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?

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

Are you joking? All the glamour that family has ever had has come from 'outsiders'!

I don’t disagree that Kate has always been cautious with the media but even with that strategy, someone else suddenly becoming the centre of attention could still have shifted the dynamics. It’s less about “falling into a trap” and more about how public perception can create pressure inside the Firm.

Am I fan of Kate M? Erm no. Also not a royalist.
But she’s very straightforward. She comes from wealth, went to private school, has a plummy accent, studied Art History, got lucky and married a Prince who will be King, is evidently a devoted mother, wears nice elegant not massively fashionable clothes. Is she trying to be a global fashion icon, philanthropist, inspirational speaker? Nope.
What you see is what you get with her…

I find all 4 of them boring. I don't see anything entertaining about Megan and Harry.

Nor you! No need to either!
I am a reader. You do you!

lol, at least use all those reading skills to come up with an original response 😆😆

Charismatic? Hardly.

True but the kind of glamour Meghan brought was different in style and context. Past outsiders like Diana or Grace-Kelly type figures brought a more traditional, aristocratic glamour, whereas Meghan’s was rooted in modern celebrity culture and global media. That contrast is part of why it stood out at the time.

No they didn’t see them as a threat. They would have been well aware of the extra publicity that surrounds shiny new people in the RF. they would also have been aware that Meghan’s charm was fake and would be seen through before long. They are also the future king and queen so it would be like the hereditary vice CEO feeling threatened by a new Area Manager who could never become CEO.

I highly doubt Wills and Catherine were remotely threatened by Harry and Megs.
They were a new flavour for a while and it was exciting having a royal wedding but the scales fell from everyone's eyes pretty quickly.

They are the future monarchs and expected to be working alongside them.
Funny how it all turned out.

more about how public perception can create pressure inside the Firm.
You don't get to be a centuries-old institution by panicking over short-term issues. They've always had to deal with public perception.

If K and W were at all concerned about the great popularity of M and H at the beginning (a big if) it would be because they saw right through M very early on.

At the time of the engagement interview I said to my friends that M wouldn't last in the role or in this country, though I could never have foreseen quite how badly she and H would behave.

Er Princess Margaret?

Unless you watched Suits (which I didn't) nobody, and I mean NOBODY knew who she was, so she was hardly giving much more than a cable actress.
Not remotely comparable to Grace Kelly or Diana.

I recall seeing the engagement interview and being amazed at how she made it all about her. If one's marrying into any family isn't it usual to take it slowly at first rather than side-lining the partner as she did? Whether she liked it or not at that moment Harry was the senior person in the relationship but her constant pawing, touching and talking over him made her ambitions quite clear. I rather liked her before then, I'd never heard of her or Suits but she seemed to be the ideal person for Harry and in the future the four of them, W, K, H and M could take the RF forward together. Clearly W and K will be the main pair as King and Queen but H and M's role in supporting them and developing their own distinct roles would have been ideal.

Charisma’s subjective - plenty of people found her engaging and magnetic early on, even if others didn’t. The intense media attention and public fascination at the time suggest she made a strong impression, whether positive or negative.

I haven’t read the full thread but some royalist responses here are just hilarious
You claim W and K are unbothered ?
Nothing says ‘unbothered ‘ like having your assistant follow - what was it ? - about 1,400 Meghan related accounts !
Nothing says ‘unbothered’ like buying bot farms to boost your PR social media ‘responses’ - see the multiple identical posts defending Williams lazy ass when he falls to turn up yet again

But that’s all a side show . I want rid of the Windsors or at least to stop the billions they take year on year .
They clearly all hate each other - look at the tit for tat leaks all summmer long . William and Kate in their 7th holiday on a borrowed ( from whom?) yacht . Then a leak about Charles and his temper Then a leak about Camilla on another yacht .

One thing Harry was right about - they all use the media to bitch about each other .
And for this we pay half a billion a year ?
Plus the millions William and Charles pocket from the NHS and charities - oops that’s the Duchys isn’t it and this better not ask any questions about their unpaid tax peasant - that’s Sir to you !

Style? Both Kate and Megan's clothing and style get attention in media.

Megan is not charismatic at all. She has nothing else to talk than herself. To be honest, Kate has shown a consistent interest in chikdrwn's early years. Harry used to be charismatic when he started invictus game or when he did an event with W &k and talked about mental health issues.
Now he has nothing else to talk than his grievance with his family.
Have you seen Megan's video with Mindy Kalling? She just talks about herself. I find people who talk too.much about themselves incredibly boring.

One thing Harry was right about - they all use the media to bitch about each other .

They clearly do this, but why? Just to get in the press? Such a dysfunctional family, maybe that's what so many find appealing!

Starting to think that OP is Meghan on a salvage mission

You or I would also would have had global attention if we’d been marrying Harry. It was never about Meghan personally, it was just tailored to her, like it would have been for you or me.

I think yes and no …. Why can’t it be both ….

I think at the beginning W & K were probably a bit worried about like the new shiny colleague that comes in with the fresh ideas and you think dammit why didn’t I think of that…. But after a few months the shine disappears and you realise they are human

Also I think they thought yes …. We can take a break and someone else take the heat for a bit while we be with our kids

I think the whole scenario is sad H & M could have been an asset and they could have played supporting roles to w & k … which let’s face it living in a castle with security and no need to worry about bills while someone else is in the hot seat sounds like heaven …. There is a reason there is a saying don’t bite the hand that feeds you

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.
Not to me. My first impression of Meghan was how totally unsuitable for Harry she was.
She's pretty but came across as fake.

Lol at Meghan having a "strong" public presence. She was a minor C list celeb at best. And she's the opposite of charismatic. Repellent I think might be the word.

Kate has shown a consistent interest in chikdrwn's early years.

Seriously?! I don't mind Kate but the childcare stuff is a lot of fluff.