To think the palace should issue a statement condemning Clarkson's comments?

[Reindeersnooker]

I'm all for their dignified silence on everything else. I don't trust Harry or Megan. But Jeremy Clarkson's comments are horrific and were made in Britain against a woman who has become a member of their family.

NOT issuing a statement sends out such a hurtful message and indicates that anything can be said about her, for all they care. Even the MPs have managed to put something on paper.

It's clear that Harry will be beyond hurt if they do nothing and this time he'd have a point, IMO. Each comment like this published in the press erodes the boundaries for online trolls. If I was Meghan, I wouldn't feel I could return to the UK as it's clear the normal rules don't apply to her. What will her children think of Britain when they grow up and become aware of these articles? Won't they be likely to wonder how the palace responded? While it makes no sense to try and placate Harry generally, letting this play out without one word of censure to the press seems needlessly provocative.

It wouldn't be difficult to issue a statement saying something to the effect of "We stand against bullying and hate speech..." Two lines to indicate they see it and it's not ok.

Or not?

Kate and Charlotte wore burgundy - they often wear the same colour when they're together. Pippa and Zara also did. But Camilla, Beatrice, Eugenie etc etc etc didn't. There's plenty of pictures of women in the royal family wearing the same colour over the years. Calling it petty and mean girl is ridiculous. If all the women there had worn the same colour and proceeded to perform high kicks a la Chorus Line you may have a point but you're stretching things a bit.

Do you think that abuse will actually end if they respond to every bit of bad press?

One of the major headlines to come out of the H&M documentary was Meghan saying she had been advised by courtiers not to wear the same colour as senior royals. She said she opted for camel, beige and white for her royal engagements but for the final farewell tour after the announcement, she “dressed like a rainbow”.

At Kate’s carol thing a week later, Kate wore head-to-toe burgundy, as did her daughter and sister, Wills wore a burgundy tie, and Zara Tindall came in burgundy too. All the papers covered it – the Mail called it subtle and the Guardian called it unsubtle.

Some not very bright Mumsnetters thought it proved Meghan a liar – “look! They can all wear the same colour!” – as opposed to yet another coded Palace response. Same as Kate’s curtsies in the footage: look at Kate neatly curtsying, not like that piss-taking tacky American.

Hope your Google gets mended soon though.

What? There were LOADS of videos put on social media pages of randomers. The same as when they went on a Ryanair flight. That doesn’t need to be ‘leaked’ 😂

I think the whole burgundy talk is so bonkers. Burgundy in winter ground breaking! It's not like they all went in lime green, burgundy is a really popular colour at this time of year.

And Kate curtsied in exactly the same manner as she always does.

🤣🤣🤣 chuckling at that image!

Zara is not more senior than Meghan anyway. Pippa isn’t even a Royal! Catherine and Charlotte definitely do wear the same colours a lot.

Never explain, never complain” is a total myth: they complain, explain, brief, leak, and change the rules constantly. The fact they’ve chosen silence on this particular instance speaks volumes.

Absolutely @pelargoniums 💯

They have at, at one time or another released official statement to condemn the press, issued statements to condemn the treatment of others and they have sued the press.

Even The Queen has done it.

@leithreas You don't normally get a load of women in a family at an event all wearing burgundy coats. It was so noteworthy the press wrote about it. It was sending out a message. And was petty as hell.

Yes but the media coverage of it and the breathless “look at Catherine curtsying to her betters, see she doesn’t mind” from the usual MN crowd was directly connected to the wild frothing over Meghan’s documentary curtsy.

I’d put money on that not being Kate’s first encounter with Charles and Camilla that day and there being no protocol need for the curtsy; done entirely for the riposte to Meghan.

Again: they might do “never explain, never complain” but they do plenty of coded crap like this and always have. Kate plays the game well.

Meghan never did silly curtesies either. She was taking the piss out of herself about her first curtesy. Anyone who can’t see that is stupid. Didn’t help that Harry just stared at her blankly like his batteries had run out

You’ve never turned up to something and found you and your mates are dressed almost the same?

I think this is a little case of looking for problems that aren’t there

Why should they? The RF don't respond to anything like this.

And if Harry will be hurt by it, then perhaps he shouldn't have whinged on about his family to the world's press. I'm not sure what kindness he can expect from them now.

I’d put money on that not being Kate’s first encounter with Charles and Camilla that day and there being no protocol need for the curtsy; done entirely for the riposte to Meghan.

Thats really not how it works but OK.

A load? Or 3 and a small child who often wears the same colour as her mother. You're having a go at the press, until the press says something against, it appears, particularly Kate, and then the press are erudite, upright and worth paying attention to.

@LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet Not 4 women/girls out of 7, nope.
I suspect Camilla, Beatrice and Eugenie refused to take part in such a petty show.

I am sorry I am not being clear.

My opinion is that the Royal Family should not be participating in the planting of stories and stand up when articles this vile are printed.

Should they respond to everything? No.

Should they respond to this? Yes.

The royal family helped create the tabloid media, they should be instrumental in cutting its legs off at the knee, so to speak.

They are choosing not to, which allows the press to continue their abuse even of private UK citizens.

I would be looking to my head of state to condemn this article. Apparently I am not the only one since many MPs have spoken out.

So silly. What colour were the men wearing? I bet some of them were matching too, or not, but they never get accused of coded messages or of being overly controlling. Imagine having the colour coat you wear as front page news! Just ridiculous.

Alternatively, you had the posters saying look at her the little stepford wife, with no brains and no opinions, if only she was a strong independent woman like Meghan.

I think there’s a lot of confirmation bias going on here on all sides.

They’re ALL playing a game btw. If not, where did the ‘Kate is so mean because she didn’t take Meghan shopping’ stories come from?

Just have to wait and see whose tactics win

Wholeheartedly agree with both these posts.

They make the rules to suit and, in order to try to protect/maintain popularity of the current monarch and immediate future monarch.

So silly, what the men wear does not vary much.

The whole having to curtsy bollocks, every time I see it, it becomes slightly more ridiculous.

One is a child, the other isn’t a royal and one is outranked by Meghan.

Google will throw up PLENTY of pictures of Royal women wearing the same colour.

Look here. That appears to be the Queen and the woman she outranks.

I KNOW

The Queen came back to life, hopped in a Time Machine and wore the same as Catherine to have a dig at Meghan.

IT IS THE ONLY SENSIBLE REASON FOR THIS HAPPENING.

You're including Pippa in your '7' but not her mother Carole, who appears to have been wearing green. Sophie? Nope, cream.

I don't think they should respond. I've never liked Camilla, but it's absolutely ridiculous that she's being blamed for what some random celebrity wrote because she happened to be at the same venue as him on the day prior. People will always find a woman to blame, but that's such a stretch.