Harry and Meghan court dramas (not Suits)

[ARoseInHarlem]

Starting this thread while I digest the last few posts on the previous thread. I think the H&M saga could be as unsettling for the RF as the Charles & Diana bad publicity in the 1990s, if not worse.

Yes, I agree, H&M are more well known without having to have a tagline on an advert saying 'Member of the Royal Family'

@Roussette Please point to where I have posted that MM intends to cash in on her title at all, let alone “massively”, in the future.

Otherwise I expect you to withdraw your accusation.

Talking of tacky ads, PP's was very tacky but it's perfectly OK according to posters on here

Exactly. As I said. Tacky ads.

MM can get a job on TV shopping channels for all I care. Indeed, given the lack of obvious employment prospects it might be a good idea. I'm just pointing out that the people who earn their living these ways don't earn a billionaire level living.

Peter is a private citizen and doesn't receive money from the public purse, although I can't argue that he hasn't been given a head start in life over others due to being the son of the Princess Royal.

Unlike M he didn't sign up (couldn't even of he wanted to) to be one of the senior members of the RF, which means she is a representative of the UK and the Commonwealth and is therefore held to a higher standard of behavior. In exchange she has access to money, influence and things us mere mortals only dream off.

I agree that signing up for this life of privallage shouldn't mean she has to put up with racism or endless unfounded critism, she has every right to walk away from it. But in order to flourish she needs to cut ties completely, stop trading on the titles, using royal letter head, issuing press releases on key dates for other members of the RF ect, she's highly intelligent and has an incredible drive and I've no doubt if she makes a cleannbreak she can make a success of it.

I also believe the backlash against her now is due to her attitude and behaviour towards others rather than the color of her skin.

So it should be no issue not to use duke and duchess either, which is basically still saying 'royal family.' Embrace Harry & Meghan - esp if your giving talks in institutional racism. Blimey - the titles certainly won't help their brand there.

I've just read a DM article about William popping down to his local for a cider and a plate of chips dressed in his best M & S jumper. I am not a massive royalist, although I'd keep them in a vote, but I must say, he got this just right

William and Kate have an advantage in that they understand the British culture, and how best to walk the tightrope between appearing too privileged and out of touch, and hitting the right notes to come across as "one of us". One of the reasons I started to wonder about how well Meghan was being advised (or, ultimately, how much she was listening to any advice she was given) was because she seemed to consistently get this wrong. She didn't by any means always land on the "too privileged" side of the line (before the wedding for example she wore some M&S pieces, and wore jeans from a small Welsh company etc) but when she did, she really jumped into that space - her couture evening grown for her glamorous engagement photos, her $100,000 Dior caftan for her trip to Morocco, the penthouse suite baby shower in New York. She presumably wanted to enjoy the wealth, and access to the wealthy, that her new role gave her, without appreciating (or caring) that to do so hit the wrong notes in relation to the people who literally support the monarchy, and would need some careful work to make it clear that that she wasn't generally perceived as positioned on that side of the line.

And before anyone comes back with "But Kate..." I happily accept that Kate also wears some big ticket clothing items, but she generally does so at the kind of events where the public expect her to put on a show - State Dinners, Trooping the Colour, Ascot etc, and so they play entirely differently. And she is also really good at dialling it down often enough at the events in between to still seem in touch. And while I'm sure that her and William's regular holidays in in Mustique are massively expensive, having an annually holiday with your extended family in a beach resort is a normal enough thing to do for most of us that it doesn't come across as out of touch. Other royals are also really good at this - Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden regularly wears evening gowns from H&M, mixed with priceless jewels from the family vaults, for example.

@Roussette

I have no idea about royal etiquette but I imagine it's not easy to divest herself of the title Duchess of Sussex perhaps when her husband is Duke of Sussex. Don't quote me I don't know. (given that any tiny chink of anything a more positive poster about MM posts that might be incorrect is corrected multiple times) You are talking like you know for a fact she's going to cash in on it massively in the future. You don't know.

Don't you think if they truly wanted to step back from the Royal Family, Harry would have asked HM to remove the title granted on his wedding day. Then he and his wife would just be Harry and Meghan - he can't drop what he was born with, but he could choose not to use it. Like the Wessex DC don't use 'Prince' and 'Princess' although they are entitled to. Unlike Andrew, surprisingly enough, who made sure his DDs used 'Princess'.

We don't know 'for a fact' that she is going to 'cash in on it massively', just like we didn't know they would walk away, but following their behaviour since their wedding, I for one wouldn't be surprised. It might be impossible to predict the future, but one can have an opinion. Many of those earlier opinions have been proved right, as time has gone by.

So you're right saying 'You don't know', but you don't know either.

Otherwise I expect you to withdraw your accusation

Dear oh dear. I have gone back and followed my train of thought and whether I was responding to you. Or not.
Accept this post as an apology for whatever misdemeanour or accusation I have committed on this thread towards you.

At school and in the army Wiliiam and Harry didn't use the prefix Prince. They where just known as William Wales and Harry Wales, same for York sisters except they used York in lieu of Wales. It's an example of Harry not using his title. If HM really didn't want to use their titles going forward they would be known as Meghan Sussex and Harry Sussex

ajajmum
I agree. Neither of us know

But in order to flourish she needs to cut ties completely, stop trading on the titles, using royal letter head, issuing press releases on key dates for other members of the RF ect, she's highly intelligent and has an incredible drive and I've no doubt if she makes a cleannbreak she can make a success of it

I do have to correct one part of this, sorry! On the 'using royal letter head'.
They do absolutely no different to Beatrice and Eugenie. This tweet has pictures and explains it.
twitter.com/AgathedeLili/status/1274998929969557515

Ahhh... right. You know that PPhillips isn't aspirational, OK. But M&H are

None of us know these people. But if you'd like to point out the times when Peter Phillips and his family have taken Elton John's private jet to stay at an exclusive South fo France estate, or taken the Clooney private jet for a party at a penthouse at a luxurious New York hotel, or taken a private jet to attend Google's exclusive climate change conference, or taken up residence in two luxurious residences in North America, then we're all ears. Last I heard he worked in events management and lived in a house on his mother's farming estate.

PPhillips may well be able to fly under the radar whilst doing goodness knows what... who knows. He managed to get himself onto Chinese TV (biggest market ever) to advertise milk as a member of the royal family.

You can't fail to admit that the MSM are obsessed at reporting on H&M but probably not so much PP.

The first tweet in response sums it up perfectly

*That they (sussex) had agreed not to use it publicly

That the rest of non-working Royals, work for a salary, they don't pretend to make a living cashing on their title and Royal Status*

Yes you get varying opinions on Twitter. That's the nature of the beast

A friend’s son knows PP through a shared interest and says he is a charming down to earth man , as is Autumn.
HM gifted the Sussex titles on their wedding day so could remove them and I certainly think that will be considered at the review . As MM has been so miserable in her Royal role that would probably be for the best . She is an attractive, smart , articulate woman who did ok pre H but maybe she doesn’t want to just “ do ok “?

Harry only become Duke of Sussex upon marriage, and according to reports was given the option not to receive this extra title. They absolutely choose to use this title.

Mariposa As I said I didn't know. It might have been extremely difficult to turn down something bestowed by the Queen on your wedding day. I wonder if there was an easy option

Had they not accepted the Sussex titles , MM wound have been Princess Henry which I doubt she would have liked.

I don't see any harm in them using their logo, tbh. It's quite attractive, and it's personal to them. If they were using an official insignia I might feel differently, but it isn't that.

There's a lot they do that I find reprehensible but this is a non issue for me.

My understanding is that there were two titles available - Sussex and Clarence (?), and HM discussed it with them, and Sussex was agreed. It wasn't a surprise that HM just whipped out of her bag on the morning of the wedding.

Sorry, I was replying to Roussette's point.

True, @Roussette, although Anne’s husbands both turned down titles offered upon marriage so it wouldn’t be the first time it had happened.

I suddenly have an image now of the Queen forcing a title on them, a la Mrs Doyle forcing tea on Father Ted

I think the reason H&M get such a hard time compared to others over using titles, logos etc as non-working royals is because they chose to leave. Not just as working royals but the country as well. They didn't want to do it anymore. Fair enough, no way would I want to be a member of the RF.

So to continue using titles and logos (even if they are entitled to) just seems a bit strange doesn't it? Surely they can't be legally obliged to use them now they have left, so it's a choice. What reason can they have for wanting to keep using them? The only conclusion I can come to is they feel entitled to them (status reasons) or monetary, to support their brand image. This is what does not reflect well for me.

I think it's also significant that MM was married into the family for less than two years before they walked away. She isn't a blood royal like Beatrice, Eugenie, Philip. Even Diana was married 15 years before divorce, so I just don't think MM can be compared to any of these.

Anyway, what happened to 'Just Harry' ? That first event on his return, I think it was Travelyst one, he didn't want any titles used, even Prince.

@Roussette

PPhillips may well be able to fly under the radar whilst doing goodness knows what... who knows. He managed to get himself onto Chinese TV (biggest market ever) to advertise milk as a member of the royal family.

You can't fail to admit that the MSM are obsessed at reporting on H&M but probably not so much PP.

If PP or Autumn were relentlessly pursuing media attention you can bet your boots the media would soon turn on them. And once again, it's about who pays. PP is free to do what he likes in his spare time because he is footing the bill.