The Press & The Royals: a discussion

[Whaeanui]

As we were just having a great discussion on this topic I’m going to try again to continue it on a thread of its own. A previous thread highlighted two particularly prolific ‘royal reporters’, but the same is true for all. They often manufacture stories to create divisions between the women in the family, more often than the men. The public seem to feed off this and none of the family get treated very well except the monarch. So do we think it is possible for the royal family to stay relevant and in the publics mind without their unhealthy relationship with the media? Can social media replace this? What do you think they can do to make positive changes that would reflect an understanding of the mental health challenges the media intrusion results in? Also their role in charities that deal with mental health and misogyny, mistreatment of women etc could be impacted by this too. Thoughts?
Please do not derail this thread by discussing your personal dislike of particular members or if they deserve it. I would like a discussion on how the royal family could change the relationship with the press.

Who wants you to stop discussing press behaviour?

The more you all fill up my thread with nonsense and sniping the less we can discuss it. Please go to other threads.

I don't think starting a thread gives you proprietorial rights to it.

So I'm sniping and full of nonsense. Gee, thanks. OK, won't post on your thread again. salutes, turns on heel, leaves thread.

It’s not a problem if this thread fills up, you can just do a part two. There will be plenty more to talk about on this subject for the next few weeks I’m sure.

Reminder regarding Sienna Miller’s settlement:

*THE ACTRESS Sienna Miller has spoken of her disappointment that Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers has been able to avoid a trial of allegations that it destroyed evidence and perverted the course of justice during the phone hacking scandal – for fear of being saddled with millions of pounds in legal costs.

Ms Miller on Thursday spoke emotionally outside the High Court in London having settled her claim over the misuse of her private information by The Sun with a confidential payment of damages and legal costs – but without any admission of liability or wrongdoing by Britain’s biggest tabloid.

Miller said: “It was not my choice to be standing here, I wanted to go to trial,” adding: “I wanted to share Newsgroup’s secrets just as they have shared mine.*

Sienna Miller

I think it important to note this, that she and other claimants wanted to go to trial with NGN but couldn’t afford to. It’s not right to me that people can’t take one of the richest and most powerful men to court because they can’t afford to.

The standard of proof in a civil case is not beyond reasonable doubt - that’s a criminal case. In civil it’s on the balance of probabilities - more likely than not.

@PicturesOfDogs

And did the other people also need positive press coverage to maintain their unelected role and lead an unenthusiastic public to accept an unwanted 'queen'?

Do we know the royal family wants to change its relationship with the press. They both need each other. Maybe the present relationship suits them. I doubt if phone hacking still takes place. But who knows. Obviously Harry is miffed because things haven't gone to plan in the press. More negative than positive recently.

This is just hilarious how prince William is now being accused by Harry and his supporters of colluding with Rupert Murdoch. This is despite harry stating that William supported his decision to pursue his own legal case against the the sun and news of the world, because he became impatient with how long it was taking for the case to be finalized. This is despite the fact that William and Kate’s phones were hacked way more than Harry’s was. This is despite the fact that it was William, along with Bradbury, who figured out that he and kate were being hacked and then informed the police. But Somehow Harry has managed to turn William into the villain again, because William chose to settle privately instead of wanting his and kate’s private correspondence to be publicized (again) in a court case. Does William not have a right to his own privacy even as the future heir? It's no ones business that he accepted a settlement as this was to do with his personal info being hacked and it’s common for people (celebrities and politicians included) to settle privately. Harry accuses William of knowing more about the phone hacking situation than he did, because of course he did. William was the one who figured out he was being hacked, took action by informing the police, and chose to listen to his advisors as to what the best course of action would be for him and his family. Yet to Harry, this settlement is a nefarious secret plan of sorts, and has implied that William sided with Rupert Murdoch instead of his brother. It never occurred to Harry that as a grown man, he should have taken time to understand fully what the phone hacking situation was about, instead of relying on others to do it for him and then getting mad when the outcome wasn't to his liking and then blaming his family for him missing out on the deadline. It’s also none of harry’s business that William and Kate chose to settle their claim privately. With a brother like Harry who needs enemies? This overgrown man child must be so exhausting to deal with in person. I can only imagine how Meghan must feel having to deal with him on a daily basis. Nothing is ever his fault, he's always the victim, and his supporters continue to fall for his act even when he's been exposed for his lies and inconsistent statements. These inconsistencies were even raised in court.

Have you seen camilla's dancing partner ??
Have you seen Camilla laughing it up with clarkson et al?

You can throw around accusations of a secret deal on mumsnet/Twitter. It’s irrelevant.

Harry however can’t, and he’s going to have to prove it. Might turn out to be a struggle for him.

William and his wife wife were hacked repeatedly, and received a settlement.

Harrys feelings about Camilla are neither here nor there.

@MamoruHisaishi

No.
Just no.
Willaim need not have revealed anything about his tapes

But he could have spoken out . He kept it all silent
And he's not joe blogs he's not even a celebrity

He's paid by the public
We have right to ask about the 'royals' and the press .
The optics look dreadful and rightfully so

William can do what he likes. I daresay he didnt want Harry to write about him in a book or do a whinefest to Oprah but he did. Now Harry is in a strop because William did something behind his back. Talk about one rule fpr Harry and another fpr everyone else. Same old hypocrisy. Too annoying.

If William had carried on to a court case instead of settling, both he and Kate would have been required to go into the witness box and the tapes would have been played in full and then reported on in full in the papers.

@Viviennemary well quite a few of them have complained about the press, and Charles & the late Queen also sued them before too. I posted on another thread an interview of Charles complaining about them, obviously Di & Fergie did, Andrew, William & Kate, Harry & Meghan… I mean they have all publicly complained before. Probably the worst thing I’ve heard besides hacking and illegal activity, is when William said the public would be appalled if we knew what he did and that photos of his mother dying were paid for by editors in this country ( not published, just to view them ).

(That was to Novela4, sorry)

and the tapes would have been played in full

Would they? Is that how it works? You can’t keep any of the evidence sealed for privacy?

That’s how I understand it

It never occurred to Harry that as a grown man, he should have taken time to understand fully what the phone hacking situation was about, instead of relying on others to do it for him and then getting mad when the outcome wasn't to his liking and then blaming his family for him missing out on the deadline. It’s also none of harry’s business that William and Kate chose to settle their claim privately. With a brother like Harry who needs enemies? This overgrown man child must be so exhausting to deal with in person. I can only imagine how Meghan must feel having to deal with him on a daily basis. Nothing is ever his fault, he's always the victim, and his supporters continue to fall for his act even when he's been exposed for his lies and inconsistent statements. These inconsistencies were even raised in court.

Spot on!

No
As I said , not a court case

Reveal what happened - don't take money and keep silent - speak out . Show some leadership !

Instead william did a deal that he kept secret . Why ?
Charles probably had a hand in this too .
No one is surprised though
And there will be worse to come

I don't disagree with what you have written here as it's a fact the royals have sued. But dont you think they are now happy with an uneasy truce. I remember Charles on the ski slopes saying something like God I hate that man when he thought he couldnt be heard. I think it was Nicholas Witchell.

But don’tyou think they are now happy with an uneasy truce
Do you honestly think that’s what they have? I don’t.

The messages would either be played to the judge, or transcribed and provided to the judge. The judge will then write up a lengthy judgment that sets out, in respect of each allegation, what decision has been made, and the evidence for making that decision. That judgment is then published.

There are very, very few court judgments about phone hacking, but there is one from 2022, from a group of claimants against the Mirror Group.

For a taster of the level of detail that would be made public, here's a taster from that judgment. This is why people settlt. Every single allegation is gone into in this detail:
"388. Article 7
Date – 14th September 2003; Sunday Mirror; hard copy and online

Headline – “Angela says the baby is Steve’s…he’s sure it’s not.” (there is also a headline on the front page – “I am having TV Phil’s love child” with a picture of Mr McFadden and Mrs Taggart.)

This story reports that a recent ex-girlfriend of Mr McFadden was expecting a baby and had claimed that he was the father. The article explains that she and Mr McFadden had a relationship during a break in Mr McFadden’s relationship with Mrs Taggart, and had had “an angry showdown” on his doorstep about it. By this time Mr McFadden and Mrs Taggart had resumed their relationship and a purported report from “a friend of the couple” was to the effect that Mr McFadden was having to explain to Mrs Taggart, who wanted to have children with him, why an ex-girlfriend claims he is the father of her unborn child. The source is said to say: “It is a total and utter quagmire. We are talking domestic meltdown.” The article then goes on to draw parallels with the then plotline of EastEnders and then goes into a little bit of history about the relationship with the former girlfriend.
389. In the case of this particular story Mr Evans was able to give express confirmation that it resulted from phone-hacking. He described how he heard a message with details in it during his “daily trawl” of emails, and reported it to Mr Buckley. The message had been left by the girlfriend for Mrs Taggart, and was to the effect that Mrs Taggart might think Mr McFadden loved her but in fact loved her (the girlfriend) and had been sleeping with him for years, and she was pregnant with his child. This came as a complete surprise to the newspaper, which obviously decided to run with it, investigate it and, ultimately, publish."

What are you on about? The whole world knew that William and Kate’s phones were hacked, it was publicized that he informed the police of his suspicions hence the investigations and the legal claim against Rupert Murdoch and his media. Why should he be forced to talk to the media about it when his own actions publically exposed the hackings? Only harry and his supporters think that the optics look dreadful. It's ironic how you complain that you have the right to know about the royals privacy dealings against the media (even when said royals were the victims), yet complain on harry’s behalf that his privacy is being invaded just coz he was born a royal. Why is it any of your business if William preferred to settle privately instead of ‘speaking out’ as you say? He's not your dancing monkey just coz he was born into royalty. Everyone is entitled to their privacy, even the royal family. This settlement had nothing to do with public money being misused, it was to do with William and kate’s private conversations being leaked. you and there harry supporters continue to victimize William and Kate. This is the couple who not only had their phones hacked hundreds of times, but also had to deal with sexual harassment from the paparazzi, who had secret photos taken of them during their honeymoon, including topless photos, and yes even when they were in the midst of a sexual act when they thought they were alone (I remember seeing that leaked online). For harry to make it all about himself once again is just beyond the pale.