL the drama. And Meghan could have had her family at her wedding. Speaking of family, with the gazillions invited, where on earth were Doria’s side of the family? Something is just off IMHO.

 

[Denville]

To Royalist: She was an outsider from another country. Unfortunately, there could be some negativity about that. Some staff's attitudes may not have been changed by merely talking to them.

I noticed thousands of user comments coming in condemning Meghan in the DM about a "fake news" story.

All people are equal. I don't think Harry wanted to "leapfrog" over his brother and be the one in line to be King. I don't think Meghan wanted to be a Queen Consort either. I don't blame Harry for being suspicious of the press considering...

The business with her dad was chronicled in various biographies including Morton's. They DID try to reach her father, had a limo booked to pick him up and had sent him an airline ticket. He preferred to pose for the media and admitted later he got $30,000 for it. I don't get why he is treated like some passive thing that his daughter and son in law had to try to change. They wanted him at the wedding. Dad was living in Mexico and the media found him and he was taken in by them. He is an adult and not a baby and he did as he darn well pleased despite what Meghan and Harry wanted him to do which ws go to the wedding.

The man was an elderly man with poor health and probably a bit reclusive. If they wanted him at the wedding, why not go and see the man during the courtship? They were flying around like crazy so another air trip would hardly have been that difficult for them. Sending him an airline ticket was hardly courteous.

I agree that Meghan’s dad is a bit odd but she had a close enough relationship that she wanted him to walk her down the aisle at her wedding but didn’t fly Harry to meet him when they got engaged? If they’d done this and Harry made sure that the comms folks did everything in their power to HELP the Markle family (yes, even the sister and brother), they could have mitigated ALL the drama. And Meghan could have had her family at her wedding. Speaking of family, with the gazillions invited, where on earth were Doria’s side of the family? Something is just off IMHO.

I dont think her siblings were ever likley to act sensible or be friendly and I dont blame her for cutting off with them. But her father isn't so bad, and I think that she should have made a bit more effort with him....