"The Royal Family lost a big asset" conversation

[Nono22972]

Am I the only one who's uncomfortable with people constantly saying that the Royal Family lost their biggest asset in Meghan because having a person of colour on the Buckingham Palace balcony would've been a nod to our current society, who's more diverse. As a black woman, this is actually offensive (and I'm not even a fan o Meghan) but to me, it just proves to me that you see her as nothing more than a non-white token who can be used to make the Royal Family look more diverse

Wow can't believe that the UK is to blame now for that divorce. Perhaps it could be something else other than just the country they decided to move to? Maybe they were already having problems even before moving to the UK?

Also yes I wish it was Lupita Nyongo instead of Meghan because not only do I find her to be infinitely more beautiful and cute and more elegant than Meghan, Lupita comes across as classy, dignified, and charming without looking like she's thirsty for the camera. Plus she looks stunning in gowns, and I can only imagine what a tiara would look like on her. But I wouldn't want her to be with someone like Harry, so in my ideal version, the harry that lupita would have married would be someone who is not only handsome but also smart and charming and actually kind.

I am not a fan of Meghan - like a pp upthread said, I too am allergic to the breathy, insincere, batty eyelid, ‘lovely person’ / ‘charm’.

But she was completely and utterly set up to fail by the British press.

Had they been left to get on with Royal life, they would probably have been fine.

As with anyone marrying into the firm (even Kate, who managed to ride it out), the media goes in for the kill.

I find all the talk about her being a ‘disappointment’ somewhat unfair. She was never going to be able to succeed, just like virtually all women marrying in before her were never going to be able to succeed.

From those unlucky enough to be beheaded, down the line to those having to be abdicated for, to Diana, Fergie and now Meghan.

Kate (and perhaps the QM) is the exception that proves the rule - she succeeded because she’s English and knows the culture and the rules, she has a strong, loving family behind her, and she utterly plays by the rules. She doesn’t put a foot wrong, she does as she’s told, and she never reveals her true personality. That’s not something most women are able - or even want - to do.

I would be surprised if George ever manages to find someone willing to tether themselves to him.

Again, not wanting to endorse Andrew in any way, odious creature that he is, but Harry is not a member of the Order of the Garter and does not have a robe to wear 🤷‍♀️

Am I wrong in thinking that both Meghan and Wallis Simpson expected the RF to change when they joined.

Not saying that it was to accommodate Meghan but she was surprised that the RF did value her abilities as an actress or as a show business celeb.

I might say that she was undervalued by the British People in general. Did anyone think she was a good actress?

As a Black woman, I am really glad that I am not surrounded by any Black or POC people who are so lacking in self esteem that they thought that a non white woman marrying into the Royal Family was in any way a boost for "us".
And worse to ignore the blatant racism of Prince Harry as if him deigning to marry the first woman who replied "yes" gives him a clean slate and Meghan is meant to be seen as somebody of status to Black people because she married a racist who happens to be a prince?
Bad not too bad if any of thenon white H&M supporters admit that it is they that seek validation through the same Royal Family and media that they accuse of being White Supremist and racist....but that would mean admitting to a cognitive dissothey fonnonance that they really do not particularly care about racism as much as Black or part Black people being allowed to flex with rich, White people of any persuasion, as long as they do not wear white goods...lest it look too bad.
And this is why so many so called anti racistet and so called pro Black Black people can make money and gain likes. ....they know that there is a great swell of Black people who care more about rich White validation at any cost, even to the erasure of Black people and erasing the "mix" of mixed people who do not identify as Black more than they care about equality and equity for Black people.
Why this over identification with rich White people and their status symbols and media and Hollyweird had become the prism through which so many Black people see Black liberation, I do not know.
So many of us are still on the plantation and right about now, I cannot wrong Meghan Markle and the like for using this to their advantage.
It takes a lot of contrivance to be mixed from LA and not have one Black or part Black friend until one marries a White racist prince, after all

Thank you OP for this thread - I read all posts with interest

This morning on J Vine I caught the end of a conversation about the balcony photo and how it was ‘all white’ and therefore a bad look. This is a little weird as if we are holding people responsible for not deliberately marrying a POC - perhaps William and Kate should adopt some children from different backgrounds to make the ‘optics look good’!!!!

I then wondered - did we look at any other family of mono ethnicity and ask why they didn’t marry someone from
another ethnic back ground? It would be like asking why Michelle Obama married Barrack and not some white bloke

Like a previous poster - Harry didn’t prep Meghan in his haste to replicate what his brother has. The interview in Africa, where M said no one asked how she was, was the point I thought she doesn’t get it ( even us lesser mortals know, when you have had a baby after the initial cooing - you have to get on with it) all her privileges and she could have done so much to help the girls in Africa who struggle for an education and basic human rights - but no it was me, me,me

I think it’s also relevant that they cut her family off - and anyone else they don’t like. To ‘lose’ one family is unfortunate….to ‘lose’ two looks like a pattern

Sad situation all round and I don’t think things will improve.

Thanks OP - a thought provoking post

Carole Middleton raised her daughters to marry well. From the schools they went to, horse riding, etc. There are plenty of similar women, so I'm sure George will have no trouble....

I must admit I side eyed the observation that the royal balcony is all white. My family had a similar photo op at a recent golden wedding celebration, and we were all white too. Does that make us racist, colonialist white supremacists? Or just any normal boring family? Answers not required.

Well, Harry certainly had trouble finding someone.

He had to source from overseas, after his British girlfriends all broke up with him, and now everyone’s seen what happened there….

I'm not sure what prompted that actress-I'd-never-heard-of to make such a ridiculous comment. It's not as if it's a surprise that the RF is white??

I don't buy that Meghan was maligned by the press. If you want to see someone torn apart in the press and on social media - Camilla. She's had worse slating than any member of the RF and she has managed to just rise above it. MM was welcomed as a breath of fresh air.

She thinks she is smarter than the RF and quite why she thinks she should have precedence over more senior royals is mindblowing!

She wasn't really a celeb though. She had a major recurring role in a long-running TV show. Some B-list movies, and other smaller pieces here and there.

She was never an A-lister unlike, say Sandra Oh, Mindy Kaling, Zendaya, Emilia Clarke.

There are a lot of actresses like her. Navi Rawat (Numb3rs) and Beth Riesgraf (Leverage) spring to mind.

These things can be about luck as much as ability, many talented people never get anywhere so I can't comment on her acting ability.

Also.. age isn't a barrier. Michelle Yeoh won an Oscar at the age of 60! Perhaps M should try to parlay her new network into actual opportunities like that?

I don't buy that Meghan was maligned by the press.

Bloody hell you cannot be serious

It’s not ‘either / or’

They - like many before and after them - were both maligned by the press.

We all have eyes - we can all see it.

She was never an A-lister unlike, say Sandra Oh, Mindy Kaling, Zendaya, Emilia Clarke.

Who?

I was so excited when Meghan married Harry. I think the reasons things didn't work out (within the family) - were to do with Meghan's mistaken expectations - confusing a royal role with that of being a celebrity - and for that I blame first Harry and then her - she obviously didn't do her research or listen to advice. I bet he was too scared of losing her, as he had his previous girlfriends, to tell her the full truth - for example - there's a hierarchy and you have to fit into that, which Meghan just couldn't do
Same here. It seems like there was a set of unrealistic expectations going on. The media were definitely racist in their coverage of her, which only added to the problem that both H&M seemed to presume they could have a celebrity royal, half in half out sort of arrangement.

Well they could have broken up with him because.. that happens, whether you're a royal or not? Some people meet their matches quickly, some don't.
The press speculated that their relationships broke up because they couldn't handle royal pressures etc. We don't know whether that's true.
He was only 29 when he broke up with his pre-Meghan ex, which is still early for a man.

Oh, please. No one is worth any more than anyone else. What a ridiculous statement.

Doesn't matter if you've never heard of them, you can look up their filmography and awards.
Did you hear of Meghan before this whole thing? In anything other than Suits?

Let’s agree to firmly disagree, shall we?

If you’re specially naming them as A-listers, then yes, it absolutely does matter if people haven’t heard of them!

Was that last one on Game of Thrones, and has been in a couple of rom-coms?

I don’t think our definition of ‘A list’ aligns!

I don’t think they ‘lost’ her. She left of her own accord.

We're all strangers on the internet though. You might be the sort who doesn't watch 'current' TV or movies. OR the sort who doesn't care enough to remember their names or faces. How would I know?

So no, whether any 'individual' has heard of them doesn't really matter anecdotally.

But their work, and awards won, media exposure does. All of the people above have won multiple industry awards for their work, and have had prolific careers. Doesn't matter whether you know them, the industry does.

Meghan hasn't. You can't get around that.

It wasn't what she wanted or expected. She wanted and expected a Hollywood celebrity with tiaras. It's actually pretty boring, very restrictive, and hideously intruded upon.

So she left. Simple as. No one drove her away. The press were hideous, but I also think she was pretty nasty to work for. SM was 100 times worse and she had lived SM for years, so couldn't fail to miss that pile of steaming dung on a daily basis.

She did the right thing. Harry also wanted out, so left. He did the right thing. All this 'protecting my family' crap was simply that. He has wanted out for years. They did each other a favour and left together.

What happened afterwards is a different story, but no one in the RF could have done more. It's just a horrible life, which she wasn't up to. She thought she saw another way to find fame in Hollywood, so at least had an escape plan. The other girlfriends didn't. At least not with Harry

Also @SargentSagittarius to be clear this was in response to PP talking about her talent.
Her career not being as stellar as her compatriots might not have been her fault. Many people are talented, but never get their big break, or get one but somehow don't manage to parlay it into something bigger. It may have been even harder for her, being mixed race.
But as it stands we don't know whether she's talented or not. She's not a big a star as made out to be, objectively by industry recognition. Perhaps her career hasn't gone the way she wanted.

The photo was taken in January 2016 and was part of a trip

They met in June 2016.

She looks like a woman wearing a white shirt, a skirt, and sunglasses - hardly the provenance of solely Diana (who was wearing a white shirt, a wide belt, jeans, jewellry and sunglasses).

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