I always think your comments are quite balanced and fair. And I think you make a very good point here again.
I think all the women who have married into the RF have had a hard time, including Ferguson and Diana.
The press are just shitbags. We all know this.
But as for the general public, I deeply and truly believe that the vast majority really wanted to like Meghan. Especially as Harry was viewed as the nation’s cheeky son. And I think a very high proportion actually did like Meghan at the start.
I don’t think that racism is at the root of it other than maybe a teeny tiny minority. But I do think there’s a cultural clash. You see lots of people referring to Meghan’s “word salads” - I think that a lot of Brits find it quite jarring. It’s not about having a voice, it’s about the style of speech and the type of content. It’s about as far as you could get from the “never complain, never explain” communication style of the royal family. So I think that’s an ongoing factor.
I think people felt rejected by Meghan. The way the birth of Archie was announced, for example. The secrecy around Meghan going into labour and then the delay in doing the traditional reveal to the world. I’m not saying that people were justified, but I think some of the grumbling started to really take root there and escalated with subsequent events. People like traditions when it comes to the royal family.
And yet, if they had decided to step away from royal duties and lead a quiet life, I actually think most people would have understood and been supportive.
They didn’t handle their exit very well, they were angry with the RF so it ended up coming across as a big “fuck you” to the U.K. And then the torrent of bitterness and badmouthing, with plenty of provable lies. Rightly or wrongly, people felt like it was a slap in the face. A rejection of the U.K., a rejection of the British people who had genuinely welcomed Meghan. And it just never seemed to stop - more interviews, a book, conflicting revelations, a documentary series. All complaining about how terrible things had been with claims that just seemed very hard to swallow - such as how tiny their (beautiful) cottage had been. Allegations which just weren’t true - such as Archie not getting a title because of racism.
Yes, Diana did an interview but that was after many many years of being in the royal family and working very hard to carry out duties. I know she was a very flawed individual but she did some outstanding work for many causes, and she’d built up lots of goodwill. Plus she was smart enough not to say anything that could be perceived at taking a swing at the public, nor did she lie in any obvious ways.
And onto Catherine. The abuse she gets is unbelievable when literally all she’s done is marry into the family. She’s kept her mouth shut even when her own family members are talking shit about her publicly. Even on here posters love to call her Waity Katy and KKKate. She continues to carry out her engagements, raise her three young children and work for the causes she supports. Well, obviously up until December she did and I have no doubt she’ll resume once she’s recovered. There is usually a lot of goodwill towards her but that’s mainly because there’s not much ammunition. Obviously that’s changed recently and she’s been pulled to pieces in the press.
So that’s why I never think comparisons of Catherine and Meghan are fair. The press are shitty to them both. But if you’re going to be outspoken and take a bombastic approach then it’s inevitable that you’re going to attract more criticism. Coming into the RF as an outsider, only staying a very short time, and then taking every opportunity to publicly criticise it is never going to go down well. And that’s even without the things she said which aren’t true.
I often wonder if Meghan is just misunderstood but then things happen like launching her website at the same time as the legacy awards and it makes me think that perceptions are right and she is as self-absorbed as she seems.