ARO thread 2

[OneHeartySnail]

To continue the discussion...

What next? What did the launch aim to achieve? Did it get the desired result?

Well that’s me told 😂. For the record, I am myself middle aged and very definitely staid!! Probably not the best adjectives given, yes, Kate would look a million dollars next to me (really not difficult given my habitual uniform of plaid shirts and leggings, no make-up and definitively NOT blow dried hair!). But I do distinctly remember a period where the media was all “ooooh, look at this gorgeous young couple” when they were glossy and shiny and new, and Kate and William were all settled and plodding along, getting a pasting for not being visible and wearing frock coat after frock coat. None of it had any bearing on the actual business of royaling, but then not very much of the conversation is. (To be clear, to me the business of royaling = money in versus benefits received by and shared with the nation; monarch exempting him/herself from laws applicable to everyone else; cash for honours or access; bringing attention to good causes; representing the country on the world stage; tourism; plebs being subjects; royal prerogative; weekly meetings with the PM; etc etc etc. This H&M stuff, to me, is just posh MN in-laws dramatics.)

Not being visible and wearing frock coat after frock coat?
They certainly were visible, although to be fair to Kate, she had Louis just before the Sussex wedding. William was still working.
Neither have ever worn a frock coat, although William has worn Morning Dress to non royal weddings.

That’s because she doesn’t understand the difference between authenticity and imitation. It’s pretty sad really, because I don’t believe a life of imitation is a life well lived.

The jealousy comment is straight from the Diana playbook. Harry has set himself up as Diana to William’s Charles.

Catherine was definitely called frumpy when Meghan came along. And that misogynistic mantle was taken up by Scobie in the form of his Stepford wife jibe. It was the same with Diana and Sarah Ferguson. Anyone falling for that tired tabloid narrative is a fool. I’m surprised Harry did, considering his hostility to the tabloids. I imagine after the Australia/Fiji trip the pair of them came in for internal criticism for the way they behaved (while outwardly they were protected by the press and the RF with a positive spin on the tour). He can’t take criticism so turned it into jealousy with a bit of DARVO. He’s never given a single, logical reason why the RF would want them to fail considering all that was invested in his image over the years and then hers by the palace.

I thought she meant Catherine in a long series of coat-dresses!

EdithWeston

Yes, I thought "frock coat" must mean "coat-dress".
I wonder if a morning coat is what Americans would call a "cutaway".

Oh right, I see! I thought it was strange.

I can understand the temptations of Ozempic but it does seem to have an Albert Steptoe effect on the face. Quite a few celebrities are looking suddenly thinner but also prematurely aged.

Of course they weren't jealous, wise up! What was there to be jealous of? Meghan standing there with her pained expression whining that nobody asked her how she was?!! Do me a favour!

"Albert Steptoe effect"! So true!
The thinning of the face also makes the teeth seem larger and more prominent.

Meghan and Harry are jealousy personified!!

Exactly.

I’m reading The Revenge right now, MM left the UN HeforShe initiative because the UN executives refused to promote her to an ambassador. This was due to concerns of her being there for her own self promotion rather than for what UN stands for.

Another nail in the coffin was Emma Watson (who is an ambassador) declining to meet her.

When she was invited to go to Rwanda with World Vision, she insisted on first class flights and bringing her make up & hair artist as well as her own fashion photographer. The organiser of the trip had to stay behind as the budget was all used up. They also felt blindsided how the trip was used as a fashion photoshoot for MM.

As a casual observer MM comes across as someone who believed her own hype.

When the official engagement pictures were published my first thought was that anyone self aware who claims to be a humanitarian would not wear an obscene 50k dress.

The engagement photos were absurd.

When she was invited to Rwanda with World Vision, she insisted on first class flights and bringing her make up & hair artist as well as her own fashion photographer. The organiser of the trip had to stay behind as the budget was used up. They also felt blindsided how the trip was used as a fashion photoshoot for MM.

This is news to me and the info on the WV website. https://www.worldvision.org.uk/about/celebrity-supporters/meghan-markle/

According to the Daily Mail she went in January 2016, months before she met Harry. A bit of information about what apparently happened whilst there. I really don’t know what to say. It’s just unbelievable. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11036129/Meghan-Markle-used-trip-Rwanda-backdrop-fashion-shoot-explosive-biography-claims.html

That's unbelievable! Turning it into a fashion shoot?!

I'm pretty sure Bower did describe this scenario in the most unflattering light he could.

Not sure how you could confirm if she did fly first class (& if this was the norm for World Vision volunteers).

But the fashion photographer did go, he did post the photos to his website and they exploded later that year, the Producer didn't go as planned, she was pictured wearing a variety of outfits. Don't know about the hair & makeup up artist and if that could be confirmed - Meghan can and does do her own hair & makeup.

Bower does tend to put the work in and back up his claims fwiw, it's how he presents them that can be "tweaked".

It was from the Rwanda trip that this photo was taken. I remember at the time, it was used extensively when their relationship was announced.

And the early version of the Sussex Squad immediately linking her to Diana.

These photos are from Meghan’s trip to Rwanda. In the one of her with sunglasses on, as she takes a selfie of her and the children, you can see a reflector board reflected in her sunglasses. This is the tool of professional photographers to reflect flattering light onto their subjects. An indication that this was a photoshoot, not a candid capture of the moment.

In the second photo, Meghan is using one of her commonly used poses - her hand held delicately up to her face. So an indication that she was very aware of the cameras and consciously posing.

https://livesnaplove.com/blog/reflector-photography

@MrsFinkelstein Whatever his writing style is, I don’t think Bowers is making these facts up though.

Part of me thinks that it was up to World Vision to manage her expectations and their budget, you don’t get if you don’t ask afterall. But another part in me, based on my own values, would have accepted the offered terms with grace as I was going there for the benefit of the locals and their need for fresh water well. I appreciate any good will publicity is a bonus but these trips are not oeganised for the benefit of ones ego.

IcedPurple · Yesterday 17:52

I like them BEST at the Braemar Games, or opening hospital wings in shitsville or staring up a cow’s behind in the name of dairy farmers. The glam stuff should be occasional.

I totally agree. And this is what I think Meghan never got - the difference between royalty and celebrity. I really don't believe she ever had any interest in doing anything which wasn't glamorous or a photo-opportunity. She seems to need constant, constant external validation through being photographed or filmed in glamorous contexts. She gives me the strong impression that that is the main purpose of her life - to project an image above all else, with very little of substance behind it.

But I suppose she's been brought up around film-sets and the whole Hollywood world of transient glamour and perhaps that's what she thinks life IS all about! The problem is, that world is very unforgiving as you get older, and I think she knows that her only hope is to cling on the Harry for dear life in order to keep her place in the sun (or in the front centre of all the photos!!).

I think it's interesting that such a persistently litigious couple still haven't sued Tom Bower over the claims in his book.

Serenster
So an indication that she was very aware of the cameras and consciously posing.

Quite!

In part of the Invictus video there's a scene where Meghan is moving through the crowd (looking for a photo-opportunity) and suddenly crouches behind a young person in a wheelchair, looks at the camera and flashes a professional smile. She then swiftly moves on without once speaking to or acknowledging the person in the wheelchair or their family. They were clearly a convenenient prop and she got a great picture of her 'doing good and bringing comfort and support to those less fortunate beings'.

Wow - it's a very clear demonstration of how she operates, just in case anyone was still in any doubt. I just don't understand how any intelligent person can be taken in by her antics.

She gives me the strong impression that that is the main purpose of her life - to project an image above all else, with very little of substance behind it

It would certainly explain the constant camera-seeking ... she's not alone in "looking for the shots" but I've rarely seen anyone who's quite so obvious about it, or whose expression changes so markedly when a lens comes into view