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

[BluntPinkNewt]

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?

Lol, seriously? 😂 Kate and William are future king snd queen, I doubt they care about popularity contests . Funny though.

I doubt it. After reading a thread on here I just went and checked out Meghan's as ever stuff. It all looks like a poorly done PR campaign. I don't think W and K have anything to worry about.

Doubt they gave a shit to be honest.

Who cares.

Much lolz. No contest, Kate and William win all day, everyday.

YABU not to post this stuff on the Royal Family board.

Charismatic and glamorous? Since when?

I highly doubt the future King and Queen feel threatened by the wannabes.

Id say the opposite, they would have loved to share the load with another couple and leave them concentrate on their kids.

Being future king and queen doesn’t mean they’re immune to human feelings like competitiveness or image management, especially when the press plays favourites. The Firm has always cared about public perception.

I would have thought they were grateful, someone else was attracting the attention away from them for a while? It can’t be pleasant living in a fish bowl of the world’s press?

As a pp has said, W and K always knew, where they were in the pecking order and financial resources in the RF, once William took over the Duchy of Cornwall, never mind if he becomes King!

Why on earth should they give a toss. They are the ones who will become King and Queen.

Surely the evidence suggests it was M&H who were competitive - remember when W&K dropped out of the procession for the Commonwealth service because H&M had thrown their toys out the pram

Meghan has all the charisma of a potato. As for the Royal Family not having seen charisma and glamour before from an outsider before, have you ever heard of Lady Diana Spencer? Anthony Armstrong-Jones?

No, because I don’t ever remember it being positive attention.

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.

Nailed it

I think, if they had any sense, they’d have known from experience that the media is shallow and also follows pretty clear patterns.

When Kate married William, there were stories about how the York sisters didn’t like her because she was so glamorous and beautiful and took attention away from them. That narrative pretty much completely disappeared a while ago.
Fergie and Diana had similar stories as well.
Whoever Harry married would have had stories about how they didn’t get along with Kate and isn’t Kate so jealous because the new wife is a) so similar to Kate that she feels threatened, or b) so different to Kate that she feels threatened.

I’m sure in 20 years Charlotte will also apparently be so jealous of a new sister in law. It’s so tediously predictable we could write the headlines now.

No. If there was any perceived 'threat', it would have been the other way around. William and Catherine have absolutely nothing to be worried about.

I feel pity for Harry, though, and I wish he was able to recognise what has/is being done to him. I'd welcome him and his children back to the UK.

I think the future king may well feel threatened by them but not because of his or their popularity but more because of the possibility of them damaging the reputation of the, (especially his and his son's) monarchy during the next forty years. I'd imagine seeing the effects Andrew's actions have had on monarchy's reputation presumably plays a big part. Not sure there's any more to it than that. I don't think there's any concern re serious scandals but just concerns that publicity will be ongoing for years in a time where anything and everything from that which is clearly totally true to that which is clearly absolute rubbish can and will attract the same media presence.

Though why any country has a monarchy is beyond me anyway tbh! ...

Possibly but the royals have always been aware that public favour is a kind of currency. Even if they knew their rank was secure, losing the spotlight to a newer, more dynamic couple might still have felt like a threat to their long-term image and influence.

"glamorous, charismatic, and had a strong public presence - something the royal family hadn’t seen before from an outsider."

Oh yes, they have seen it before. You're basically describing Diana. She had the whole package and wanted to modernise things too. Charles was utterly consumed with jealousy about the attention she received.

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.

Even if the public saw H and M as exciting and glamorous and W and K as a bit staid and boring, it’s irrelevant as W and K get the top jobs and staid, traditional and perhaps a bit dull are the qualities required for the role.