Harry just protecting the other "spares"

[Magnoliasunrise]

Shocked to see in this mornings Telegraph that Harry is concerned for the other "spares" He just wants to break the bad parenting pattern and stop it happening to Charlotte or George. If I was W&K I would be absolutely LIVID by now. What does anyone else think?

www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/prince-harry-interview-bryony-gordon-spare-book/

Netflix gets nothing from the book, it’s a different deal. You seem to be unable to understand that they’re spending their marketable capital. What have they got once the RF material runs out? An actress who wasn’t sufficiently talented to get a toehold in Hollywood and a middle aged man with no work record or experience won’t generate enough money to keep up with their Montecito neighbours.

@ Iced purple from what I see, polls aside, Colbert landed well with the Californian liberal, ‘elite’. I don’t fundamentally disagree though. Open minded on it & interested to see ‘next steps’ & strategy.

Re: Asia, I think their ‘brand’ would go down a storm with the UHNW & philanthropist billionaires of Hong Kong & Singapore for one thing

@vera99 indeed re: Netflix, how much income will it generate for them?

I think they’ve got an Invictus-based programme on Netflix in the summer, following some veterans in their journey to the games.

What has begun?

A silly 8 month old video from his corporate greenwashing organisation?

Alienating those veterans was a smart move then.

But it's polls which count. Not vague impressions about 'Californian elites'. And given that the Harkles live amid the 'Californian elite' isn't it odd that hardly any of them seem to want to associate with them?

And I'm not quite sure who you mean by "the UHNW & philanthropist billionaires of Hong Kong & Singapore", still less as to why they would want to be associated with the Harkles. Wealthy people tend to prize discretion and loyalty very highly, which clearly rules them out. Also, wouldn't people like this value a potential relationship with the actual royals much more highly than with the exiled reality show stars?

@Blossomtoes have they alienated the Vets though? A Prince that served will be respected.

I hope they don’t make the programme all about H&M.

The bits and pieces of H’s work that are worthwhile (Invictus, conservation, even the charity funds from the book sales) are getting increasingly buried under the celebrity shit show.

it’s sad really.

I don't know if they will actually make any more money from the Netflix and book deals - haven't those advances already been given to them? I think people will hate watch/hate read them in the short term. What after that, though?

Do they want to be loved, appreciated, respected, seen as serious activists? Whinging from the ultra privileged is not a respected part of the American way of life. They've allowed a lie about racism to hang in the air for 2 years and made a fool of Oprah Winfrey. Supportive, left leaning TV stations like CNN have plummeting ratings - right leaning Fox and radio like SiriusXM (Howard Stern, Meghan Kelly to name a couple of their stars) have many millions more followers. Notoriously private A-listers won't want to risk their secrets being spilled. Hell, even your average B,C and D listers don't want their dirty laundry hung out unless they are doing it for themselves.

Some of the Asian market, I agree, might take on Harry for product endorsement. It's a bit unseemly though, I real fall for a royal, selling Whisky or whatever. And it will not square with the RF's codes of ethics about products/freebies etc. I can't see Meghan being attractive for that market, though.

Japan,China,Malaysia,Thailand,Singapore,Korea drink adverts,coffee - Royal Warrant holders obviously won't touch him. There's a few million there for sure but a danger that he over reaches.

In India if he plays off the anti-colonial British Raj schtick there's mileage to be made. There is a pride in India in de-Anglising the British heritage. I can see him coming out from behind a Queen Victoria statue in Mumbai say with the product with the punchline "well she would not have been amused".

But big bucks I see coming from Meghan makeup,jewellery and clothing. 😀

A prince who’s heightened their security threat is not respected. Have you not read what the military are saying about him?

We are seeing a narrative filtered through a few army voices that are of course loyal to the monarch and will certainly believe and toe the party line as for lesser NCO injured vets that remains to be seen.

How can he play off "the anti-colonial British Raj schtick" when he insists on being known as Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex? I do find it amusing how republicans practically hero worship him when he has explicitly said he believes in the monarchy.

And again, if Meghan could make 'big bucks' merching clothes, why didn't she do so 3 years ago? She's not young, has no obvious role, no major fan base and doesn't even have social media. Then there's her 13 point negative net popularity rating. Who, exactly, is going to be rushing out to buy lip liner by Meghan?

@IcedPurple yes, good points.

Is there evidence that the Californian elite & high powered who attended the wedding have distanced themselves? I haven’t spotted any obvious positive press but not looked closely.

Do polls really count? Genuine question.

I do feel they’d be support & interest re: HK/Singapore, especially if perceived as very ‘power couple’ but it’s dependent on what’s being promoted & marketed/their longer term reputation . Yes, it would be niche prob at start but if landed well popularity & power would grow. Harry is a Prince after all & Prince Andrew certainly previously very well received. In short, If it serves then they’d be essentially accepted & lauded I feel.

How do think things will likely play
out?

I‘m not an H&M fan, however, if Camilla’s image can be rehabilitated then it could happen for H&M, if they change their tactics and listen to decent advisors.

Yes, I think professionally run polls do count. More so than general impressions that any of us might have.

As for the 'California elite', how many have been seen with the Harkles or spoken out in their favour? How many high profile events or celebrity parties have they been invited to?

And yes, Harry is a prince but he's essentially exiled. Andrew is a prince too. In itself it means very little. An association with Harry isn't going to get you an invitation to Buck Palace or the chance to be photographed with the king. Quite the opposite. Anyone who hopes for a good relation with the actual royals will steer well clear of Harry and his wife. He's not going to be seen at royal events going forward, so his royal associations will continue to fade. Since those associations are all he's got going for him, that's not good for his 'brand'.

I just don't see what he or his wife have to offer the super rich, and several reasons why the elites would want to avoid them.

Look, I am saying this as a woman of South Asian heritage. Those markets - as far as clothes, make up etc are concerned - are skewed towards using blonde, blue eyed young starlets or Bollywood stars. Not middle aged African American women. Call it racist - I have no doubts that it is. But aspirational in Asia is the paler and more Westernised the better.

She didn't have the need to back then. Joan Rivers made a fortune off the shopping channels. I'll concede if it come to that then it will probably look tragic and destroy what ever credibility they currently have. It's too early to call either way but in terms of the product they have put out there in pure terms of successful reach and engagement it has landed. Meghan has expressed political leanings she may want to go into politics but that could be hard grind and small money certainly at the outset.

www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/us-news/2022/12/22/63a3c078268e3e26228b456f.html

You might want to clock what the Army Rumour Service is saying then. There’s no filter there.

In India if he plays off the anti-colonial British Raj schtick there's mileage to be made. There is a pride in India in de-Anglising the British heritage. I can see him coming out from behind a Queen Victoria statue in Mumbai say with the product with the punchline "well she would not have been amused".

This is just beyond tacky. Making a fool of himself. Do you think this sort of thing is going to help his mental health and sense of self worth, while his brother is doing the serious work of the next King of the UK&NI?

@Blossomtoes the average USA army Vet likely to see H favourably though, so chance to ‘expand’ there?

Meghan has held a grudge over a bridesmaid's dress fitting for 5 years so no way she could survive a day in the brutal world of American politics.

And what do you mean "She didn't have the need to back then"? If you want to build a brand, you have to seize the moment. 3 years ago, she was still popular and had a lot of support and curiosity about what she'd do next. And while you don't seem to want to admit to it, her and her husband's popularity has tanked in those 3 years, particularly in the last few weeks. And you still haven't said who her target market would be and which brands would want to be associated with her, especially given that she has no social media.

The 'product they have put out there' is royal gossip, which has a sell by date. Other than that, it's not clear that they have anything people actually want.

I have but internet forums are not totally representative of the constituency at large. Tend to be populated by know it all malcontents with too much time on their hands (looks in mirror!). Indeed friends and family who know I post online roll their eyes and think it weird and time wasting behavior as does my partner who thinks it most odd !

@Ridemeginger tend to agree, so what’s their strategy, do they have one? Enough to ‘thrive’ & pay ££ running mansion costs plus & then quiet philanthropy?

As with all of this, time will tell.