BBC The Princes and the Press

[coniferforest]

Did anyone watch this last night? About William and Harry and their different approaches to the press. Last night was part 1 of 2.

The place of the royals in this country annoys me more and more. They’re supposedly just ceremonial but the fact that things like all our laws and the BBC charter etc are signed off by them means they get a say in stuff they really shouldn’t.

[quote Roussette]@Aspiringmatriarch

It's pretty disgusting isn't it? And only 4 years ago. I cannot believe she talks of Doria as a dreadlocked african american woman 'from the wrong side of the tracks'.

She should hang her head in shame, but of course she didn't last night.[/quote]
When did she ever hang her head in shame about anything. Yesterday she was saying that it was out of order for that MP to complain about Stanley!

I would like to suggest that anyone who appears to be trying to derail this thread is ignored. It would be nice to have a discussion free from pointless vitriol

Very much with you on that, AspiringMatriarch, though IMO it's not so much the attempts which do the damage as that folk rise to them

Loved the "cast of grotesques" too

And to whoever asked why I wasn't keen on Rajan - his style rather than him, since I don't know the guy - I felt that, faced with "professionals", he should have gone in harder with the questions
Oh, and I'm not a fan of slouched-in-a-chair, half-to-camera poses either ...

And Rachel Johnson... trying to rewrite history and pretend that she wouldn't talk of 'exotic DNA' mixing with pale skin now because times have changed. Yet her article was 4 years ago! That was actually laughable.

Yes. This stood out to me aswell.

She was talking like she had written the article in 1916, not 2016.

I actually laughed when she said that if she write it today she would be "cancelled".
She got in every right wing buzz word she could.

@FoxgloveSummers

The place of the royals in this country annoys me more and more. They’re supposedly just ceremonial but the fact that things like all our laws and the BBC charter etc are signed off by them means they get a say in stuff they really shouldn’t.

It is the Queen's job to sign laws, because any government of this country is Her Majesty's Government. (e.g. The tax department is Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs department.)

I honestly just hate the misogyny of it all. Not even including the thinly veiled racism. I’ve seen all sorts of things alluded to about Doria. That she did drugs, jail time etc. Nothing to actually prove this of course, just speculation carefully worded to stop law suits. She has been nothing but the model of quiet dignity. Yet Thomas causes all this drama, heartbreak and humiliation and he gets painted as the loving, wronged father by certain aspects of the media.

Then you have the whole Carole Middleton portrayed as a scheming Mrs Bennet type (a la Pride & Prejudice) who is a social climber only interested in trying to marry her daughters off to wealthy men and how she pushed Kate into William’s path. The whole ‘toilet gate’ drama which was people making fun of her for not being posh enough to be mingling with the royal family because she was a flight attendant and sneer middle class 🙄 Yet you never hear the same being said about Michael. They all went wild about Pippa Middleton after she wore that bridesmaid dress but no one gives a toss about the brother. He clearly doesn’t sell papers!

When Mike Tindall is caught ‘dwarf tossing’ or Harry is playing naked pool it is lauded as them being ‘lads’ and down to earth. But God forbid that Eugenie puts a bit of weight on or Beatrice wears a terrible frock, they will be ridiculed and humiliated across the media. Who remembers the Ugly Step Sisters meme that went around after Kate and William’s wedding?

The media originally played the brothers’ fallout as a row between the wives at first because obviously women are catty and bitchy. Diana’s golden boys could never fall out with each other by themselves it has to be down the jealous meddling wives🙄

It will be Lady Louise’s turn soon. I’ve already seen unkind comments about her eyes and the photo of her bridesmaid dressing blowing up at H&M’s wedding.

I thought it was much more interesting and well balanced than expected. I am not sure why he RF are frothing about it though. It is pretty sympathetic to them really. I was really shocked about the Chelsey Davies revelations. No wonder she didn't want to marry Harry.

'The interview with the journalist (private investigator?) who had hacked into Chelsy Davy's phone and gone through her medical records looking to see if she'd had any abortions or STIs was just horrifying. So violating.'

Just awful isn't it, highlighting that every single one of them have had to endure extensive and massively inappropriate intrusion and negative press.

I was pleasantly surprised, it was very balanced what with Scobie saying his truth and Tominey telling hers.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

I would like to suggest that anyone who appears to be trying to derail this thread is ignored. It would be nice to have a discussion free from pointless vitriol

Very much with you on that, AspiringMatriarch, though IMO it's not so much the attempts which do the damage as that folk rise to them

Loved the "cast of grotesques" too

And to whoever asked why I wasn't keen on Rajan - his style rather than him, since I don't know the guy - I felt that, faced with "professionals", he should have gone in harder with the questions
Oh, and I'm not a fan of slouched-in-a-chair, half-to-camera poses either ...

Ah, ok, I hear what you're saying.

To me I thought his relaxed informal style (and clothes) possibly got people talking a little more freely. I know he's very senior in the BBC but somehow he made it look more like he was having a "no biggie" chat which possibly produced better results than a Paxman style interrogation. Just mho of course.

The main thing I took away from it was how truly vile the British tabloid press STILL is even years after the Levinson Inquiry. Rachel Johnson's pathetic attempt to minimise her words by pretending what she said 4 years ago was fine, it just wouldn't be okay today...

The second thing I took away from it was really how little actual knowledge the press has of the thoughts of the royals, they glean what they can from anonymous sources and make the rest up which they more or less admitted to. That awful DM journo, Amanda Platell basically made up a shit-stirring article about Kate being jealous of Meghan based on nothing at all other than Platell's assumption that Kate must be jealous of glamourous Meghan.

The worst IMO was Dan Wootton who clearly prides himself on having being the first journo to break stories about the infighting at the palace as he thought reporters in the royal rota weren't brave enough to cover it. I don't think teh royal rota repoerters are cowards, just not indecent enough to sink to Wootton's level.

I'm really learning to appreciate Kate Middleton for never lowering herself into being goaded by the press and I particularly enjoy how she pisses off the press by always behaving well and saying the right thing. It must be utterly frustrating for them if the worst they can accuse her of is using her hair to shield her face!

Just jumping in to say that I think Amol Rajan is one of the best presenters on the BBC. He's incredibly switched on and yet, as pp said, is able to put people at ease and ask questions in a way that eeks out the truth. He is brilliant on the Today programme on R4 and also opened up about the anxiety attacks he had before doing his first stint on the show, which I thought was refreshing for a male presenter to do.

I am not sure why he RF are frothing about it though. It is pretty sympathetic to them really

I think they were worried it would be stirring about the households allegedly briefing against each other, and because they were not allowed to see it beforehand, they felt they had been denied their “right to reply” which is apparently afforded to anyone who is the subject of to this kind of programme 🤷‍♀️

@SnottyLottie

I honestly just hate the misogyny of it all. Not even including the thinly veiled racism. I’ve seen all sorts of things alluded to about Doria. That she did drugs, jail time etc. Nothing to actually prove this of course, just speculation carefully worded to stop law suits. She has been nothing but the model of quiet dignity. Yet Thomas causes all this drama, heartbreak and humiliation and he gets painted as the loving, wronged father by certain aspects of the media.

Then you have the whole Carole Middleton portrayed as a scheming Mrs Bennet type (a la Pride & Prejudice) who is a social climber only interested in trying to marry her daughters off to wealthy men and how she pushed Kate into William’s path. The whole ‘toilet gate’ drama which was people making fun of her for not being posh enough to be mingling with the royal family because she was a flight attendant and sneer middle class 🙄 Yet you never hear the same being said about Michael. They all went wild about Pippa Middleton after she wore that bridesmaid dress but no one gives a toss about the brother. He clearly doesn’t sell papers!

When Mike Tindall is caught ‘dwarf tossing’ or Harry is playing naked pool it is lauded as them being ‘lads’ and down to earth. But God forbid that Eugenie puts a bit of weight on or Beatrice wears a terrible frock, they will be ridiculed and humiliated across the media. Who remembers the Ugly Step Sisters meme that went around after Kate and William’s wedding?

The media originally played the brothers’ fallout as a row between the wives at first because obviously women are catty and bitchy. Diana’s golden boys could never fall out with each other by themselves it has to be down the jealous meddling wives🙄

It will be Lady Louise’s turn soon. I’ve already seen unkind comments about her eyes and the photo of her bridesmaid dressing blowing up at H&M’s wedding.

I agree so much with this. The British press towards all women associated with the Royal Family has always been cruel. I feel sorry for all these women and I hope that this stops now.It pains me to think in a few years new targets will be identified and the same circle of abuse will start agin(I hope this doesn’t happen). I don’t follow the European Monarchies much so I wonder does this happen in the UK only?

Some interesting posts on here that I totally agree with.
And I think we're call agreed that the British press can be (not always) a total cesspit

Great post snottyLottie total misogyny endlessly

*all

"cast of grotesques" they all were weren't they.

I didn't quite catch who the Peter Hunt chap was though. He seemed ok-ish.

Why was Harry sitting scowling at the Fiji welcoming ceremony? If he’s mad at the press, it doesn’t make sense to be scowling at people trying to welcome him. I’m not sure what this documentary was trying to tell us that we don’t already know. Perhaps that’s coming in part 2.

He was scowling at the press not the Fijians!

Yes but how were the Fijians meant to know that, it’s just bad manners , he should have been thinking about the Fijians not himself and his feelings , but I’m sure he knows that and we all make mistakes. But if one of my dc behaved like that I would be having stern words !

I thought it was incredibly rude. He looked spoilt and petulant.
Of course the Press are going to be present at
a Royal tour! What was he expecting?

I thought the BBC chap, Dymond(?) was very magnanimous and understanding about Harry’s rudeness on the plane about them not being invited. The fact is places on that plane are by invitation only, I’m sure some of them didn’t want to be away from their families, crammed in like sardines whilst those up front swan around in arms chairs, covering the machinations of a surly 30 something but they are just doing their job, just like him and the whole point of these tours ( as much as H may not like it) is to get press coverage and I’m sure Meghan understands this. Can you imagine the palace reaction if the BBC or ITV refused to accept the invitation to be on the tour plane .

It really just brings home how much the whole circus is about a load of people press and royals with not enough reality in their lives !

It was fascinating but I thought how spoilt and surly Harry was. He really loathes the press but seems to have little understanding of how much of his life was a symbiotic relationship.
I think p2 will be interesting.

@Zuluqueen it’s already happening with the new generation. The media are already portraying George as the shy and sensitive one whilst Charlotte is the cheeky, boisterous one. Mark my words, Charlotte will be the new Harry in about 10-15 years unless this vicious cycle is broken.

I think the royal family were upset that they weren't allowed to view it before it was aired and be able to ask for edits, which is apparently what usually happens.

@TheWildernessYears

Just jumping in to say that I think Amol Rajan is one of the best presenters on the BBC. He's incredibly switched on and yet, as pp said, is able to put people at ease and ask questions in a way that eeks out the truth. He is brilliant on the Today programme on R4 and also opened up about the anxiety attacks he had before doing his first stint on the show, which I thought was refreshing for a male presenter to do.

Agree. He is great. So bright. Also brilliant on the media show. Apparently he is a republican ( read that somewhere) whereas I am not but I won’t hold that against him