Harry and Meghan Debacle

[RosesandIris]

Following on from Harry and Meghan Biography

I don't see any either. Nice try, Lizzie, now you'd better look for the thread you actually want to suddenly appear on to berate the participants. I think it may be the 'happy' thread

I agree with Annie. No matter what the temperature outside is, nor the aircon inside, they could easily have put Archie in something a bit more suitable for the short time of the video. Even baby surfer shorts would have been more cute than a nappy.

I felt Harry’s contribution at the end seemed very forced and artificial. It’s as though those two don’t really know how to perform in front of a camera without a director/advisor.

I felt Harry’s contribution at the end seemed very forced and artificial.

He was joining in with the duck noises too. They both needed to have been in shot if he was going to play an active part.

I’m not sure why MNHQ allow these nasty threads.

You obviously know far better than them what people should be permitted to talk about. Why don't you email them and tell them where they're going wrong? They might even pay you a consultancy fee!

Sorry I don't want to sound stupid or a bad mother but I never attempted to read books like that when my dcs were babies. It was usually fabric books with opportunities for sensory exploration or singing nursery rhymes. That book is more suitable for slightly older children, IMHO.

Wonder what take they were up to?

I couldn't put my finger on it but it was a bit awkward. The book wasn't right for a 1 year old, reading both to the camera and him didn't work, cheering at the end of a book was a bit weird, and the strange noises from Harry behind the camera were a bit odd. I din't really think much about what he was wearing but yes I would probably have put a few more clothes on him. I guess my whole impression was that it wasn't very natural at all. Are they used to reading to him?

Why would you cheer at the end if reading a book, just a bit strange.

I assumed the cheering was because Archie got to the end of it without any embarrassments.

I thought it a shame Harry wasn't included - after all lovely Archie has two parents, no?

In fact it could have been a better video if Harry was in it. Meghan could have read more easily and been more focused and Harry held Archie and entertained him a bit.

Security guys could have filmed it for them!

I thought it was a sweet video. I couldn't have made it any less awkward with my baby knowing it was going to be viewed by thousands. They wanted it to show how connected they are as a family, which was a bit forced with the interaction from Harry, but Meghan did a good job. It was also probably a pitch for more work, especially if Meghan wants to move into voiceovers for kids films.

It was a bad choice of book for a one year old but, if the sticker really does mean it was given by Oprah, it reaffirms to the public that they still move in A list circles.

I imagine the vest was an intentional choice of outfit. Meghan is wearing a denim shirt and they would have aircon, so it wasn't because of the heat. Anything he would have worn would be sold out within hours, which makes me think they didn't want his outfit to be 'sold' if they don't profit from it. Maybe this could be a revenue source for them in the future.

Archie makes his feelings very clear but Meghan ignores them completely. As for the weird insincere “woohoo” at the end... very very strange. Most people watching that back would think “Nah, we’d better redo that, it makes us look weird” — but they don’t even realise.

I agree with this. Having kept Archie out of view for so long, they probably thought a big reveal with a video would create a huge stir. So they pressed ahead, and with an inappropriate book to showcase the Oprah sticker, even though the whole thing really didn't work.

Given how restless Archie appears, there may have been a few takes before this one, which was presumably the best of them. Oh well, onwards and upwards. Presumably money will be raised for charity, and Save the Children is still recovering from recent scandals so probably needs the boost

I’ve watched several of the other Save with Stories videos now, and I have one criticism of Meghan’s reading.

Meghan is the only one who doesn’t say who the book is written and illustrated by.

She should have done that. It’s good etiquette and standard practice to name the creator(s) (and owner(s) of the copyright ).

Helpful too for the audience who may want to check out other books by that author/illustrator.

Not acknowledging writers is also unlikely to endear yourself to Hollywood scriptwriters!

I think it was a nice thing to do and am not going to criticise, beyond wondering aloud at the potential for confusion in a small child as to what the hell that weird cartoon was meant to be. Will we have a generation of kids not knowing the difference between a duck and a rabbit? And yes, I know that's the "joke" of the book, but it would go over the heads of kids a lot older than Archie.

I haven’t seen the Save the Children UK site (not on Insta) but I’m going to guess it’s famous people reading stories for children. I’m also going to guess the stories are read without children on laps, the point being StC’s audience: the stories have to be understandable by children, played to children.

If this is the case, H&M have used Save the Children. They knew this would be the birthday video. They have no official Insta account. They’ve denounced half the UK press. They will have asked for the video to be released yesterday.

Basically, if I’m right Archie that is the only child in the video clips, they’ve used a children’s charity for their own purposes. That’s what celebrities do. Royals do the opposite.

It's likely they didn't want journalists researching the clothing brand of whatever Archie wears so a white babygro is the most neutral item. No explanation for the soggy nappy though...I cringe inside even when regular friends post baby photos on their FB or Instagram story with bulging nappies or that visible blue line.

Another explanation is that they were simply rushed for time or had a huge argument at some point but still had to get the clip out. So it was mroe of a FFS let's just get it over with, who cares about the nappy thing. There was one line somewhere saying Harry was filming but the first segment of the clip was completely still. The camera/phone must have been mounted on a tripod, and it only pans out a good 1-2mins later. It would have been more natural if Harry did film the whole thing by hand and you see the natural shakiness. I think this was one of the things that made the video feel a tiny bit off which our brains pick up subconsciously. Authentic home clips have that shakiness, whereas a perfectly still video implies professional production.

I wonder if Archie has ever seen a duck or
a rabbit? If not, the book would have even less meaning for him.

Why didn’t the nanny point out the need for a nappy change?

Yes I thought that. You’d have thought the nanny would have had him dressed beautifully and well rested .The RF nannies would never have let Harry appear in a babygro and a soiled nappy national TV!

Thought the video was well awks.