Omid Scobie's New Book - PART 2

[Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar]

I'm not sure what is the correct etiquette for carrying on a thread, but here we are. Thanks to @BoxedandRibboned for the original thread.

Original thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_royal_family/4935714-omid-scobies-new-book?page=40&reply=131041571

To be fair, there are plenty of Hollywood stars still at the top of the tree into their 40s/50s and beyond - from JLo to Jane Fonda. But they all have a really decent body of work behind them, have put the hard work into their other causes and interests, have used their money and fame to go into production and projects that aren't necessarily all about them. If you don't have that work behind you to give you kudos, if your work ethic is that projects and finance should just fall into your lap and someone else does the difficult bit, if you have to be the star and you still want to pretend you are a wide eyed and naive ingenue, then you are not going to progress. There are too many others who can do it better, with more genuine commitment and ideas and with less ego involved.

maybe they’d rather see the monarchy trashed/ in turmoil/ pulled down than be outside the magic circle?

On the nail, and honestly, I don’t think they’re the only ones who want to see it pulled down. I think they’re getting strenuous encouragement from various interested parties with historical grudges who’d love nothing more than to see such a long term Institution destabilised and in ruins for their own reasons. I don’t think M&H (mainly M) are half as clever as they think they are and are susceptible to flattery and being told what important work they’re doing by bringing chaos into the heart of the BRF. Harry was the weakest link - the angriest, the saddest, the most unstable. He was perfect for this.

@BethDuttonsTwin Absolutely. However, if having pulled it down, they are invited to be the new King & Queen, in place of Charles, Camila, William and Catherine (and kids), they would not be turning this down.

This is pure narcissistic rage in play. Wanting what you can't have, so you'll destroy it instead. I agree that Harry is the best, useful idiot for the goals of others who want the RF gone for good. But I have no doubt Harry just wants it for himself.

I thought she looked amazing too, though I thought the best she’s ever looked was the night of her wedding with the halter neck white dress. I also think that she looks better on footage where she’s walking or moving. Eg the Variety event, there’s footage of her walking into a room with her assistant and she looks immaculate, really stunning. Sometimes I think her photos don’t do her justice because she does such fake smiles and poses. I know posters on other threads say it’s because she’s a trained actress and she’s posing with practised poses and maybe that’s true but with Catherine there never seems to be that fakery, as you say, she’s concentrating more on talking, interacting with others, rather than primarily on how she looks, though I sure she’s aware of that too 😁

Its interesting that its all about what the Cambridges didn't do for the Sussexes and never what the Sussexes did for the Cambridges.

I also don't think that if they had tried to do more that it would have gone down well. Like if Kate had somehow divined that Meghan was having mental health problems while pregnant and insisted that she see a therapist, I think the narrative would be that she overstepped her boundaries and should have left it to Meghan and Harry. Similarly the silence on the way to the walkabout after the Queens death, if Kate had been cheerily nattering on about children and the weather then she would have been accused of not being solemn or respecting their grief or something. Theres no winning with some people and I think those people are the Sussexes

Quite frankly, she was in the inner circle for what, 4 years? But she's been out of it for 3 years, what else is there to say?

They announced their engagement in November 2017, and they left for 'family time', followed immediately by 'stepping back', 2 years later. So Meghan was only a senior royal for 2 years. And given how she was mistrusted by Kate, William and no doubt others, I doubt she was really privy to any family secrets. She's been out of the royal family 'business' for 4 years now, twice as long as she was in. But clinging onto the remnants of her royal life is the only thing which keeps her even vaguely interesting, so cling on she will.

He's clearly gone after Kate because she's doing a great job as Princess of Wales. Picks her issues carefully to be ones she really cares about and can make a difference in. Isn't over exposed.

But apparently her "insistence on spending time with her three young children in the school holidays" (quote from the Mail story) makes her part-time.

Mother works part time in order to see her kids. Ground breaking.

@BethDuttonsTwin I think at many events with Harry, when she is acting as "Duchess", she looks really fake, the smile is strained, fixed and sometimes manic. She's having to shoe horn herself in, around him and his causes, and I don't think he has very defined parameters of what his purpose is now, so that's quite a hard task for her. It also always feels like she's keeping an eye on him to make sure he's ok. I think she doesn't look that comfortable. At the Variety thing, she seemed much more relaxed and in an environment she felt comfortable in, mixing in an industry that she knows well, knowing what she wants from it, hence why I think her happy demeanour, smile and body language was much more natural and made her look more lovely.

Also if she was doing a schedule like Annes they would just say shes never at home with the children, isn't it terrible etc.

God, does he really say that? How on earth does that square with Meghan's declarations of her kids being the most important thing to her (apart from "this one")? And Harry's own feelings about losing his mother so young and having a cold father. You'd have thought that part of their gripes about a cold and unfeeling royal family are answered exactly by Catherine devoting these years to her children, thus breaking the cycle for the next generation. After all, Catherine is not going to be retiring from her day job until William dies! She's got many many years of full time work ahead of her.

And think how the Queen was criticised for seeing so little of her children when they were small?
The whole thing smacks of misogynistic churlishness..

I also don't think that if they had tried to do more that it would have gone down well.

Like Kate being brave enough to be the bearer of bad news and letting Meghan know that the bridesmaids dresses were nowhere near up to scratch (as recounted by Harry in Spare and confirmed by the tailor brought in to try and fix them)? Look how well that turned out (and the “Kate made Meghan cry!“ grievance is rehashed again in this book, I note).

Exactly, if she had kept schtum about the dresses and they hadn't looked well it would be seen as Kate trying to sabotage her or some other type of nonsense

I would love to know how weddings that size have been planned in the past and how/why this one was so different. The problems with the dresses were astounding. No one should have needed to bother Meghan with it. There should have been a few coordinators running each aspect of the wedding, working under a a project manager who would have sorted that out without anyone even knowing. Or pre-emoted it.

For me, the small scale of the whole RF operation is one of the most shocking revelations of the past few years.

I also don't think that if they had tried to do more that it would have gone down well.

Surely for a strong, independent, modern woman, this sort of interference would have been patronising - and INFANTILISING.

Well I cannot get over how many times Harry has made reference to Meghan sobbing on the floor ! Allegedly bridesmaidgate was such an occasion. For someone who talked about hitting the ground running and being a strong independent woman she seems to be easily floored ( pardon the pun ). I don't see why Kate had to apologise because Meghan had a hiss fit over the fact that kate pointed out the dress didn't fit properly. She was no doubt trying to save the day .

I don't doubt that Meghan probably DID cry. The run-up to a very high-profile wedding must have been very stressful but I think it would be a stretch to say that it was Kate alone who caused her tears. More likely a combination of things.

We don't know that Kate didn't too, though.

And it was interesting that in Scobie's previous book he related that Meghan took Kate's polite peace-offering flowers as an admission of guilt/responsibility and in her Oprah interview, took the credit by by saying it's just what SHE would have done if she'd upset someone.

Shady.

I read something recently that said they are being turned down for lots of projects and are desperate to find a way back into the RF good books to raise their profile. Don't know if that's true, but this book has well and truly scuppered that.

On another note, I do wonder how long Harry's money will last them at this rate. Her clothes are very expensive, and their lifestyle does not come cheap. He's due to inherit another tranch when he is 40 I think.

I think Harry's got a flipping nerve, saying that HE is ready to move on.
Sorry, sunshine, but it's not all about you.
Although of course, it's not too hard to predict that he will soon start trying to play the role of "the bigger person taking the high road." HE is ready to forget and move on but those dreadful Royals won't.

@TheCrystalPalace
Yes anyone would cry but they would not be lying prostrate on the floor hysterical ! Don't think my husband has ever come home to find me weeping on the floor but Harry has mentioned Meghan doing that a few times in Spare.

Does she pay for her own clothes or are they freebies?

I hope Meghan has asked Kate if she's OK.

I am reading that H and M were surprised that Spotify turned down so many of ideas ? Seriously ? They thought that interviewing Putin about childhood trauma was a good idea ?
It also states that they only received a portion of the $20million deal.

Hmm, potential scandal brewing over the Invictus accounts, and why there's so much debt, and why the CEO has been given the boot. I've heard mumblings about wardrobe costs....