Just call me Harry. (Everything Harry & Meghan)

[Oreo]

I still don't understand what has motivated this tell all with Oprah, what is the goal.... other than publicity, spin, control of the narrative, sympathy. If they truly wanted the privacy they claimed to want, an interview with Oprah would not be happening. However, they've been out of the spotlight too long so people have to be reminded that they exist and the best way to get people talking about them again is to air their grievances in public.. and if it's Royal, all the better.

I don't understand either. Wasn't the book Finding Freedom supposed to explain their lives to the world? How many times do we need to hear their "truth" (as Oprah puts it)? Given the state of the world we're living in, this interview seems extraordinarily self indulgent and ill timed. Personally, I'd find an interview with the researchers who developed the vaccines far more interesting.

 

[starrynight]

I hope I am wrong - that it is more a reference to the men in suits and Buckingham Palace and protocol and tradition and not Harry's family.

The ‘men in suits’ thing is interesting because my understanding was that Harry and Meghans staff were carefully selected people - one woman being formerly a key person on Hillary Clinton’s campaign team.

Although Omid Scobie came out swinging at the staff that made the bullying complaints. But I have no idea how much connection he actually has with Meghan and Harry and if he just exaggerates how close his is to them for his own importance.

 

[Karen-W]

The ‘men in suits’ thing is interesting because my understanding was that Harry and Meghans staff were carefully selected people - one woman being formerly a key person on Hillary Clinton’s campaign team.

Although Omid Scobie came out swinging at the staff that made the bullying complaints. But I have no idea how much connection he actually has with Meghan and Harry and if he just exaggerates how close his is to them for his own importance.

I think he has pretty good connections with Meghan's pre-Harry days, especially her Toronto set - I want to say he was based in Toronto himself pre-engagement.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Harpers Bazaar

Prince Philip, husband of the queen, is known to copplmmonly use the term. In a blurb for her 2005 book, The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor, journalist Penny Junor writes, "Prince Philip calls it 'The Firm,' and all the royal executives and their powerful associates are supposed to make every effort to avoid even a hint of scandal that could diminish the reputation of the family business."

 

[MacMadame]

I still don't understand what has motivated this tell all with Oprah, what is the goal....

Is it going to be a tell-all? (I haven't seen any of the ads for it) My impression is that they are going on Oprah to pimp their new projects. Which people do all the time.

 

[starrynight]

Is it going to be a tell-all? (I haven't seen any of the ads for it) My impression is that they are going on Oprah to pimp their new projects. Which people do all the time.

The dramatic advertisements with the theatrical music and 'were you silent or were you silenced ~zip closing hand movement~ ~dramatic brooding facial expression~, 'the firm were perpetuating falsehoods about us' and all the talk about 'telling their truths' seems to be marketing a tell all.

This thing has been syndicated into 70 countries and a lot of money is being asked for the advertisement rights and syndicate rights. If it's just some 2 hour long infomercial for a pretty standard charity foundation, I expect viewers will be switching channels pretty quickly.

This interview has been hyped up. I'd be surprised if Oprah would put her reputation on the line to distribute a boring interview internationally.

Oprah had never met Harry and Meghan when she was invited to the wedding - I think Oprah is a very astute businesswoman and saw the opportunity for a very juicy interview and has been playing her cards very cleverly since then. And she's likely got her scoop. I think as a journalist, the goal is to get those iconic interviews - like the Diana Panorama interview. I'd be surprised if Oprah would softball such an opportunity out of her hands.

 

[Husky]

Let's look at the legal consequences.
Is there an official investigation in regards to the staff's accusation?

And another question: I don't know the British law, I thought the RF, as an employer, had to take action when the article was published in the London Times. Before it was just gossip, coming from doubtable sources, not directly mentioned. Right or wrong?

 

[Jenny]

It's quite possible that Meghan is hard to work for but she has had employees and been an employee before and we don't here any of her work colleagues or bosses or employees from those jobs complaining about her.

Had Meghan ever had employees before she got married? Far as I know she's always been an actress, and at her level, while there may have been production staff to attend to her (and others) on set, I'd be surprised if she had any personal employees.

If you're concerned about other people controlling the narrative about you, there is no better way to get your side of the story out there than to do your own interview. Especially on prime-time TV with an interviewer who is well-known for asking sympathetic questions.

True, but then they just feed the fire that they claim they have been trying to escape from. I'm not saying they should take anything lying down - continuing to take legal action against media outlets for example - but when it gets so personal, whoever said the only people who are going to win this war are the media and the gossip-hungry public is right.

It's entirely possible that this interview will mostly be about positive work they are doing, and their happy growing family. Teasers and previews are usually put together by network staff who are naturally going to pick what they think will make people tune in (and it's working - the advance buzz on this is quite something). Even if the all-powerful Oprah has a say in the pre-campaign, she's savvy enough to know how to generate advance buzz and boost ratings.

Guess we just need to wait a few days and see

 

[clairecloutier]

Now the New York Times has an article on the situation—which seems to suggest that William may be behind the most recent actions from Buckingham Palace:

Before Oprah’s Interview With Harry and Meghan, Royal Accusations Fly (Published 2021)

CBS is releasing tantalizing video clips of the couple, while scalding allegations are coming from Buckingham Palace staff members.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Jenny]

Now the New York Times has an article on the situation—which seems to suggest that William may be behind the most recent actions from Buckingham Palace:

Before Oprah’s Interview With Harry and Meghan, Royal Accusations Fly (Published 2021)

CBS is releasing tantalizing video clips of the couple, while scalding allegations are coming from Buckingham Palace staff members.

www.nytimes.com

where does it suggest that William is involved in this? He's mentioned just twice in the article and I'm not seeing it the connection.

What I did see, maybe y'all knew this but it's to me, is that apparently Meghan is being interviewed solo for the first hour. Again we'll have to wait and see, but it certainly suggests that this is going to be very, very personal.

 

[Judy]

I would encourage people to read the book Finding Freedom. It is very detailed and eye opening. You also get a good sense of the business/working structure of the palace amongst other things.

You can have all the money in the world but I think few people would want to live under the intense media scrutiny.

It also isn’t an attack on the royal family members themselves either.

 

[Parsley Sage]

where does it suggest that William is involved in this? He's mentioned just twice in the article and I'm not seeing it the connection.

What I did see, maybe y'all knew this but it's to me, is that apparently Meghan is being interviewed solo for the first hour. Again we'll have to wait and see, but it certainly suggests that this is going to be very, very personal.

yup. Originally it was supposed to be 90 minutes. Mostly Meghan and then Harry for the last part. When it was announced that H&M no longer had their patronages and honorary military titles, the interview was re-edited and now it's 2 hours.

 

[clairecloutier]

@Jenny It’s implied in the final paragraphs. The article states that the Queen and Prince Charles are likely to be focused on Prince Philip right now (not Harry and Meghan). Then it talks about the bitter rift between William and Harry. And then it says basically that someone senior at the Palace allowed this stuff to come out (and could have prevented it from coming out, but didn’t). If it wasn’t the Queen or Charles, who else but William?

 

[taf2002]

I can absolutely believe that the smear is coming from William. But it could be the Queen herself. Or maybe some palace staffer with an axe to grind. However like everybody else here I have no idea since I'm not part of the inner circle. Stating definitively that "Meghan just craves the spotlight" "the rift was all Meghan's idea" "everything is just money & attention with them" etc isn't helpful. None of us really know for sure.

So what if Meghan started issuing emails at 4am? I know a lot of early risers who do their best work in the wee hours. No one said anyone else had to get up & answer emails before their own work hours. Also it sounds like Meghan may have expected palace staff to work harder than they were used to & they then saw that expectation as bullying. Maybe the pace was too much for those staffers who quit.

 

[kittyjake5]

I knew this was going to get ugly. The firm may never complain and never explain
but in the past they have fought back when they think they are being attacked (Diana) and have aired
dirty laundry (true or not) if need be.

It is a mess for sure. On social media there is now hashtags for "Team Meghan" and "Team Queen".

 

[Jenny]

@Jenny It’s implied in the final paragraphs. The article states that the Queen and Prince Charles are likely to be focused on Prince Philip right now (not Harry and Meghan). Then it talks about the bitter rift between William and Harry. And then it says basically that someone senior at the Palace allowed this stuff to come out (and could have prevented it from coming out, but didn’t). If it wasn’t the Queen or Charles, who else but William?

It implied he could have stopped it, but not that he originated it. And could he really have stopped it? I would think the source of the leaks is more likely the former staff members in Harry's household who didn't get heard two years ago and are perhaps upset at the prospect of Meghan (and Harry) getting to tell their side of the story on Oprah no less.

And they may also have a grudge against William. Sounds like the complaint was brought to William's communications secretary at the time, and if it went nowhere, they may be upset that William didn't take up their cause in the way they wanted, and are happy to throw him under the bus now.

 

[skategal]

Whoever is behind the leaks from BP is someone who is scared about something (ie. looking bad at their job, the monarchy changing, the monarchy no longer being there to provide the lifestyle and jobs the Firm is accustomed to etc).

Fear is often a motivator behind such actions.

I predict that the Oprah interview will be a "feel-good" time for the audience that focuses on H&M's family life, how they felt caught up in the circus of the media and BRF, trying to adjust to BRF, why they left and actually be a big fat nothing burger when it comes to spilling secrets or accusing the BRF of anything in particular.

This is all to get an audience for their Netflix specials.

 

[MsZem]

I can absolutely believe that the smear is coming from William. But it could be the Queen herself. Or maybe some palace staffer with an axe to grind.

We don't know that it's a smear. Meghan and Harry will share their POV; that doesn't make it objective truth.

So what if Meghan started issuing emails at 4am? I know a lot of early risers who do their best work in the wee hours. No one said anyone else had to get up & answer emails before their own work hours.

Yeah, that one I don't get. Unless people were expected to act immediately, if someone wants to send emails at bizarre hours that's their problem. When I get emails from colleagues who are up super-late or way too early, I just wonder WTF they're doing up at such ungodly hours

 

[Parsley Sage]

It implied he could have stopped it, but not that he originated it. And could he really have stopped it? I would think the source of the leaks is more likely the former staff members in Harry's household who didn't get heard two years ago and are perhaps upset at the prospect of Meghan (and Harry) getting to tell their side of the story on Oprah no less.

And they may also have a grudge against William. Sounds like the complaint was brought to William's communications secretary at the time, and if it went nowhere, they may be upset that William didn't take up their cause in the way they wanted, and are happy to throw him under the bus now.

From what I have read. Will's communication secretary (American Jason Knauf) wrote a letter to HR which was at Clarence House but it doesn't seem to have gone further than that.

When H&M were first married, they had offices at Kensington Palace and where part of The Royal foundation with W&K. In June 2019, H&M left the Royal Foundation and started Sussex Royal with offices at Buckingham Palace. In November 2018, it was announced that H&M were going to move out of Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage at Windsor.

 

[Jenny]

Whoever is behind the leaks from BP is someone who is scared about something (ie. looking bad at their job, the monarchy changing, the monarchy no longer being there to provide the lifestyle and jobs the Firm is accustomed to etc).

Fear is often a motivator behind such actions.

Revenge is also a very powerful motivator.

As for the 4 or 5 am missives, I think there's a big difference between an email, which is normally viewed as something one answers while actively working, and a text, which is more immediate. There's also the nature of the texts - are they along the lines of instructions for the day's work, or are they demands to drop whatever they're doing (or wake up lol) and do something immediately?

 

[Jenny]

From what I have read. Will's communication secretary (American Jason Knauf) wrote a letter to HR which was at Clarence House but it doesn't seem to have gone further than that.

This is what I mean. The staffers could have a problem with HR for not taking it further, or with Knauf for not pressing it more strongly, or with William for not championing their cause.

For all we knew William never heard about it, or if he did he might have spoken directly to Harry or even Meghan herslef, might have made a call to HR, might have done any number of things that we have no way of knowing.

But in the end, if the staffers didn't get the response they wanted, and now they find that Meghan is about to get a sympathetic ear to tell her side of the story, that might have reopened the two year old wounds and incited one or more of them to take action.

Would it be staffers still working for the RF? Maybe, maybe not.

 

[clairecloutier]

It implied he could have stopped it, but not that he originated it. And could he really have stopped it?

I was thinking of the formal investigation--and the official announcement of it. Someone in the BRF approved that.

Staffers leak things all the time, but unless there's a requirement for the BRF to respond publicly to allegations, which I don't think there is, then this investigation is a choice on the part of someone in the BRF. And the decision to announce it publicly also is a choice. (Couldn't they have just kept it private between the employees and the accused, if they wanted?)

 

[skategal]

Revenge is also a very powerful motivator.

Yes. But in this case it seems like someone wanted the information to get out on ahead of the Oprah interview so public opinion would be mitigated somewhat before Meghan said her piece.

The motivation seems more fear based in this situation.

 

[Jenny]

Ah I see what you mean @clairecloutier. Yes someone decided to a) launch an investigation, finally, which well now that it's out there they have no choice. Could have been anyone behind that - HR themselves, whatever PR advisors they have (maybe even Sophie for all we know, saying hey family, this looks bad, we have to at least investigate this), or the Queen herself saying enough is enough, fix this.

Then b) the Palace officially announced it. Who decided to do that? Again, could be any one of several people, or more like I think, several people deciding together, because I would think that William wouldn't be able to do something like that on his own, without input/approval from at least Charles and the Queen.

 

[Judy]

I don't understand either. Wasn't the book Finding Freedom supposed to explain their lives to the world? How many times do we need to hear their "truth" (as Oprah puts it)? Given the state of the world we're living in, this interview seems extraordinarily self indulgent and ill timed. Personally, I'd find an interview with the researchers who developed the vaccines far more interesting.

You certainly don’t have to read it or watch the interview. I would actually love to see a documentary on how vaccines are made instead of using my imagination (unlikely though).

I think the book can be compared to Andrew Morton’s book on Diana.

 

[Jenny]

Yes. But in this case it seems like someone wanted the information to get out on ahead of the Oprah interview so public opinion would be mitigated somewhat before Meghan said her piece.

The motivation seems more fear based in this situation.

Disagree, but that's just my opinion. Yes the timing is significant, and certainly if you want your side out there it's sometimes best to go first rather than react, because then the second person's statements are viewed in the context of the first's.

And maybe it's fear if anyone thinks they are going to be personally implicated by Meghan (even if not by name, it might be very clear to those who know the players in this) and might lose their job.

But IMO it's more likely revenge by those who did lose their jobs, or have continued to feel underappreciated - revenge against Meghan, Harry for being complicit, Knauf for not pressing it, William for seemingly doing nothing, HR for being useless, the BRF in general, all of it.

And of course, it could be that some very loyal staffers who felt mistreated by Meghan and for whatever reason never liked her - or the idea of her - doing what they think is a good way to support the monarchy. This is starting to feel like an episode of Downton Abbey, or maybe Upstairs Downstairs

 

[Tesla]

This bears repeating.

I predict that the Oprah interview will be a "feel-good" time for the audience that focuses on H&M's family life, how they felt caught up in the circus of the media and BRF, trying to adjust to BRF, why they left and actually be a big fat nothing burger when it comes to spilling secrets or accusing the BRF of anything in particular.

As to the accusations against Meghan being investigated, they'd better be investigating accusations against everyone else because I hardly believe anything Meghan did could be worse. This just smacks of "she's not one of us, so lets scapegoat her."

 

[canbelto]

I really feel like some of the staff felt insulted that an "uppity n___r" was now their boss. I know that in the US there are many people who bristle at POC being in a position of authority. They're fine with POC as "the help," or in blue collar jobs, or as entertainers and sports stars, but when they climb the corporate ladder the micro-aggressions come out.

 

[becca]

I am not sure what people expect Meghan and Harry chose to give am interview that is a tell all of their truth of how they were mistreated.
They could have let sleep dogs lie. Let Finding Freedom be the voice.

But chose not to. There has been tons of talk about how Meghan could be difficult. And frankly rifts in relationships are never one persons fault.

Is it surprising that the people she may have offended may be like you know what you want to go there okay then.

And I am sorry is wrong to say that the staff is automatically racist. Many of those are very professional people with high level degrees.
There is a story that Kate got upset with Meghan for yelling at one of her (Kate’s staff members.)

 

[canbelto]

I am not sure what people expect Meghan and Harry chose to give am interview that is a tell all of their truth of how they were mistreated.
They could have let sleep dogs lie. Let Finding Freedom be the voice.

But chose not to. There has been tons of talk about how Meghan could be difficult. And frankly rifts in relationships are never one persons fault.

Is it surprising that the people she may have offended may be like you know what you want to go there okay then.

The British press "chose" a smear campaign against her that was deceptive and racist.