Harry and Meghan Debacle

[RosesandIris]

Following on from Harry and Meghan Biography

I found the video so awkward - really cringe. She doesn't interact with her son very naturally at all, and as others have observed, she was mostly focused on the camera.

@TheClootieDumplin I grew up in a hot climate and don’t agree with what you say. Obviously everyone dresses up their babies how they want, especially at home. But that outfit isn’t a very usual one for a one year old who is crawling and starting to walk. A bit more coverage is more comfortable and hygienic for toddling around. Meghan is in long sleeves. Do you really think it’s that boiling that he couldn’t wear some bloomers? It’s clearly a statement!

I’ve lived in a hot climate for more than 4 decades and brought 5 children up in it also.

Archie was perfectly dressed for the heat.

@feesh why would you pop over shorts if you were going out? Surely it was the same temperature or hotter outside?
Was it because they would be seen by people outside - a bit like being filmed for something that’s going to be seen by millions of people?

The less they wear, the better, in terms of crawling around. Especially on slippy tiled floors - clothes make the tiles even slippier.

You need to stop talking so much sense 😉

I only ever popped a pair of shorts over the top if we were going out.

Was that to make the child look more dressed and 'presentable' so to speak to the public? I agree a pair of shorts would have been nice. It does look like underwear, or it was in fact considered so when mine were small, and like feesh I'd put shorts or leggings on when going out or being seen by others.

She doesn't interact with her son very naturally at all, and as others have observed, she was mostly focused on the camera.

I agree.

Hamsterian

Just watched it. Archie is cute. But yes she was reading to the camera, not to him.

It's currently 28C where I live. Try to put shorts on a baby and get them to stay on for more than 5'.

I found the video so awkward - really cringe. She doesn't interact with her son very naturally at all, and as others have observed, she was mostly focused on the camera.

I think it was awkward because she attempted to read the entire story from start to finish and had to rush places when it was clear Archie was losing interest and kept having to address the camera as if she was reading "us" the story as well. One year olds have zero attention span so reading then a story usually means skipping all over a book to the page they want or moving onto another book.

To give them benefit of the doubt, the awkward reading seems like something that may have been agreed upon with the charity, and proved harder to execute in real life than in a brainstorming session. It would have been better if they edited together the best parts, even if that meant skipping bits of the story. I don't think anyone managed to follow the story anyway...it mainly consisted of her shouting Duck! Rabbit! and trying to show pages to the camera and Archie at the same time.

If they didn't promote the charity and just wanted to post the video as a private update, it would have appeared a lot more natural...Meghan only reading to Archie and not always having to show the book and make eye contact with the camera. The best parts of the clip were the candid shots at the end where you hear Harry talk and then Archie looks up and smiles.

MM seems to have lost the point of the video which is to endear herself to the audience.

What we see instead is MM trying to apply “professionalism”.

I feel sorry for her.

I also think what we saw was poorly chosen and very much about Meghan. Harry was obviously filming and ensured Meghan rather than Archie was constantly in shot. All round Aunty Catherine could have done a much better job. And as for the vest, yes, very much a statement. Everything they do is a statement and they expect it to be scrutinised. The very plain vest to me says loud and clear Archie isn’t royalty and very much like everyone else. Except he isn’t... And they don’t want him to be.

My two oldest dcs lived in a hot country when they were little and I dressed them in a very similar way to Archie. However when they started crawling and learning to walk, I put leggings on as they were getting filthy knees!

I think Archie looks a lot like Harry. He’s long in the body and looks like he will be tall like his Dad. Very interesting choice of photo from Clarence House.

I found the video so awkward - really cringe Would you have said that about others, or just because it was Meghan?

I think some of you are being a little bit harsh about the video. I can’t see anything wrong with it. It’s part of a campaign for Save The Children. The interaction between Meghan and Archie is sweet. The only bit of negativity I can inject into this is that I wish they’d dressed Archie in a T-shirt and shorts. He won’t be too happy at his nappy being flashed to the world in years to come, but maybe this is all part of their pared back image and Harry is actually in the noddy behind the camera which is why we don’t see him.

What others, who else has posted a video reading to the camera their child?

It's currently 28C where I live. Try to put shorts on a baby and get them to stay on for more than 5'.

I never had an issue with any of our children taking shorts off. We never had them in just a diaper, either a onesy or shorts/pants/skirt with top, or a dress.

They’re in a mansion, which will have aircon. The temperature outside is a bit of a moot point. They chose to dress Archie in what basically amounts to underwear and film it for millions and millions of viewers to watch.

7worfs

#SaveWithStories is the Save the Children campaign. It’s all up there on IG.

No thisenglishlife I would have said it no matter who is was. The video was amateurish and awkward IMO. Why do you ask?

I’m not a fan of theirs (private jets, billing the UK for the security and Frogmore), but I thought it was a perfectly nice video. It was for charity so I assume she wanted viewers to feel included so was showing the pages (a shorter board book might have been better). I always read to my kids in dramatic voices (& accents), it would be odd if she was reading it flat (& would be called a bad actress if she did).

No issue from me from what he’s wearing - it’s already pretty hot in southern California, even with air conditioning they’ll dress him for being in and out of the house. He’s a baby, so I don’t see the problem with seeing his nappy. He’s hardly going to be in a wee suit is he? By age 2 it might seem a bit less seemly, but he has the look of a baby not a small child at this stage.

He does look like Harry - maybe genetics will be kind to him and he’ll grow to look more like his mum. I’ve never thought Harry was a looker.

I haven’t and won’t watch the video. I’ve seen the stills and read what y’all have written.

Not AT ALL surprised that MM is center stage.

I‘m familiar with LA weather at this time of year. He’s dressed just fine, as long as he’s not in direct sunlight (which I’m sure he isn’t).

They’ve used something they put together for another purpose. They haven’t marked his birthday in the traditional royal way: formal(ish) portrait released from an official account (they don’t have one). They want to signal they’re done with all that - this is modern royalty. Not formal, nothing staid, relaxed/chill/cool/just like normal people, relatable.

Not only have they not marked it in the traditional royal way, they haven’t made a special effort at all: back yard, onesie, garden chair.

Without the royal connection, Archie is just an adorable little toddler being read to by his mother. Why would anyone care? People are interested BECAUSE of the royal connection. And they don’t think royalty is so inherently wonderful that it will shine through the child while he’s being filmed wearing nothing more than a onesie. So conceited. The people WANT to look to royalty for something different. If they’re no different from us - and let’s be clear, Archie is no more or less adorable than any other 1yo on the planet - who the fuck cares? Why do we have royalty at all?

And if they’re breaking free of royalty, why the fuck have they released even a recycled video of the boy in his onesie??

They’re so messed up. Haven’t thought it through. They’re doing all this for the fans who follow z-list celebs, give insta likes like they breathe, vacant idolization. There’s no substance to it. Fits them just right.

Tbf in those pictures no one else seems to be trying to read to the camera with a one year old on their lap. Meghan would probably have done a good job of just reading the story to the camera, or alternatively a video of her reading to Archie (with no camera interaction) would have been sweet. But trying to do the two together doesn’t work. It’s no one’s fault, but it doesn’t work.

I wonder if they were tied into that story for some reason. As a few pp have said, a shorter book like the 'That's not my...' books would have been better.

ArchePenguin I don’t do Insta but from the stills it looks a different setup.
Anyhow, they’re probably all twats.