In what capacity are Harry and Meghan visiting New York

[IsabelBeck]

They are no longer working members of the Royal Family so have they gone to New York as private citizens?

How do they get to meet with Chelsea Clinton at the WHO offices and UN officials and politicians?

According to the Mail (I know, I know) they had federal protection.

Do Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (as they are styled there) have much clout in the US? Why?

Please. They chose not to go to the Met Gala? At this stage in their career would they want to piss off Anna Wintour? No.

This is what I mean. It’s perfectly possible to think they were treated badly and some of the UK coverage is horrible without also saying ridiculous things in their defence.

I only heard about Meghan’s 40th birthday thing on MN. Almost no coverage in the US.

It’s possible to hold both views right? That the RF is an anachronism. That they were treated badly and racism had a role to play in it.
AND that in the US context they aren’t particularly well known or relevant.
AND that there is way way way more coverage and hand wringing about them in the UK press than the US press.

@PieMistee

It's quite simple. She isn't white but has married a British Prince so is evil. The have gone in the capacity of making the Press have something to say about the evil black woman who dared to marry a royal.

Oh please! It really pisses me off when people make out that the dislike of M&H is due to racism. Most British people were genuinely happy for H&M - their wedding was watched by millions of Brits who wished them well and hoped they'd be an asset to a rather stuffy institution whose relevance in this day and age is questionable. I honestly think most people thought that a bit of diversity in the RF would be a good thing and not a day too soon.

What annoys everyone is the way H&M have made themselves out to be victims - these two millionaires who left the UK and the RF in order to make their own money and do things their own way. I don't know anyone who has a problem with them leaving - it's their life - but the constant whining and victimhood from two such incredibly privileged people is nauseating. It has fuck all to do with racism though!

This is what everyone is saying, so you are saying world leaders and organisations have been giving misinformation?

India , the biggest manufacturer of The Vaccine , has just lifted its ban on exporting AZ To Covax , that’s a big part of the lack of disruption to poorer countries , I must add they had a good reason for that , they had their own crisis to deal with.

Russia has shared its patent with so many countries.

Pfizer and Moderna are the only companies not sharing , although I think they will start finalising their vaccines in Argentina and distribute from there to whole South America.

It’s really not that simple .

But hey let them have their moment by spreading unfounded claims.

but the constant whining

What constant whining?

Of course racism is part of it.

Not for everyone I hasten to add.

Why didn't they get invited to the gala. I looked it up. Tickets are a mere snip at $35k each. Don't you just buy a ticket and rock up.

Meghan and Harry were part of a social construct called the monarchy in the UK. Now they have been told they can’t be part of that game any longer as they weren’t playing by the accepted rules and were undermining the legitimacy of the game. So they are attempting to create a different but related social construct for themselves in America that will allow more freedom but still provide a luxurious lifestyle and opportunities for high profile philanthropism.
Excellent analysis. We only get one shot at life and they are doing what they think will make them happy. It sounds like my idea of hell but good luck to them. I had one of my happiest days for 2 years on Friday. It was a sheep sale so meeting people I hadn't seen for months. Selling my sheep in the ring. Market breakfast. Maybe I just don't understand Meghan and Harry's motivations because of the vast difference in lifestyle.

My own view is that Meghan and Harry’s very deliberately went to New York because they need to build their profile, and promote themselves as members of the great and the good. As others have pointed out, they don’t have deep expertise in any particular areas, and nor are they running a huge foundation with plenty of money to distribute. But this is where they want to be. So in this trip, they are essentially “faking it until they make it”.

If they just wanted to support the Vax Live event, they could have done so in LA. The trip to NYC however was a brilliant opportunity to promote themselves. New York Mayor Bill Blasio has a very close relationship with Ken Sunshine, head of the Sussexes PR agency Sunshine Sachs (Ken Sunshine has been one of Blasio’s biggest donors for many years). So Sunshine Sachs is able to call in a few favours and get them a meeting with the New York Mayor. Except it wasn’t a meeting - it was a photoshoot. This trip is all about being seen.

Meghan has all along been very aware of the importance of still images. I don’t think it is at all a coincidence that in pretty much all her appearances in New York she has been dressed, unseasonably and hugely expensively, in chic very upper end office-appropriate wear. I assume she is building up her CV with photos to be used on the Archewell website, and to be picked up by the press from image agencies for their future stories about her, in exactly the clothes and image with which she wants to be portrayed. The current unseasonal context will quickly be forgotten, but she’ll always have photos of her in her Valentino and Max Mara, with her Dior handbags, looking like exactly the kind of important person who does have funds to distribute, or insights to share with genuine world leaders (It’s to me an absolutely literal example of dressing for the job you want, not the job you currently have, on a hot autumn day ).

I'm interested to see if they are invited for Christmas. If not they are certainly out in the cold as far as the royals are concerned. I expect Kate and William will go to the Middletons to avoid them if they come. Apparently William has vetoed them coming over for a royal christening. That's according to the Daily Express.

@zafferana
Are you saying they didn't and still don't receive racist abuse? Just because some wished them well doesn't mean a section of the UK were Not against the marriage because of her race. They vehemently were and many openly said so on social media. I think it's disingenuous to lump this in with calling them victims as it was proved to be true as recent as when Archie was born and probably many more since. I agree The Prince marrying a woman with black heritage must have ruffled many feathers in the RF even let alone the public - let's not rewrite history and pretend it did not happen when it did just because we don't hear about it so much now they have moved to the US.

@Viviennemary

I'm interested to see if they are invited for Christmas. If not they are certainly out in the cold as far as the royals are concerned. I expect Kate and William will go to the Middletons to avoid them if they come. Apparently William has vetoed them coming over for a royal christening. That's according to the Daily Express.

I hope whether invited or not they stay in the US for Christmas with their children. I'm sure Dorian would like this. They also now have a network of friends. So that compared to sniping and guessing games from the UK media - and why did she wear this instead of that. Nasty comments from the UK media soooo desperate for pictures of the children - I know which I would choose. also MN will crash!

@Serenster - I think you're spot on with your analysis. Meghan is very clued up on visual presentation and the power of the image. Sitting in California on zoom has been limiting. Going to NY, mixing with movers and shakers, great photo opportunities and the upmarket dressing will have been planned with future networking in mind. Sunshine Sachs aren't cheap - they can call in favours though. I think the combo of a poor school in Harlem, 9/11, vaccine inequality and meeting someone from the UN has been great for them and the foundation.

Apparently William has vetoed them coming over for a royal christening. That's according to the Daily Express

Oh then it must be true 🤣 As if William has the power to "veto" anyway. The story about the christening began and ended with the tabloids anyway.

@Serenster you have managed to put into words much of what I was thinking about their NY appearance. The phrase “fake it til you make it” was exactly what I thought they were trying to do. They are not that important but they are trying to make themselves seem important.
The other thing that strikes me is that they are very deliberately milking the Diana connection. Meghan is wearing Diana’s watch and they are staying in the same hotel that she often stayed in when she was in NY. It’s all very deliberate and staged. All seems to me to be a lot of schmoozing.

Are you talking about the cesspit that is social media @PreparationPreparationPrep? If so, I'm sure they do.

I imagine the same posters would have a go at 'how patronising' she is, if she rocks up in Primark everytime she goes to visit poor areas.

So what if she is given clothes to promote on her visits. That's what everyone does. Was that not the point of the RF taking away their HRH, so that they can do that if they wished. What has that got to do with anything.

And everyone wears work appropriate clothes, it's not faking it, they are there making it, going up the ladder. They are not going to slum it, especially when they are used to dressing appropriately anyway.

And they are well known globally. Even if you want to put down H&M it's quite silly to pretend they are not well known - especially in the US of all places (and NY at that).

Once upon a time the ancestors of the Royals must have adopted a similar ‘fake it til you make it’ strategy rather successfully ….

That's the point, @rubicscubicle - that's how celebrities function, being brand ambassadors and representing fashion houses. I don't blame Meghan - Charles paid for her working wardrobe before, the lovely clothes she wore on duties and events. Now she gets nothing from the Sovereign Grant or the Duchy of Cornwall, so she has to look elsewhere. But it's naive to imagine that this is all philanthropic. It's part of it, but they've got to build a brand and get an income and promote themselves out of necessity. That's not a criticism, it's an understanding of how these things work.
Do we think all those actresses pay for Dior and Chanel and Harry Winston jewelry at the Oscars?

@OutwiththeOutCrowd. Maybe, but it’s also likely that they fought actual battles to assert their authority 🤣

Ye gods smilesy that's a bit of a stretch
So what??
Is that observation about the watch and the hotel from the DM?

But people are criticising.

Also disingenuous to say you cannot wear these clothes and still be doing good work at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive, and there is nothing wrong with dressing a certain way, while doing philanthropic work at the same time.

I don't think the watch is an issue. Harry inherited it, so gave it to Meghan which is understandable, she wears it, which is nice.
I think that's seperate from any kind of ambition.

I agree, @rubicscubicle, no problem at all.
You can be concerned about inequality and still wear Loro Piana, but it's also part of developing the foundation and the brand. Nothing wrong with that, they can't just do charity work - they don't have the bankrolling from Charles.

Plus, there's nothing wrong with ambition and being driven.
It's just that the cachet is still the connection to royalty. Which they can't help, but still.

Interesting article about the lacking purpose of the visit. www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/royals/major-problem-with-meghan-markle-and-prince-harrys-new-york-royal-visit/news-story/4f07b341d08f3cbf1e4db3b1ad1514a4