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Original poster

To think Kate and William saw Harry and Meghan as a real threat to their image?

491 replies

BluntPinkNewt · 09/08/2025 11:32

From the moment Harry and Meghan got together, the media attention was huge. Meghan was glamorous, charismatic, and had a strong public presence - something the royal family hadn’t seen before from an outsider. For a while, it felt like they were the most exciting and modern part of the monarchy.

Kate and William have always been the “stable” and “traditional” royals but suddenly, Harry and Meghan were drawing attention in a way that might have made them seem more relatable and interesting in comparison. The shift in public perception (and maybe even palace dynamics) must have been unsettling.

Obviously things have played out the way they have but AIBU to think that, at least at the time, William and Kate felt genuinely threatened by how much attention and influence Harry and Meghan were gaining?

OP posts:
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SteakBakesAndHotTakes · 09/08/2025 17:44

It was clearly the other way around

OrangeAxolotyl · 09/08/2025 17:43

Redheadedstepchild · 09/08/2025 17:28

She was always quite far down the line though, as I think the rules for female succession only got changed after Charlotte was born.

I suppose you could argue the same thing about Margeret being nowhere near the throne but at the time of their growing up, she was Elizabeth's only spare.

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No. From her mother's accession in 1952 until the birth of Andrew, she was the Spare. Second in line.

EmeraldShamrock000 · 09/08/2025 17:39

MikeRafone · 09/08/2025 17:07

I will add there was a lot of talk before news from within that Meghan was a poddle princess, a difficult character thats wasn't popular - a bit like Princess Margaret

Well the Royal family do like to allow talks from within, drip into media, especially if they need a wee distraction, stop the media focusing on sweet Andrew, the Royal perverted Prince.

Poor bloody Margaret had a wee break from the family scapegoat, while Meghan was the target.

Helpmeplease2025 · 09/08/2025 17:33

NewAgeNewMe · 09/08/2025 17:32

If I could see from the engagement interview that Meghan was trouble (the family she never had) then I’m sure the RF could see.

If you fall out with both sides of your family then maybe the problem is you.

This. One family member at your wedding, and a load of celebs you’ve never met is the biggest red flag. And now he’s done the same with his family.

They’re really irrelevant now though. Nothing has an impact now

NewAgeNewMe · 09/08/2025 17:32

If I could see from the engagement interview that Meghan was trouble (the family she never had) then I’m sure the RF could see.

If you fall out with both sides of your family then maybe the problem is you.

Redheadedstepchild · 09/08/2025 17:28

OrangeAxolotyl · 09/08/2025 14:53

To be fair, Anne was the Spare for a while, then went down the los, like the others. She didn't go that way, so she has bucked that trend.

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She was always quite far down the line though, as I think the rules for female succession only got changed after Charlotte was born.

I suppose you could argue the same thing about Margeret being nowhere near the throne but at the time of their growing up, she was Elizabeth's only spare.

IdaGlossop · 09/08/2025 17:25

jmh740 · 09/08/2025 17:24

I visited madame tussauds in London last week mayor or London and harry and megan were only ones who didn't have people queuing up for photoes

A bit of a sad image.

jmh740 · 09/08/2025 17:24

I visited madame tussauds in London last week mayor or London and harry and megan were only ones who didn't have people queuing up for photoes

MikeRafone · 09/08/2025 17:07

I will add there was a lot of talk before news from within that Meghan was a poddle princess, a difficult character thats wasn't popular - a bit like Princess Margaret

MikeRafone · 09/08/2025 17:05

BluntPinkNewt · 09/08/2025 11:44

From her first public appearances - Invictus Games, the engagement interview, and her early royal engagements, she brought a different energy and style that got a lot of media attention. Whether people liked her or not, she clearly made an impact.

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Didn't you think that Diana had got something about her in her first appearances - I mean as they appeared on the tv and newspapers? To say no-one had come along that was different before as an outsider I find odd - when it was only the generation before that had this very thing happen. Whatever we all thought about Diana she brought a difference to the family

Illegally18 · 09/08/2025 17:01

ARichtGoodDram · 09/08/2025 14:51

This has always been the way with women in the royal family and the press and it's quite ridiculous really.

Diana was loved and then the press turned on her a bit.
Fergie was a "breath of fresh air" and loved for her fun personality, right until they turned on her for being unprofessional and slated for her weight.
Anne is either the dependable workhorse with frugal finances or a dreary and boring (and if they're against her the dangerous dog issue will be brought up).
Sophie was another breath of fresh air, looks compared to Diana but her personality was calm and sensible, until she was a greedy commoner who didn't understand how things worked and shouldn't copy Diana's hairstyle. She's now very much back in favour with the media.

Camilla - well her ride with the press has been an absolute rollercoaster.

Then Kate was young and exciting and fresh. Then she was lazy and work shy. Then she was elegant and the classic English rose.

Around the time of Kate and William's wedding it was the York sisters that became the punchbag.

Then it became Meghan's turn. It's constant.

The habit of pitching two of the most high profile women at the time against each other is also a constant.

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Absolutely true!

KatieNutKins · 09/08/2025 16:51

Don’t be ridiculous. Harry and MeeeAgain Meghan are self centred, nasty and spiteful. There is nothing glamorous or charismatic about MeeeAgain Meghan. They are no threat to Kate and William’s image. None whatsoever!

Outig · 09/08/2025 16:51

The Firm has always cared about public perception

Considering how unpopular Harry and Meghan are on both sides of the pond, the Firm have had a lucky escape. William and Catherine are consistently the most popular royals.

PotolKimchi · 09/08/2025 16:49

To me there are three things that have happened to the H&M supporters:

When they first left the RF H&M jumped on an anti RF bandwagon. And it brought them money and fame. But quickly realised it was double edged and have now spent some time distancing themselves from version 2020-2021. No more mention of Archie’s skin colour or why he didn’t have a title (which a Google search could have answered). Harry then said, ah they are not racist. Just a bit of unconscious bias (over the Lady Hussey incident which even Buck Palace thought was egregious). Now the recent BBC interview by Harry etc. This is a very very different narrative to one they started out with.

So the Sussex Squad are a bit stuck. They reserve their ire for W&K but are a bit careful about the RF because it is clear that H&M do want a piece of the pie.

When H&M left their supporters said, just you wait. It’s a matter of time till they do great things. They got a Netflix contract. A Spotify one. A book deal. An Oprah interview. And one by one all of it has basically fizzled out. With no ‘help’ from the RF at all. All of their own doing. So now we are left with: ‘they are living their best life’ rhetoric rather than H&M are going to be global superstars who will eclipse the RF.

The Sussex Squad also spent a LOT of time talking about poor Meghan and the media. And then totally lost their moral high ground over Kate M’s illness. (If we accept for a second they did have the high ground up to that point). From allegations of domestic abuse to body doubles, eating disorder, there was all of it.

BunnyLake · 09/08/2025 16:47

mydogisthebest · 09/08/2025 16:07

Meghan is a million times more glamourous than Kate

I don’t think either are glamourous. Kate always looks very well turned out but that’s not the same as being glamourous. Meghan doesn’t have the pizzazz to be called glamorous either. Princess Margaret, although a bit of a snooty one, was glamourous.

Cublaca · 09/08/2025 16:47

BluntPinkNewt · 09/08/2025 12:19

Oh absolutely, Diana’s global profile was unmatched in her time. I meant that Meghan’s was a different type of profile - coming from an established career in entertainment and activism before marrying in, which is rare for modern royals. That contrast is what I think created the disruption.

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What established career? She was the last on the call sheet on Suits (some episodes she had five minutes of screentime, and that series was a glorified soap at best) and was being written out the show because her love interest wanted to leave. She is a mediocre actress at best and was getting too old for the hot chick roles. The day she met Harry she won the lottery.

I am not going to go into the activism part because is laughable.

jumpingthehighjump · 09/08/2025 16:42

ToWhitToWhoo · 09/08/2025 16:11

Doubt it. William is heir to the throne, not a political candidate. He and Kate don't need to worry about their 'image'.

Well...maybe they should?
They are notorious for being workshy, do they not care about that aspect of their image?

The monarchy survives because of its popularity or approval by the Great British public. They are lucky enough not to have questions about the Monarchy in parliament but public approval is key to their existence

Outig · 09/08/2025 16:42

No, Meghan and Harry couldn’t stand not being equal to William and Kate, who I suspect saw right through Meghan from very early on. It’s even more obvious now they are trying to replicate some semblance of a copycat Royal life in the US.

BunnyLake · 09/08/2025 16:42

KellySeveride · 09/08/2025 16:09

Because I like an underdog, but mostly I fully believe that the media are trying to engineer hatred and I don’t like being told what to think!

I think W and C are boring as fuck and I think H and M have a bit of personality and a bit of spunk and I respect that even if I don’t always agree with everything they’ve said or done.

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Underdog? I wouldn’t mind being an underdog who could afford a $16mill mansion, private jet travel, £100mill contract with Netflix, £20 mill contract with Spotify, own show on Netflix etc. Underdog? Yes please.

LucyMonth · 09/08/2025 16:38

toiletpiper · 09/08/2025 11:49

I think they were threatened or at least their aides were. Harry was very popular & Meghan was ready to speak publicly etc due to her job whereas Kate needed years of training which would be the norm.

I actually think they would have been a great foursome, something for everyone. For some reason the aides, press, etc pit Royals against each other.

It’s the absolute opposite. Meghan thought she would be fine as a member of the royal family, because she was already a celebrity and already used to the press.

She’s admitted herself she has no idea what the UK press was like and what the very specific expectations are of royal family members. It was one of the reason she was/is so disliked. This loud, brash American swanning into the demure and modest British royal family. Now she certainly isn’t the loudest and brashest American we’ve seen, but by royal family standards she was crass.

BunnyLake · 09/08/2025 16:37

jumpingthehighjump · 09/08/2025 14:37

Yes, William and Kate don't have charisma at all.

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Didn’t say they did.

PotolKimchi · 09/08/2025 16:26

We could just abolish the monarchy and all the royal titles and make sure the next generation don’t benefit from ANY inherited wealth and have to get jobs. ALL of them. Including the ones in California hoping for a windfall…

Spectre8 · 09/08/2025 16:19

I thin Kate and William are doing enough on their own o be a threat to their own image...they are permanently on holiday..maybe the sovereign grant can be slashed by 50% especially as we have a big financial hole to fill and strong down the barrel of even more taxes after all. Be nice of them to actually help their subjects out.

PotolKimchi · 09/08/2025 16:16

A bit of spunk? Really?? Is our bar for celebrity worship that low?!
Did they demonstrate that spunk by

  • wanting to collaborate with the Queen
  • making sure they had Royal titles for their kids
  • complaining on Oprah when in their 40s their father stopped subsidising them
  • making sure they have an ‘office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’?
I mean I don’t think William and Kate do very much. But let’s not glorify Meghan and Harry as anything other than very rich and entitled people who are mad because they could not be entitled on THEIR terms and had to fall in line with a hierarchy.
mydogisthebest · 09/08/2025 16:16

LogiLogi · 09/08/2025 14:15

No, I think they were probably looking forward to Harry getting married to someone who brought out the best in him & starting a family - enjoying life as an extended family with their children and people who could share the load of their working life. It has all been a crushing disappointment.

Meghan can be very polished but was inconsistent in that - as was Catherine I suppose to start with but not to the same extent. I'm not sure about glamorous - or why that would unsettle them? Meghan is a very attractive woman but even with maximum effort she was never going to be considered more attractive than Catherine. Even if Harry had married someone who could be percieved as more attractive/glamorous/polished that Catherine, I really don't think that would've bothered them.

It didn't take long for Meghan's 'charisma' to morph into almost the complete opposite and for Harry's dark side to come out more. I honestly can't think of a time where I viewed H&M as more relatable or interesting, or in any way in competition with W&C. They were just out doing the job, Meghan learning the ropes - an addition rather than a competition.

Edited

Meghan is a beautiful woman and certainly is more attractive and glamorous than Kate. I know plenty of people who think the same.

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