Royal style & gossip: strawberries, serves and sartorial splendour - anyone for tennis?

[QueenOfTheAndals]

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Also think H&M’s PR advisor is shit - totally mixed messages.

They should say - once and upfront - what their plans are for them being public and Archie being private. None of this “we’ll tell you as stuff comes up”...seriously, they have so many advisors and a PR bod. Anne didn’t find it this baffling.

The public don’t generally like drip feeding or uncertainty... or baby jigsaw puzzles... or saying we should be green while taking private jets... press announcements about non events and privacy... Harry in particular should know better, he’s been in this long enough.

Thought H&M would be like two Max’s... instead feels a bit Andrew and Fergie, but adding all the excitement of an unwanted shart. It’s all gone from a lot of hype to not much.

Worst PR... it’s boring.

Carol rocks the orange! Wonder what they use (can’t be natural?!)

Haven't they said Archie will be a private citizen? I assumed it from the fact he hasn't got a title. I mean he'll have one eventually, but he wasn't made an earl or viscount at birth.

“All the excitement of an unwanted shart”

Seriously though, I wish they’d just decide to become private figures. All this constant “we’re not telling you” is childish and faintly irritating.

All we want to see is cute baby pictures and nice frocks

Also, was the meghans grenfell cookbook really that successful? In the context of the disaster that preceded it I feel like it should have done better than half a million on its own merits? Before the involvement of a royal duchess? I know nothing about publishing though so maybe that’s a good figure?

I just wanted more Max’s!!! Is that too much to ask?!

Archie didn't get a title because he wasn't entitled to one. No other reason.

Not announcing stuff? Fine. Announcing you're not announcing stuff? Batshit crazy PR.

As much as we'd like to see cute baby photos, we aren't really owed them. H&M do all the necessary royal work - charities, family events, galas, tours, all the handshaking etc. So what more do people expect? Their child is a private citizen, let him have his privacy.

@AnneEyhtMeyer I think he was entitled to use one of Harry's - earl of something? Dumbarton?

Archie was entitled to a courtesy title, as with the eldest son of any Duke (or other peer with subsidiary titles) - in this case he would have been Earl of Dumbarton, as James is Viscount Severn.

@QueenOfTheAndals

Archie is the son of a Duke. Even if he didn't use his father's lesser titles, he's automatically entitled to be known as 'Lord Archie' and he could choose to style himself as such when he's older.

Sorry yes you're right. But not a Royal title.

Archie is going to be christened in a small private ceremony by the Archbishop of Canterbury

Jesus, you could not make up this shit. It’s like a Private Eye cover

I mean, Meghan felt sorry for Kate in her heels and blowdry posing on the steps of the hospital; holding her newborn.
We all expected Meghan to be barefoot, in yoga pants holding her newborn..

Instead Meghan showed “poor Kate” how to pose in heels and blowdry, with a newborn, in a Castle.

Meghan & Harry are trying so hard to be Private Global Superstars; that they really do not know their arses from their elbows.

I give it Maximum 18 months before this PR disaster is sacked and they appoint an old school Private Secretary.

I hadn't thought of it like that @CurlyWurlyTwirly but you are absolutely spot on. Laughable.

@CurlyWurlyTwirly yes! Exactly this!

I'm starting to wonder if Harry is so jealous of William getting to be king he's decided to destroy the monarchy before big bro gets the fancy hat.

Anne off to The Tower with you

I’d bet £50 that Harry is finding it really hard being even more of a spare... it’s only going to get more “spare”y for him!

I’d bet another £50 that MM is ten times more professional than him. She has a history of running an IG account and surely knows PR from her time in Hollywood.

Whereas this PR is a really really odd mix...

Will there be an after christening reception for 500 of their closest friends?

@AdaColeman - a private Christening reception for 500 of their closest privacy-loving friends.

The PR is appalling! Surprised HM hasn’t called them in for a dressing down.

This is so weird.. a friend just sent me some list given to the Fail of probable godparents... they were all at the wedding, what’s the issue? She’s copy pasted that Mulroney “definitely” won’t be a godparent? Thought that’d be a given tbh.

What an odd news story, what’s the purpose of all this mystery?

If Harry is being protective...and then having to backtrack... a la hospital steps/ eventual baby unveiling... it’s just messy. The W&K method of releasing limited pics and not saying anything else works well, not sure why Harry doesn’t stick to that (eg pics only on christening, birthdays, first day of school) - then the rest of Archie’s life can be private, no more bloody press releases about nothing. Have W&K ever issued press releases about their kids?

Remember when Harry issued a press release telling people to back off MM, before any of us had heard of them as a couple? He needs to do targeted responses for trolls, and just chill the f out with the rest of us

I think it's a big mistake not to release the names of the godparents.

The public have the right to know what people are considered close enough to H&M to fill this role, that they haven't chosen individuals who have a shady or sleazy past or present, or dodgy friends, or if they have picked people with ties to unsavoury political regimes. How would we feel about one of the scions of the House of Saud as a godparent?

If you're going to avail of the privileges afforded by membership of the RF you owe it to society to be transparent about the people in your close circle - people have the right to know who gets the benefit of association with you when they are supporting you financially and when part of your job is to represent the country.

people have the right to know who gets the benefit of association with you when they are supporting you financially and when part of your job is to represent the country.

^ This

Also; it is not part of your job H&M’s job; for which they are paid; / supported via the sovereign grant / duchy of Cornwall etc is to represent this country.

(And before people say; oh it’s the Queens personal money; the royals did not pay any taxes for generations. It’s only since the Windsor Castle fire; I think that the Queen has paid any tax.)

Another little aside for you, gleaned from my farmer neighbours in France. The second biggest landowner in France, after the billionaire Prince of Monaco; is actually the Queen of England. The RF are worth billions.

Meant to add it is their job to represent the Country.

I think the Queen is being canny, letting them forge their own path.
She did it with Sophie and Edward with their TV production and pr companies. They both folded and the Wessexes have been full time Royals for almost 20 years.

With the Cambridges; it was a their decision to not have a nanny. I think that lasted a couple of months Max.

With Meghan and Harry, I actually think it Prince Harry who may be driving this agenda, but it is completely at odds with the global publicity drive which appears to have more of Meghan’s approach ; Instagram; American pr etc.

What happened to the Notting Hill Guy.? If he is still with the Cambridges; he is doing an excellent job.

Prince Harry’s christening photos

Prince Andrew and Lady Sarah Chatto are 2 of his godparents.