Any Americans on Here? What is the consensus in USA on Harry and Meghan?

[Geebee12]

In the UK the media seems mainly 'against' and aghast about H and M (as are all my friends and family - even the anti royal ones). What is the mood in America - is the media/public starting to turn against them, or do they still have strong support?

Tina Brown another royal author saying that they are more loved than the royals in America and that they have won.
mobile.twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/1611291022817992706

I got into trouble with Meghan fans for saying this before but in the US they are very much B/C list celebrities.

Hi from a slightly warmer section of the East Coast, @MangshorJhol ! I agree, no one I know has mentioned them nor seems interested in them. I’m a dual citizen ( British American) so I’m somewhat interested and I might wander over to my local bookstore next week to peek at the book, but I don’t know anyone else who’s buying it.

In my experience, Americans don’t like sharing your family’s business with other people. They really, really dislike whining and admire problem-solving. You’re expected to overcome adversity and make a success of your life, IYSWIM.

Harry needs to do something positive and meaningful very soon, or he’ll fade into obscurity- look, I’ve overcome my problems and I’m making a real success of my life now-type of thing.

@MoChridhe
You’re only referring to part of the tweet, though, she goes on to say:

“Tina Brown, author of The Palace Papers, says the Royal Family have been damaged globally but there's also 'enough self-sabotage' from Prince Harry's new book to 'dent' him.”

Personally, I feel he’s got more to lose than the RF, he’s on his own over here.

How does anyone know what the reputation of the RF is globally? Is there someone conducting polls worldwide on the matter. I think we’ll probably see some fluctuations in popularity over the next few weeks when the details of the book will emerge but there’s a Coronation in May. Even if that’s scaled back it will undoubtedly look stunning - we are excellent at these big ceremonial events. What happens after the book for H&M remains to be seen. It’s hard to see what they have left to say for volume 2 unless they manage a big reconciliation. People have short memories.

In the DC area and I do get asked about H&M because I'm British. I would say that initially amongst friends/colleagues (who do run liberal) that sympathy was with them because of the race issue especially in UK media. Personally I was completely on board with some of that criticism, the media were awful. I still saw some of that when the Netflix doc came out, which I didn't watch. There is a subset of Americans who are very into the RF which is why they're always on the cover of People magazine (the celebrity magazine that gets its stories straight from PR people). Most aren't though. As a friend put it "We had a war to not have the royal family; why should we care now?"

At this point people aren't really paying attention. I knew far more people watching C-SPAN this week!

My American SIL who lives in the mid west has just posted on FB that she’s ‘team Harry and Meghan’. Her husband is Australian and very anti RF and she’s a big news consumer so I imagine she’s been following it all over there.

Completely agree with the Real Housewives poster and also the one that said there are levels-- some are Royal followers, some are just news followers in general and some it will not register at all.

If they keep stirring the drama to get $$$, well all the power to them. No different than Trump and his grifters, or the Kardashians, or everyone who shares on Maury Povich or Ricky Lake (wow those are dated. I haven't watched daytime TV since I started working). But there are TONS of Americans who overshare (have you SEEN social media) and TONS who EAT IT UP and pay for it. So whatever. Win-win for the exhibitionists and the voyeurs.

Many from my generation who followed the Diana story also recognize it's a tough life in the RF and they earn every penny they get (soz taxpayers).

And finally, no, not a laughingstock for the UK. Not by a long shot. Harry is still a spitfire darling and everyone loves an underdog. We're really very worried for you, our dear old world cousin, about Brexit and the NHS and terrified to see any crumbling in the stability (keep calm and carry on) that is comforting to us. Could not give two shits about your loose cannon royals and celebrities. We all have them.

I’m on the us and people have asked be about it (I’m a British expat). Most are team Meghan. Some amusement about how Brits put up with paying for an unelected family to live in luxury when things ‘over there seem so awful’.

And finally, no, not a laughingstock for the UK. Not by a long shot. Harry is still a spitfire darling and everyone loves an underdog. We're really very worried for you, our dear old world cousin, about Brexit and the NHS and terrified to see any crumbling in the stability (keep calm and carry on) that is comforting to us. Could not give two shits about your loose cannon royals and celebrities. We all have them.

That made me feel a bit emotional 😢

Ok well my family and friends on the east coast support H&M. So it's quite silly to say 'no one likes them'. It's a huge country with the usual range of opinions.

The old ladies in my family support Harry because they loved Diana, they hate Charles and think the RF were horrible to her, and they love that Diana's son married an American.

My friends who have an opinion are all pro Harry but admittedly they are mostly lefty, feminist, black, Irish American....

A lot of Americans think the RF are ridiculous so there's no reason for them to disapprove of Harry calling them out.

Harry is still a spitfire darling and everyone loves an underdog.

@AllTheAll I agree that everyone loves an underdog-but an underdog who wins in some way. Harry needs to “win” by doing something positive now to show that he’s moved on from the RF shit show ( as he sees it), not keep raking over old ground. Even if he brought down the monarchy completely, what good would it do him?

Living a happy and successful life is his best way forward. To earn Americans’ respect, he needs to show that he can make it on his own, IMHO.

In my experience, Americans don’t like sharing your family’s business with other people. They really, really dislike whining and admire problem-solving. You’re expected to overcome adversity and make a success of your life, IYSWIM

You must know some very WASPy Americans!

Many Americans aren't like that. They wear their heart on their sleeves, will tell their life story to the stranger sitting next to them. Talking about tough times is not 'whining', there's no shame going to therapy. You don't have to be a success, you just try to be a good person and happy.

You really can't generalise about Americans like that.

This is my opinion, and I am just one of 330 million Americans so take it with a grain of salt.

I think, once the book is fully released, Harry and Meghan will return to being America's sweetheart darlings. Well, OK maybe not that. 😁

In 2 years they will be the "couple who took on the UK press" and in 100 years there will be lookbacks about how brave they were to stand up to the RF. Especially if, once things settle down, the renounce their titles.

Harry's book is number one on Barnes and Noble and Amazon in the US and UK. So the leak is not slowing sales down a bit. B&N executive said that initial sales were in line with Michelle Obama's latest book.

Dreamingbohemian: that is one of the best descriptions of American's I have seen. It is 100% spot on in all parts of the country. It helps best describe my feeling as to why they may be America's Sweetheart. I just couldn't put it into words like you did.

We like self help, we like overcoming adversity, we like therapy. H & M may be down now, but it wont be forever.

This thread is very interesting as I have seen it asserted on other threads that the whole world is looking at the UK with disgust for our treatment of this foolish pair - our reputation being damaged on the world stage. It’s good to read that most people in the US don’t seem to care.

@onlylarkin yes I agree with you!

@HamBone again it depends on whether you're defining success in very WASPy terms
Harry has a lovely family, a beautiful home, he's healthy and fit, his Invictus Games are successful and respected, he is working on creative and charitable projects
That looks like success to plenty of people.

How is Harry an underdog? He was born on 3rd base and thinks he hit a triple.

I meant no one who has spoken to me about then not no on the east coast!

He isn't an underdog. But, in some of our eyes, he is overcoming adversity.

Someone in the UK may see it as a person who grew up in great luxury and privilege and needs to shut up. We may see it as a person who grew up in a very dysfunctional family and is escaping it.

His book has shown he is seriously messed up. That is a direct result of his childhood. We value openness and honesty, and even some torrid details. Some of the best comeback stories in the US come from some of the most disturbing families.

Another example, Paris Hilton. Media darling, criminal, media darling.

I'm in the suburbs of a big east coast city so mix with the soccer mom demographic, as well as artsy/academics through work. I've never had even one conversation about H&M. It doesn't make the news, and it's only on my social media through my British connections. I've only really become aware of the Netflix show and the book from Mumsnet, which is bursting with H&M content at the moment

@HamBone - agree completely! Will he become a tired raker or will he do something productive!? He can coast a bit on his royal reputation, his rakish darlingism, and his marriage to Meghan the black American beauty... but then the precious Meghan stuff and the revelations will start to get tedious. I think he's at a tipping point here!

Yes I agree @onlylarkin
Redemption stories are popular in the US. Someone goes through lots of trauma or self-inflicted mess, does stupid things, but eventually finds a way out and determined to live a better life. Robert Downey Jr comes to mind.
Part of that process is telling your story, all the ugly bits, and then you move on.
The tell-all confessional is nothing strange.

It's just very different from the UK.

I'm British and live in the uk now but I lived in the US for the best part of a decade and I think most people in the uk struggle to comprehend just how big USA is and how many people live there. Millions of people could be totally obsessed with H&M and the RF and it wouldn't even register with others, I'm sure some people are avidly following every tiny snippet and others won't even know the UK have a RF, it is that diverse.

I know some of my friends have mentioned it but most don't know or care and can never mention it to me.

Literally no one gives a toss enough to talk about it tbh, think we have real problems to worry about tbh

I’m American. I don’t know anyone that loves a privileged whiner or views someone raised in extreme wealth as an underdog. I’m mean, Meghan the northwestern educated multi-millionaire actress had to use her credit card to buy IKEA furniture for her boyfriend the Prince’s cottage. That’s a redemption story? We must be living on different planets.