The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 9: August 2023 -


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I also found this article very interesting. For those who may be unfamiliar with The Wrap, it’s basically a trade publication that focuses on the entertainment business. I would consider it fairly credible.

People have speculated before about the high turnover at Archwell and how the Sussexes might be proving difficult to work with, but this is the first time I have seen it laid out this clearly by writers who know the entertainment industry.

I will be very surprised at this point if their Netflix deal is renewed but we will see. It’s set to end at the end of this year I believe

Yeah. That this came from The Wrap is interesting.

They got labeled in this article as difficult, controlling, a nightmare and stubborn. And they don’t listen. And have high staff turnover. Different continent, same issues. In many ways- not surprising. A lot of their problems are self made.

I highly doubt Netflix will be renewed as well. Even if they manage to produce a hit on something not about their lives as royals (or produce anything at all at this point), they may just not be seen as worth putting up with. But, we’ll see.

The article went out of its way to explain that Meghan’s new podcast deal is a clear step down.
 
Yeah. That this came from The Wrap is interesting.

They got labeled in this article as difficult, controlling, a nightmare and stubborn. And they don’t listen. And have high staff turnover. Different continent, same issues. In many ways- not surprising. A lot of their problems are self made.

I highly doubt Netflix will be renewed as well. Even if they manage to produce a hit on something not about their lives as royals (or produce anything at all at this point), they may just not be seen as worth putting up with. But, we’ll see.

The article went out of its way to explain that Meghan’s new podcast deal is a clear step down.

Reading The Wrap article, one thing that kept going through my mind is that Hollywood loves a comeback story. It might take five or 10 years of being out of the limelight -- and a lot of humbling crashes -- but Meghan could come back in the future, if she learns from her mistakes.

People who have had epic scandals and problems -- people like Martha Stewart, Charlie Sheen, and Robert Downey Jr -- have managed to revive their careers successfully. Meghan might want to focus on rehabilitating her reputation in her industry to make that happen for her.
 
Reading The Wrap article, one thing that kept going through my mind is that Hollywood loves a comeback story. It might take five or 10 years of being out of the limelight -- and a lot of humbling crashes -- but Meghan could come back in the future, if she learns from her mistakes.

People who have had epic scandals and problems -- people like Martha Stewart, Charlie Sheen, and Robert Downey Jr -- have managed to revive their careers successfully. Meghan might want to focus on rehabilitating her reputation in her industry to make that happen for her.
But that leaves out of account the fact that ageism is rampant in Hollywood.
In five or ten years, they'll simply be too old to stage a comeback; after forty, it's very very difficult.
 
Harry just can't get the message, can he? He is not a working royal. Therefore he is not entitled to the security arrangements of a working royal. It's not rocket science.
Unfortunately, I think it’s the entitlement piece: he was born getting it by virtue of who he was - the son of the (then) Prince and Princess of Wales and so he expects it as his “right” if you will. To keep it, he had to be a working royal. And from all the sources, it seems pretty clear that security was discussed before the Sussexes left, but it also seems to me that they hear what they want to hear and don’t listen to the rest.
 
Well its sad either way you look at it because without the access to whatever security info they needed for their security detail or even the ability to pay for that security detail has been denied. I don't think they will be bringing the children to visit if they don't feel safe.
 
For clarity - they have not been denied the ability to pay for their protection. They have been denied the ability to pay for armed police protection from the state. As the judgement makes clear no-one can pay for armed police protection as RAVEC decided either you need it or you don't, there is no consideration to cost as that isn't a deciding factor. They were told all along from the moment they announced they were leaving that they couldn't pay for police protection and were told all along that they would need to get private security.

It is sad that Harry doesn't feel safe in his home country. But to be frank a lot of that is down to his own personal feelings. He needs to have time to get over that and deal with that, getting help to do so maybe. But that help shouldn't be the UK taxpayer picking up a bill for hundreds of thousands of pounds or even millions of pounds for their security just because Harry feels unsafe. If we go down that route I'm sure Anne feels unsafe having gone through an attempted kidnapping attempt at gunpoint - doesn't mean even she, a working royal, gets 24/7 365 day a year security. I'm sure there are many celebrities (for that is what they now are) that feel unsafe in the UK given the press and paparazzi intrusion into their lives, again that doesn't mean they get police bodyguards, tbf Harry gets more than them as his security is risk assessed on each visit, so in that sense he is being treated preferentially.

I agree wholeheartedly it is sad Harry doesn't feel safe in the UK and that this means he probably won't bring his children over often to visit their UK family.
 
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Well its sad either way you look at it because without the access to whatever security info they needed for their security detail or even the ability to pay for that security detail has been denied. I don't think they will be bringing the children to visit if they don't feel safe.
Harry can pay for a dozen, a hundred or even a thousand private security guards if he so chooses. He just can't pay for police protection, because the police force is a public service and people can't rent public services to suit themselves.
 
At risk of repetition. Harry has been told that security will be considered when he visits, with each visit/ situation reviewed on an individual basis. Any intelligence with regards risk to him or his family will be considered. The security service is not there to deter photographers, they are there to protect from attacks.
 
With all the discussion about Harry's case, several important points are getting lost. (Not in this thread's discussion specifically, but in the media, too.)

First, the British security and police services will provide (for free) what they believe is the appropriate level of protection whether the person being guarded is Prince Harry or Harry Smith, some random guy. Same with police in New York or Montecito. And, it's free to the person being guarded, regardless of their status.

Second, I'm really surprised that no one has advised Prince Harry to stop making an issue of his security, since raising it and complaining about how he needs more would seem to make him more of a security risk. Surely he could have pursued options for security discreetly (and cheaper) than through a court case that tells the world, "I'm Harry and my family and I aren't guarded very well."
 
Yes its quite something to see someone advertise they "don't get security" if they are worried about their security and even more so for them not to realise their own actions are making it worse. TBH I think a lot of people would have assumed they had security still when in the UK until Harry made such a fuss about it.
Harry has increased his risk by telling the world he doesn't get security (and by revealing his "body count" in his memoir) but expects the UK taxpayers to pick up the bill for his actions.
 
Yes its quite something to see someone advertise they "don't get security" if they are worried about their security and even more so for them not to realise their own actions are making it worse. TBH I think a lot of people would have assumed they had security still when in the UK until Harry made such a fuss about it.
Harry has increased his risk by telling the world he doesn't get security (and by revealing his "body count" in his memoir) but expects the UK taxpayers to pick up the bill for his actions.

The choices he has made on things like this make me wonder who, if anyone, is advising him. Or, maybe he's ignoring good advice.

The attorneys who represented him in the security case should have steered him to a safer option. The millions he is spending in legal fees would have bought him plenty of bodyguards for his trips, if he needs them.
 
To quote from that article in 'The Wrap' : “It appears that they just want what they want and won’t take advice."

It's entirely possible their attorneys in the security case did try to steer them to a safer option, but were soundly rebuffed. And they knew they would receive their fees, whether Harry's case was successful or not. How many times did they say 'don't do that' before they decided to shrug and say 'screw it, whatever, it's his money' instead?
 
On March 8 Meghan will appear as one of the keynote speakers in Austin, Texas, for International Women's Day, on a panel with Katie Couric, Brooke Shields and others, for South by Southwest's conference week.
 
Katie Couric?

Katie wrote a memoir in which she described an interview with Prince Harry. She stated that he "reeked of cigarettes" and alcohol seemed to "ooze from every pore" of his body.

The interview was in 2012, a time that Harry refers to as a period when he relied on alcohol.

Nevertheless, I would assume Meghan would think twice about engaging with Couric in a public forum.
 
Katie Couric?

Katie wrote a memoir in which she described an interview with Prince Harry. She stated that he "reeked of cigarettes" and alcohol seemed to "ooze from every pore" of his body.

The interview was in 2012, a time that Harry refers to as a period when he relied on alcohol.

Nevertheless, I would assume Meghan would think twice about engaging with Couric in a public forum.

To be quite fair, this aligns with Prince Harry’s memoir. It would be difficult for Meghan to start avoiding major media figures on the grounds that they described her husband in ways consistent with how he has described himself.
 
I agree, HRHH. Harry has been very open about that period of his life.

I just can't see Meghan sitting with Katie discussing women's issues in a cordial manner given the unflattering description of Harry in Katie's book. Meghan's personality (as far as I can determine from my little perch) is about control and Katie might decide at some point that she has more to say. I can't see Katie signing a NDA before SXSW.
 
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Meghan will most certainly be at her best and most affable and cordial in her interactions with ALL of the panel. Especially Katie Couric. Why wouldn't She ? Number one, Meghan is a trained Actress, with also a College Degree in International Relations.
This Event for International Women's Day is in my opinion an opportunity to reset the narrative and rebranding needed, for a successful relaunch of her in the Public Eye.
A VERY needed opportunity, I would say.
 
"On Thursday, the Duchess of Sussex and the nonprofit Moms First are announcing the results of a study on television moms with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media." Meghan Markle Is Teaming Up With Geena Davis to Change Our Perceptions of Moms on TV

A pretty interesting study. My guess is that the disparity in the portrayal of Moms in the media vs how they are in real life comes from the fact that most studio executives/showrunners are men (who traditionally are not responsible for housework or childcare), women who value their careers as much as or more than their domestic lives, or people who want to tell stories about families but feel that the nitty-gritty would be boring to the typical audience (how can it be effective escapism if it looks like your everyday life?).

Given her past as an actress and her passion about women's rights, I'm not surprise that HRH The Duchess of Sussex would get behind this project.
 
Several posts have been deleted. As the moderation team has made very clear over several years, this is a current events thread and its purpose is to discuss the current events of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Off-topic arguments about historical information (especially unverified information that is not well-sourced) is not permitted here.
 
The live blog from the telegraph with her interventions.




From the article: “I understand there is a bottom line but even if it’s making dollars, it doesn’t make sense.”

I’m not sure if the pun was intentional but it jumped out at me.
 
I saw the SM abuse while Meghan was expecting Archie. Conspiracy theories about false bellies complete with detailed photos, posts willing her to have an accident while pregnant , die along with her baby, calling her and Harry all the names under the sun. Racial abuse so terrible it should have ended up in court. Nobody on earth, however much people dislike them , should have to put up with that.
And that was while Meghan and Harry were living in Britain as part of the BRF. After she became pregnant with Lili and in the US, it became even more abhorrent.
 
Meghan certainly doesn't get any worse abuse than most public figures, but I do think it's an issue which needs highlighting. Several Members of Parliament have recently spoken out about carrying personal protection alarms linked to the police because of abuse received, mainly relating to the war in the Middle East. One Member of Parliament has announced that he will be stepping down after his office was attacked. There are ongoing issues with footballers receiving racial abuse, in many countries: a match in Italy was recently stopped because of it. There were all those ridiculous conspiracy theories involving Taylor Swift and the Super Bowl. It's not nice, and it's not OK.
 
Meghan certainly doesn't get any worse abuse than most public figures, but I do think it's an issue which needs highlighting. Several Members of Parliament have recently spoken out about carrying personal protection alarms linked to the police because of abuse received, mainly relating to the war in the Middle East. One Member of Parliament has announced that he will be stepping down after his office was attacked. There are ongoing issues with footballers receiving racial abuse, in many countries: a match in Italy was recently stopped because of it. There were all those ridiculous conspiracy theories involving Taylor Swift and the Super Bowl. It's not nice, and it's not OK.
Then these are topics she could have included. Speaking about herself again doesn’t help to shed the victimhood narative. (Let’s not go to what’s happening right now on SM with the princess.)
 
Meghan certainly doesn't get any worse abuse than most public figures, but I do think it's an issue which needs highlighting. Several Members of Parliament have recently spoken out about carrying personal protection alarms linked to the police because of abuse received, mainly relating to the war in the Middle East. One Member of Parliament has announced that he will be stepping down after his office was attacked. There are ongoing issues with footballers receiving racial abuse, in many countries: a match in Italy was recently stopped because of it. There were all those ridiculous conspiracy theories involving Taylor Swift and the Super Bowl. It's not nice, and it's not OK.
It is the anonymity of social media. But there are other form of bullying and abuse and that is when things are published , said or implied some clearly untrue and provable untrue about public figures when they are not in a position to respond. In particular when the person saying it knows they will not respond.
 
A number of posts have been deleted as they were either off topic, argumentative, and/or rude to fellow members. At this point, everyone who posts on the Sussex thread should be aware that the moderating team is going to enforce the rules of the thread, and the general forum rules. If you want the thread to stay open for discussion, please keep that in mind.
 

Harry and Meghan embrace Uvalde school shooting families on surprise trip to Texas: Duke and Duchess attend local event for relatives whose loved ones were gunned down - and surprise one mother with a chorus of Happy Birthday and a cake​

By Arthur Parashar
Published: 06:15 EDT, 10 March 2024 | Updated: 06:54 EDT, 10 March 2024

Prince Harry and Meghan embraced the relatives of the Uvalde school shooting victims as they made a surprise trip to Texas on Saturday.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a local event for the families whose loved one were gunned down in the horror attack in May 2022.

The couple even sang Happy Birthday to the sister of heroic schoolteacher Irma Garcia who sacrificed her own life during the massacre at Texas' Robb Elementary School in a bid to allow her young students to get to safety.



 
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