To be completely bored of the constant coverage of Harry and Meghan

[Frenchpastry]

It's just too much! Way too much media focus on a them and all their drama. There's a global pandemic, explosions, oil spills etc. etc. etc. There are so many more important things going on in the World than a bunch of over-priviledged plebs and their family drama. It's not interesting, it's not relevant to the rest of the World and it's not in any way beneficial to anyone to keep speculating about them. I get that some people may find it interesting but so interesting it dominates headlines for months on end?!?

I should point out, I'm moaning about the media's obsession rather than them as an individual couple; whilst I'm not a fan of theirs by any stretch, it's the ridiculous number of articles I've seen about them across different news sites that's bugging me. Surely there's not that much to say about them?!

Why all this sudden acceptance of their privileged position?

Money and power doesn't cancel out misogyny and racism (along with a good dose of xenophobia and 'damaged goods' from being divorced). Im getting quite sick of women being told they have 'privilege' just because they aren't chained to the oven or live in abject poverty.

If you cant see how women are treated in the media, regardless of background, unless they're pretty much Sainted (or used again another woman) then you're part of the problem. As I said up thread, there is currently a huge culture of hating women who speak up or speak out, generally complain or have grievance about anything. Kate represents everything a stereotypical woman should be - turn up, smile, be 'nice', never make a fuss, and never ever act like you have your own mind or opinions. That's everything Meghan isn't, and if we put women on a pedestal like we have Kate then most women will be set up to fail. Especially when you can drag up enough dirt from the past on that woman to build another cottage with.

She’s simply arguing they shouldn’t be named. Which given that they didn’t do anything illegal, aren’t on trial and the press are total vultures, seems like a principled move

Actually, given she chose to bring court proceedings, relying on them as key witness to support her story, (which is absolutely on trial, that's the whole point of it!) and meaning the friends now have to engage lawyers and incur costs themselves, and face the prospect of giving evidence on oath and being cross-examined. And she also was relying on the impact on them personally ("these young mothers do not deserve this") to convince the court that the ordinary process of open justice be set aside for now to protect them from a situation that she herself landed them in. Self-serving, I think rather than principled, but we can agree to differ on that.

Actually, given she chose to bring court proceedings

Against the paper, with excellent reason.

Time for this link again

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/19/there-is-a-reason-why-royals-demonised-but-wont-read-all-about-it-prince-harry-meghan-markle

Is now a good time to remind people that Kate spent tax payers money on moving a tennis court a few feet to one side to get a better view

It's an excellent time to remind us of that, as the only reason we know this is because Kate also got lambasted in the press for squandering tax payers' money to do so.

@Toptotoeunicolour

All the posters going on about 'it's not because of her race!' have still not explained why she is so intensely disliked, with evidence of what she has done to ignite such negativity towards her. Jeez I really think I don't care but it's a slow day so I'll bite... She has dumped her sick elderly father, sat sulkily at Wimbledon having had all the plebs from all around her removed, lacks the grace to invite any of her family to her wedding apart from her mother, put Oprah where her family should've been sitting (implies social climbing extraordinaire), denied her own mixed race heritage for a long time, flew on private jets whilst asserting eco credentials, spends unnecessarily extortionate amounts of tax payer money on clothes, flew all the way to South Africa to highlight the conditions of the people there but only managed to moan about how no-one asks how she is in spite of having staff to help with the baby, gets through said staff at a fairly brisk pace, allows taxpayer money to be spent refurbishing her home and paying for her wedding without any sense of duty or payback, spent the Disney premier touting for work when he should have been at a long standing prior engagement in honour of army vets. The whole idea that they can set up a foundation to serve charities and cream off some money for themselves to live their very expensive lifestyles. None of this has anything to do with her race. It's because people genuinely dislike her, if they are interested enough to pay any attention whatsoever. They dislike him these days too for exactly the same reasons. If he was like this before, it was certainly less noticeable. Both privileged hypocritical moaners. Yes they are seeking attention. They almost definitely colluded on this wretched book that has been reported in most of the major press, and have released their BLM and ecotourism videos too in the last few weeks. And her reading to Archie on his birthday. They are doing their best to remain current and in our faces and faux-virtuous. They are very irritating.

I wish we had a like button!!

She may well have had excellent reason to bring court proceedings. Loads and loads of people are in situations where their legal rights have been ignored. They don't all sue because of it, though. Often because they listen to their lawyers' advice about what a massively costly, stressful, and uncontrolled process litigation can be, with no guarantee you'll end up winning - and even if you win the war, you can lose enough battles along the way to make it not remotely worthwhile. Meghan chose to bring this proceeding, and she would have been advised as to what that would involve, including for her friends, but pressed on nonetheless. It's not looking like a wise decision now.

It's an excellent time to remind us of that, as the only reason we know this is because Kate also got lambasted in the press for squandering tax payers' money to do so.

No comparison of coverage of this versus the endless harping about Frogmore.

I disagree that it was in anyway necessary for them to move to Frogmore Cottage. I think everyone would have been ok with it had they actually lived in it.

It is an old property and would have required modernisation - yes. However it was only modernised for their benefit. I believe it now sits empty. So no - not a good use of money.

and if we put women on a pedestal like we have Kate then most women will be set up to fail. Kate is a very strong woman. You have to be to survive in the Royal Family. I don't put her on a pedestal though. Why would I? How she lives her life is nothing to do with how I live mine.
there is currently a huge culture of hating women who speak up or speak out, generally complain or have grievance about anything
Just because you write this sentence doesn't make it true. What culture are you talking about? I come from a culture where these qualities are highly prized.

Maybe because the Cambridges didn't also walk away from their roles mere months after the tennis courts were moved..?

I’d agree with the sexism, but there are female celebrities who manage. Even one in the royal family: Princess Anne always managed to get by.

Im getting quite sick of women being told they have 'privilege' just because they aren't chained to the oven or live in abject poverty.

There are miles of difference between being "privileged" and merely not being chained to the oven or live in abject poverty. The overwhelming majority of us fall in between those two extremes. Of course she is privileged, she is married to a prince and lives in luxury. Not that I would want any of it, but she obviously did. Good luck to her, but there is always a price to be paid in terms of duty/service. Given Kate has delivered duty/service, it is likely that she understood that was the deal before she went into it. Meghan is also free to give it all up and I'm sure everyone would wish them well (I certainly would) provided they then earn their own dosh and stop lecturing us all.

*highly prized in women I should say

Meghan chose to bring this proceeding, and she would have been advised as to what that would involve, including for her friends, but pressed on nonetheless. It's not looking like a wise decision now.

Did you read that link? It actually horrified me how much power the press have in this country and how corrupt and unaccountable they are.

Although it’ll be tough on her, she’s doing something hugely important and totally applaud her. She didn’t bring her friends into it, for reference. The paper, using all the dodgy tactics they can think of, did.

Maybe because the Cambridges didn't also walk away from their roles mere months after the tennis courts were moved..?

Like I say, given there are no long term gains for M&H, only the monarch, I don’t get the angst. It’s just another stick.

I’d agree with the sexism, but there are female celebrities who manage. Even one in the royal family: Princess Anne always managed to get by.

And Megahn evidently 'managed before she dated Harry, when she was 'just' a Hollywood actress. How she has been treated since then is beyond the usual media harassment. The woman was basically accused of poisoning children at her wedding, for goodness sake!

And the criticism of the money spent on Frogmore started long before they left.

And they paid for interiors themselves, the public money spent was on structural stuff.

@LaurieMarlow

Meghan chose to bring this proceeding, and she would have been advised as to what that would involve, including for her friends, but pressed on nonetheless. It's not looking like a wise decision now.

Did you read that link? It actually horrified me how much power the press have in this country and how corrupt and unaccountable they are.

Although it’ll be tough on her, she’s doing something hugely important and totally applaud her. She didn’t bring her friends into it, for reference. The paper, using all the dodgy tactics they can think of, did.

I read the link thanks you (I had read it before). I understand a great deal about how the media works in this country, thanks. This does not mean that all people it covers are themselves spotless.

I also know about litigation, for reference. The paper did not bring her friends into this at all. Meghan did. In her own claim when she stated as a fact that she relies upon that the People Article was “based on interviews given by five unnamed friends” but she “did not know that a number of her friends agreed to give an interview about her” but only “later discovered” this. This squared makes the five friends key witnesses of fact for her. When the defendant, quite appropriately, asked for full particulars of who they were, Meghan had no option but to provide their details. Which she did, but then came the application for orders that despite this, the defendant not publish this information. Which the judge has granted, for now.

And the criticism of the money spent on Frogmore started long before they left

Well, yes. They received pretty much the same treatment as other high profile royals in spending public money: it's a story the press will pick up on, and as ever, and a good stick to beat them with. And then that story would have stopped, as it did for William and Kate, except the Sussexes them announced they were leaving, and the house they'd had refurbished was now no longer going to be needed. This event did somewhat change the nature of their press coverage.

In her own claim when she stated as a fact that she relies upon that the People Article

But the paper themselves brought the People Article into it. In a (fairly unscrupulous) attempt to argue that they had the right to publish her private property.

I feel really sick they have now bought an 8 million property and not paid back re Frogmore Cottage, in other words our tax money

I feel far more sick about Prince Andrew spending £7.5M on Royal Lodge to include an indoor pool and 8 seperate accommodations for staff, then him resign from royal duties and not pay any of it back. Our tax money.
That's OK then is it?

oh LaurieMarlow it seems they can do no wrong in your eyes.
They are a couple of entitled idiots who do not know when they have got it good and just want more and more and more.

They have made mistake after mistake. 15 years from now they won't still be together and I would put money on Harry wanting to come back to the fold.

Well, yes. They received pretty much the same treatment as other high profile royals in spending public money

That’s just not true at all

Frogmore was due refurbishment, there are articles stating that, it was in a dodgy state, it was due to happen anyway.