Endgame Part 7

[Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar]

Continuing a civilised discussion, with a few laughs along the way, trying to stay within the topic, please. Thank you to all the lovely contributors who make this a pleasure and an education.

Previous thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_royal_family/4968930-endgame-part-6?page=39&reply=132539427

Sussex Royal - branding, endorsements etc. You only have to look at Duchy products - jams, biscuits etc. to see the marketing opportunities.

Well on the bright side , at least Harry got a natty doormat out of it! 🤣

They can still sell Montecito homegrown products if they like. They could put an “on your honor” produce stand out front and sell eggs and pies. Those are quite popular in the US.

Well yes but the Duchies do at least sell products based on what is grown on the farms etc. What sort of merchandise could Sussex Royal have offered in sufficient volume to make a large income? I would have thought that the Duchy income was a nice extra, rather than a principle source 🤷‍♀️

When H married M, he was sixth in line to the throne and only the grandson of the monarch. His significance was only going to diminish over time. The sensible thing to do would have been to manage his expectations. However I think he was personally very popular at the time and it was thought him having a high profile within the family was a going thing for the institution.

@smilesy I am no advertising or PR expert. However, if you recall Meghan was pregnant with Lilibet on Oprah. A nice line in Princess Lilibet baby products prams, bottles, clothes etc. would sell for a premium. Imagine a Silver Cross Princess Lilibet pram for an American market.

Look at the Kardashians with the right advice they have made ££££ starting with a sex tape. The cachet of Sussex Royal branded products would sell if they pitched it right.

Yes, he was the 'down to earth' one, the 'cheekie chappie' that could joke around while older brother did the dignified but slightly stuffy heir-to-the-throne stuff.

The Palace did a great job managing his image.

I always found the 'my passion for Africa' a bit of a colonial mindset myself, however

I think also given that William and Kate don't seem to plan to do full time royal duties, and Charles seemingly set against Beatrice and Eugenie doing royal duties, they kind of needed Harry and Meghan

They absolutely, at one time, will have been thought of as a tremendous asset and an enormous help in fulfilling royal duties.

They didn’t want to - unless it was on their terms - so that is that. Bed made.

Not to mention all the bridges that seem to be burning since.

I don’t think anyone needs them now. And I can’t see how they would ever be thought of in the warm terms that they once were.

The Palace did a great job managing his image.

Didn’t they bloody just @wildernesssw

Agree. But I think at the time it was different and I understand why they didn't manage their expectations at the time, dial down the wedding etc

It absolutely was different. And it is a shame they chose to sell the goodwill and warm wishes for dollars.

The eye was on the prize long before they left.

This is precisely why the DM has made this issue, which has been rumbling for months and years, news at this time. The DM are bullies and they have H&M in their sights. They’ll end the last of H&M’s Netflix revenue in this way (and maybe Netflix helped them, they won’t have to pay out). If you can’t steal a man’s crops, just cut off his water supply.

That this is a real issue, about real people and real injustice is not what it’s about for either protagonist. And in that sense, the Daily Mail and H&M are all as hypocritical and rancid as each other. The DM is still hanging off of the Stephen Lawrence campaign. H&M can wear as many pretty designer frocks and suits as they want. They’re all, without exception, shameless users only after one thing: profit.

His passion for Africa was really a passion to sty in a very upmarket tent for a few weeks, probably with a cook , shooting game and drinking a lot , whilst having as little to do as possible with ordinary people who live there.

Very volunteer tourism. And playing polo to raise money.

I’ve always thought this. “I just love Africa”- really? What is it particularly about an entire continent you love? It’s so diverse in terms of people, landscape and culture, to reduce it just to ‘Africa’ just always seemed so patronising to the people who come from there. Like you I suspect his view of the place came from his days with Chelsea sitting in luxury lodges or glamping tent complete with ‘staff’, getting pissed with friends, going hunting and feeling warm and fuzzy after playing football with kids on the occasional school/orphanage trip.

Imagine an American saying “oh I love Europe, I have a passion for Europe”, you’d think they were ridiculous.

They were unlucky with timings - covid arriving just as they were leaving UK, which meant that whatever their original thoughts on how they would arrive (and be greeted) in the US must have been scuppered.

The original plan was to fleece gullible bankers on the after dinner circuit.
Harold managed it once before global lockdowns scuppered it albeit he trousered a staggering £750K.

That said given it heavily involved the now familiar trading on Diana's name it's hard to see how it was ever going to be a sustainable road to the kind of income they need.

You only have to look at Duchy products - jams, biscuits etc. to see the marketing opportunities.

The Duchy brand got flogged off to Waitrose when it stopped turning Chuck a profit.

@TheCraicDealer I bloody hate people who that. Africa has much more diverse cultures and landscapes than Europe. It's so ignorant.

Imagine an American saying “oh I love Europe, I have a passion for Europe”, you’d think they were ridiculous.

Americans on Tiktok say this all the time and it drives Europeans up the wall! 90% of the time it applies to eating gelato in Rome and then walking around Budapest or Vienna or Prag (interchangeable as they're so close to each other) and finishing in Amsterdam. When people, especially old money white poeple, say they love Africa it's obviously the same type of cliche that immediately pops into your head. Jeeps, savannah plains, safari, wild animals, linen suits etc. They never actually mean the cities, restaurants & nightlife in Africa which are often just as urbanised and busy as western cities. But the vibes there are obviously not ok for them. If they wanted to party in a club they'd stay in London instead of going to Nairobi or Addis Ababa.

Imagine a Silver Cross Princess Lilibet pram for an American market.

Maybe it could have flown but they mostly wanted to flog tut:

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry trademarked 100 items from pencils to socks in Sussex brand - SIX MONTHS ago | The Sun

Sorry for the confusion.

Susan Hussey WAS rude and racist.
She WAS welcomed back into the family within a very short timeframe.
She IS participating in duties.
She didn't step aside for long

The racism was acknowledged, she was back with the family within weeks, and participated in duties.

She had every right to name names. Appalling behaviour. People are called out on these threads and condemned all the time with little or no proof.

SR pencils and socks?

Everyone loves socks don't they?