Revenge - by Tom Bower

[TideTimeSea]

As the other thread has filled up I wondered if anyone would like to discuss the book here. I’m listening to it on Audible now.

Thanks god MNHQ is finally deleting these vile allegations about child abuse.

I honestly can't imagine being so consumed with hatred for someone I'd never met that I'd invent lies about them being a child abuser. Especially not lying that a woman with two small children of her own is a child abuser.

Seriously unhinged behaviour. I pray none of those posters have children or are allowed anywhere near any children.

We've had the best friend of Meghan's nanny on here, that was fun! 🤣

(The lengths people will go to, to smear her is quite extraordinary!)

I used to, I could never understand why she became so negative and disparaging about KM and W, had no clue she was an old friend of MM.

I suspect that connection means it is unlikely that MM knew nothing about the royals or PH as she claimed. Lainey readily admitted to being obsessed with the royals especially William, Kate and Harry, she wrote loads about them.

Anyone can claim to be anyone on here.

By the way did I mention I am the neighbour of the best friend of the Queen's cleaner. And guess what she told me!

I am very surprised Mumsnet doesn't have a Royal Warrant.

The number of aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, friends of friends, siblings.. that work at Windsor Castle, BP, Sandringham, Balmoral is quite extraordinary.

We move in very posh circles here!

Maybe there should be a separate forum for Royal Family staff and associates?

And another for those determined never to see in good in anyone either in or supportive of the RF!

I think it was a difficult time for Kate, no question. Pregnancy , brother with depression, etc. She had a lot going on in her own life and most probably didn’t really trust Meghan with private/insider information so early on. Anyway perhaps what she was buying was private stuff. No one should feel obliged to take someone else shopping!

They were better off leaving but in my opinion they should have left the Oprah thing go, just to have some peace in their lives

Thanks again for your synopsis, Olivia, and the above more or less sums up my own view; for me it was never about them actually leaving, but how they've behaved around the whole thing

Doubtless someone will say "Why should they be silenced?", but in all honesty what good do these interviews do any of them? It's not as if the public can do anything about their grievances, real or imagined, and apart from the ratings it's hard to see where any true benefit lies

I think The Leaving has been a masterclass in mistiming and missteps starting with flouncing just as the world went in to lockdown.

TBF not to be forseen but that one bit of misfortune scuppered the immediate plans to scalp gullible bankers on the after dinner circuit which would have kept them afloat until they could pick and choose other projects at their leisure.

Oprah offered a publicity/relevance lifeboat at a time they must have feared becoming chip paper. She basically had them by the short and curlies

They have created a brand based on victimhood, litigation and cutting off most members of 2 families. They want to be known for compassion and humanity but are known for drama and complaining.

That’s the best summary I’ve read.

The celebrities you mention have earned their wealth, and work for more.

But H&M don't/didn't need to work. They could have lived from their millions, bought a much cheaper house and lived the rest of their life in comfort/luxury, only doing charity work, without having to work another day. Neither of them have a bankable talent, as MMs acting career is mostly over and Harry does not have a skill or a degree. The RF connection is really the only bankable thing they have.

So they need that connection, yet keep slagging them (RF) off.
It doesn't make sense to me; like biting the hand that feeds/fed you! But then, I'm not a celebrity, never will be, never want to be.

But I do wish I could afford to buy a nice house for, say, 300k and live in it happily and quietly ever after, on a guaranteed income, without working (or only working at the things I love, which in my case is writing). It sounds like the perfect set-up to me!

ETA: sorry, I missed the Prince Andrew bit. Yes, he does not work for his money. But neither does he go public with complaints about how awful the RF is; I think that's the bit I find annoying about H&M: the biting the hand that fed them.

Malahaha

I didn't realise only people who had worked for their wealth could live in big houses. I must have a word with the landed gentry in this country who live in massive piles because of inherited wealth! Or Trust fund kids whose parents buy them a flat in Kensington for £4M! Or Sarah Ferguson who has criticised the Institution a lot, and lives in 98 acre Royal Lodge, is funded by us no doubt, and has just bought a £5M flat in Mayfair despite apparently not having a bean!
It's up to H&M, you really don't have a say on what size house they live in.

You misunderstand. What I am saying is that people need to be able to afford to live in big houses and with a lavish lifestyle, ie, first class travel, couture clothes, top security, and so on.

If you do not have your own income flow -- as the landed gentry do - the money will one day run out; even 50m (or whatever the inheritance was) is finite with a high maintenance lifestyle. This is why H&M are hustling so much: what they have is finite, so they need to make multimillion deals. But those NF and Spotify deals don't seem to be producing much to date...

I remember when it was predicted that they'd be billionaires in three years time. That's not happening.

The landed gentry can do manage because living with great wealth is part of their lifestyle: investments, etc. They don't have to hustle. Or else have someone (taxpayers!) funding them, a la Sarah and Andrew.

The Sussexes chose to leave that funding behind, and so they must hustle: live the influencer lifestyle, which is not a very dignified look, not very classy. Deals falling through, writing tell-all memoirs about your family, reality shows... being mocked and booed and speaking to empty auditoriums...

But I do not want to get involved in this discussion. I read this thread for entertainment only, and this one post made me want to reply. I don't care. I'm not even a British taxpayer and it's none of my business. But it IS entertaining. Carry on! 😃

I agree, and it's not working, is it. Their popularity has fallen dramatically because of this and so their money-making possibilities are fading fast. The deals are going pear-shaped and more won't be turning up as they are fast losing the shine they once had, and which they were counting on. Cutting off (and complaining about) the hand that feeds you does that to a person...

To be fair I think Covid scuppered a lot of their plans ( speaking engagements) but I would think NF and Spotify are becoming a bit impatient. Obviously I don’t know but there is certainly a lot of speculation by people who know more than me.

As you don't want to be part of the discussion even after writing two lengthy posts, I won't answer you then, suits me!
Glad you've been entertained 🤣

Great posts, Malahaha. Absolutely spot on. Please keep writing here 😀

Thanks, Rousette, and I shall continue to be entertained! Sorry about my lengthy posts -- I happen to be a writer, so I can't help it! 😉

There's nothing wrong with a lengthy post, even if I don't agree with it
Have a great day!

There were people who defended Andrew, saying that VG is trying to make money, calling all sorts of names.
But as someone said before, it's going to be suddenly 'never heard of it'.

And no, Andrew is not going to complain of anything. He would never experience racism and he has been protected all along, even to the point of his case being paid for.

If you think it's undignified to be an influencer, you must think the same about YouTubers K&M.

Seriously, trying to convince people that H&M will be broke. All rich people protect their money. What's the point of hedge managers and other investors, do you think.

I have no idea who K&M is/are!
I don't usually follow celebrity news and I don't even watch TV, but I couldn't help be drawn into this real life drama as I am interested in people and how they live/react. I also do have a bit of a thing for the British Royals, having grown up in a British colony and seen the Queen as a child! I'm not a royalist yet think she is doing the duty she was born to perfectly. But royals are not celebrities. It's just a tradition that fascinates me.

I also loathe the influencer culture. I have a friend whose daughter is one of them. All she does is fly around the globe to holiday hotspots and lie on the beach in bikinis and talk about various expensive products. I generally do not like ego-driven, money-driven, fame-driven personalities who seek the limelight. Never watched anything about the Kardashians or other celebs in the news.

As I said upthread, my idea of a perfect life would be a modest house in the country with a beautiful garden, where I could sit or wander about every day smelling the roses, and a modest income for life. And just devote time to the things I like doing, which are writing, Yoga, my family (grandchildren), travelling occasionally. I think that is the way to happiness and inner peace, at least for me. And I prefer modest people to extravagant ones. Which I suppose is the reason I went off MM, while really welcoming her at first.

And it seems I have been sucked into this thread despite all my good intentions! Thank you for your encouragement, @MaulPerton