Just call me Harry. (Everything Harry & Meghan)

[Japanfan]

And some of my best friends are Jewish. A lovely statement which generally proceeds or follows an anti-semetic remark.

I grew up in a Northern Canadian mining town and there were five Jewish families when I was young. The families tried to give their kids Hanukkah, but it did not become an enduring tradition and there wasn't much of a Jewish community. Most of our friends celebrated Christmas, so we wanted to do so to, and belong.

What I got a lot of later in life was 'You are Jewish? You don't seem Jewish'. As if it was a compliment.

 

[Judy]

Fascinating article in The Sunday Times by Roya Nikkah - well worth the read

Yes except that the tiera lady was avoiding making an appointment for a lengthy amount of time and Harry had to go to the Queen.

 

[Judy]

THIS.



This is not true though- every article quotes the staff as saying the are incredibly hurt because they feel they treated her very well and did absolutely everything in their power to welcome her / please her demands - and categorically deny her complaints are legitimate. They are hurt at being portrayed as racist too.

Certainly some of the grievances that are appearing from Meghan - having some phone calls monitored or receiving advice on which interviews she could accept - even if true, show her at best naivety. Other articles mention her being upset she couldn't keep designer freebies. I can’t imagine anyone being quite foolish enough to marry into the royal family and expect not to have these things happen but it seems somehow, she got confused between Hollywood and Buckingham palace.

Listen to the interview and be objective. Never trust the media to tell you much of the truth lol.

 

[canbelto]

The Times article is really well-written.

But it doesn't paint a good picture of the royal lifestyle in general. For instance, my god, can they please stop with the "shooting parties"? I understand they like to hunt but the way they always refer to hunting excursions as "shooting parties" makes them sound so out of touch.

Also, a fight over a tiara sounds beyond first world problems. It sounds like totally out-of-touch, entitled, aristocratic problems.

 

[skategal]

The Times article is really well-written.

But it doesn't paint a good picture of the royal lifestyle in general. For instance, my god, can they please stop with the "shooting parties"? I understand they like to hunt but the way they always refer to hunting excursions as "shooting parties" makes them sound so out of touch.

Also, a fight over a tiara sounds beyond first world problems. It sounds like totally out-of-touch, entitled, aristocratic problems.

I gave up reading when they kept claiming that Buckingham palace is not institutionally racist but admitted that there’s no black or minorities in senior positions there.

I wonder what they think Institutional Racism means?

 

[skategal]

Sorry double post

 

[becca]

The Times article is really well-written.

But it doesn't paint a good picture of the royal lifestyle in general. For instance, my god, can they please stop with the "shooting parties"? I understand they like to hunt but the way they always refer to hunting excursions as "shooting parties" makes them sound so out of touch.

Also, a fight over a tiara sounds beyond first world problems. It sounds like totally out-of-touch, entitled, aristocratic problems.

Why cannot they have shooting parties if they want and I know people here in Texas who have shooting parties.

And whose to say the term is out of touch in Britain?

Frankly cultural respect goes both ways. There is nothing wrong with a shooting party and anyone who eats meat really cannot judge it.

My understanding is Kate practiced with a plastic tiara.

 

[MsZem]

I gave up reading when they kept claiming that Buckingham palace is not institutionally racist but admitted that there’s no black or minorities in senior positions there.

The article doesn't say that, but it does note that they are few and far between. It's already been mentioned, for example, that during Meghan's time as a working royal the Queen's equerry was Lt. Col. Nana Twumasi-Ankrah.

I also went through the Wikipedia list of royal household positions, and some of them sound delightful. There's a Marker of the Swans and a Warden of the Swans! I couldn't figure out what the latter's swan-related responsibilities were.

 

[Karen-W]

Yes except that the tiera lady was avoiding making an appointment for a lengthy amount of time and Harry had to go to the Queen.

Well, if you're using Finding Freedom as your source for that assertion, you are using questionable sourcing since that's clearly M&H's version of tiara-gate. If you can find some other sourcing to back your claim up...

 

[Judy]

Well, if you're using Finding Freedom as your source for that assertion, you are using questionable sourcing since that's clearly M&H's version of tiara-gate. If you can find some other sourcing to back your claim up...

Sigh.

 

[canbelto]

IMO Oprah is a terrible interviewer, at least in terms of getting any important information out of the interviewee(s). I think people agree to be interviewed by her because they have a story to get across and they know she's not going to challenge them at all and just ask them softball questions. Remember how hands-off she was with Lance Armstrong even though he was finally confessing to at least some of his drug-use cheating.

Well not everyone is Mike Wallace. I agree that she often goes very easy on interviewees. I did enjoy the interview she did with Elizabeth Edwards shortly before her death.

In other news, there's a fringe internet conspiracy theory that is resembling Qanon (should we call them Manon?) that is waiting for "the storm" or its equivalent. Something about how Harry, Archie, and the baby on the way will be rescued and flown back to the UK. Apparently they're basing this on the fact that Meghan's name is not on Archie's birth certificate, and some obscure law that says technically the Queen has custody of all royal children. I have a feeling that there will be a lot of dates that will come and go and they'll still be waiting for this storm.

 

[Lemonade20]

Sigh.

I agree, we can't rely on this book as it has a controlled narrative that only favors H&M

 

[Judy]

I agree, we can't rely on this book as it has a controlled narrative that only favors H&M

Sigh to you too.

 

[Karen-W]

Sigh to you too.

Really? You don't believe in impartial sources? You prefer to believe a biased narrative that was clearly designed to present just one side of the story?

 

[skategal]

The article doesn't say that, but it does note that they are few and far between. It's already been mentioned, for example, that during Meghan's time as a working royal the Queen's equerry was Lt. Col. Nana Twumasi-Ankrah.

The point still stands that you can’t declare you don’t have an issue with institutional racism if minorities in senior positions in your organization are “few and far between” especially in a city as diverse as London.

That turned me right off the whole article.

 

[canbelto]

It's also not true that none of Meghan's friends attended the wedding. Several of her Suits costars were there as well as Serena Williams.

 

[becca]

The point still stands that you can’t declare you don’t have an issue with institutional racism if minorities in senior positions in your organization are “few and far between” especially in a city as diverse as London.

That turned me right off the whole article.

I think that it may take time in that kind of organization for that to happen. I mean how many people who work there has their families work there for generations.

Furthermore maybe for many really ambitious minorities they would rather focus on Careers in finance etc law than serving the palace?

I think institutional racism exists but I also think many found Meghans biracial background to be a plus

 

[skategal]

I think that it may take time in that kind of organization for that to happen. I mean how many people who work there has their families work there for generations.

That’s a good example of institutional racism right there.

If families of people who have worked there for years are preferred for hiring and promotion, there’s not going to be many minorities in senior positions.

 

[becca]

That’s a good example of institutional racism right there.

If families of people who have worked there for years are preferred for hiring and promotion, there’s not going to be many minorities in senior positions.

I know it is.but it doesn’t mean folks we’re out to get her because she was African American.

Also that kind of situation isnt just s race thing.

 

[overedge]

@skategal Finding Freedom is worth plowing through just to get a better sense of H&M perspective on the world, and why they feel they have so many scores to settle.

Something I found interesting, and which also makes me suspect that H&M were pulling the strings, is the description of Meghan's personal brand-building activities while she was on Suits. That section reads like she was the blogging equivalent of Gwyneth Paltrow and was a style icon that women all across Canada followed.

Maybe her blog was popular in a certain demographic, but it read like any other "get empowered, girl, and do it by buying this eyeliner" blog to me. And the clothing store she collaborated with mostly has stores in smaller markets and suburban malls in Canada. It's certainly not a cutting edge fashion leader.

 

[skategal]

@skategal Finding Freedom is worth plowing through just to get a better sense of H&M perspective on the world, and why they feel they have so many scores to settle.

Something I found interesting, and which also makes me suspect that H&M were pulling the strings, is the description of Meghan's personal brand-building activities while she was on Suits. That section reads like she was the blogging equivalent of Gwyneth Paltrow and was a style icon that women all across Canada followed.
Maybe her blog was popular in a certain demographic, but it read like any other "get empowered, girl, and do it by buying this eyeliner" blog to me. And the clothing store she collaborated with mostly has stores in smaller markets and suburban malls in Canada. It's certainly not a cutting edge fashion leader.

Yeah, I made it to the part about the “high end” Hudson Bay and I nearly busted a gut laughing so much.

 

[overedge]

Yeah, I made it to the part about the “high end” Hudson Bay and I nearly busted a gut laughing so much.

I guess compared to Reitmans (where Meghan did her co-branded line) the Bay is high-end

 

[MacMadame]

but it seems somehow, she got confused between Hollywood and Buckingham palace.

That's human nature though. People assume they know things they don't and they assume that their prior experience will transfer over without learning the new situation.

I gave up reading when they kept claiming that Buckingham palace is not institutionally racist but admitted that there’s no black or minorities in senior positions there.

I wonder what they think Institutional Racism means?

This made me laugh because for some people there can never be any racism anywhere ever even though they will admit it exists.

To some extent, I don't get it because institutional racism is not remotely personal. But a system where family members are favored over new people is the height of institutional racism because the system ensures that the new people are largely white like the old people were. (The way Legacies are treated by the Ivies is the same, btw.)

 

[VGThuy]

This is a video from people who interviewed royal experts BEFORE the Oprah interview aired asking them to give their opinion on it.

https://youtu.be/T_j35t3GCsk

Funny how those experts and their opinions despite having never seen the interview yet sound eerily like some posts in this thread.

 

[MacMadame]

Compares this situation to watching The Crown:

US fans of The Crown are loving the Harry and Meghan royal soap opera

Even before it airs Sunday, the Oprah two-hour extravaganza has already produced fireworks on both sides of the Atlantic

www.theguardian.com

 

[kwanfan1818]

I see this happen all the time. The couple makes choices but the guy gets to slide and everything gets blamed on the woman as if he has no agency.

"Megxit" says it all.

I couldn't help but think of Nancy Kerrigan when I read this in The Times article:

Even the outpouring of affection for the monarchy occasionally bemused her. During the Sussexes’ tour of Australia and the South Pacific in 2018, hundreds of people turned out to wait outside the Sydney Opera House to welcome the couple. A source claimed that Meghan said to the team: “What are they all doing here? It’s silly.”

 

[MacMadame]

This is a video from people who interviewed royal experts BEFORE the Oprah interview aired asking them to give their opinion on it.

https://youtu.be/T_j35t3GCsk

If you haven't watched this, you should. It's both hysterical and sad at the same time.

Also, I suspect it's not the first time so-called experts have accepted money to appear on a program to talk about something they haven't seen and/or know nothing about.

 

[Judy]

Yeah, I made it to the part about the “high end” Hudson Bay and I nearly busted a gut laughing so much.

In Toronto it kinda is. I haven’t been there in many years but it was pretty huge and fancy. Just many floors with stuff they don’t sell in my city. Just so big.

 

[AxelAnnie]

I know it is.but it doesn’t mean folks we’re out to get her because she was African American.

Also that kind of situation isnt just s race thing.

Meghan is not African American. She is bi-racial. I still think Meghan was disappointed to discover she was not on the top pf the pyramid and cried "RACE". Forgetting she flaunted some rather important issues of decorum. Tennis anyone? Ginormous baby shower? Meghan showed a blatant lack of sensitivity to the British people. And the royal family. And the criticisms of those actions had nothing to do with her ethnic background.

 

[allezfred]

If anyone is in any doubt to the extent that the British Royal Family will go to to squash anything that puts them in a bad light, here is something way pre-Meghan...

European newspapers withdrawn in the UK

The French media today has questioned the freedom of press in the UK after several French newspapers were blocked from distribution in the UK because they reported on an alleged royal sex-affair.

euobserver.com