Nigeria 4!

[OneHeartySnail]

Let the conversation continue!

I think it could be - in general the public loves a good redemption arc!

Will be a lot tougher for them than Camilla because the internet and social media is a whole different beast now.

Camilla was able to keep her head down and get on with things more easily.

Also depends on where they want the public opinion to improve as they’d need different approaches for UK vs USA.

UK would be a much longer game.

I’m afraid the lies and accusations have soured that possibility for me @CremeFresh

The unconscious bias white mansplain from someone who has not been shy in showing his racist core has done so much damage - and yes, I’ve been told that racism is just bias and is merely a learning opportunity.

When in reality it is just racism. And nasty.

@ArcaneWireless I agree. For me , Camilla 'only' did one thing wrong in having an affair with Charles and so was easier to forgive , no lies and no taking the public for fools but it's been an absolute catalogue of lies and poor behaviour with these two, much harder to get people on side.
Edited to add : Like you say Camilla kept her head down, I don't think H&M would be able to behave in a way to endear themselves to anyone.

Side point, but Biden has English first cousins. I know them, they live up north. In fact, I've known them since they used to talk about their "cousin who was a senator" way back.

They're strangely absent in any blether he makes about family - though I would hope that's to preserve their security from any random nutter who'd get a kick out of targeting a president's near relative.

Genuinely, I think that the Royal family are better off doing as they are now. Doing anything overt - removing titles via Letters Patent etc - while possible, would only give the Sussexes ammunition, and the Royal Family have the incredible advantage - they have the luxury of time, which the Sussexes don’t have.

So, it’s been four and a half years now since Sussexit. In that four and a half years Harry and Meghan have been constantly publicising themselves and their activities. They have some big successes (Netflix, Spotify, book deals) that have worked out to have some big splashes (Spare, the Netflix Documentary) and some that didn’t splash so much (Archetypes cancelled after one season and left with them on bad terms with Spotify, Pearl cancelled, their produced shows only gaining modest interest). Nothing new in the podcast or tv space has been produced for some time now, despite them still being contracted to Netflix and now Lemonada for podcasts, and Meghan having been represented by WME for more than a year now. They have made big wins, but used up their highest value collateral (the Royal family relationship) to do so.

Objectively, I think that would have to be considered as a middling return on the promise they offered in 2020. Netflix and Penguin Random House will doubtless have made money, and Harry and Meghan also, but their successes have not really burnished their reputations. They’ve also in this time suffered from their fair share of public relations disasters, from near catastrophic car chases to being lampooned on South Park. They’ve recently also pivoted to a retail venture, with a damp squib launch (why do this if entertainment production was bringing in the income they needed?).

The other thing of note is that their social capital also appears to be dwindling. Where are all the A-listers and former colleagues that attended Meghan and Harry’s wedding, who were included in her 40th birthday campaign, who appeared on her Archetypes podcast? Nowhere to be seen recently - there are just a handful of them (Mindy Kaling, Abigail Spencer and Katie Couric) who follow American Riviera Orchard on instagram for example.

Where will Meghan and Harry be in another 5 years? Still dwindling? It’s hard to see how they’d turn around their current position if they keep doing the same things as they have been. We know where the Royal Family will be, more of less, with William and Kate in their mid 40s and their children becoming teenagers.

Well, that’s why the Nigeria tour has come to pass - with other royal progresses planned. No one is interested in their productions or jam. The only interest and publicity they generate are through being “royal” or at least doing royal things, and having argy-bargy with the rf. They have to keep these going or else they’re sunk.

I wonder how many countries are going to invite them to do a tour ?

So basically they have to come full circle because people are only interested in “Royalling” what a spectacular own goal! ending up doing the same thing without the support of the Government or the Palace and let’s not even start on the financials, houses paid for, wardrobe paid for, luxury travel paid for, security paid for, personal staff paid for, your whole life paid for and organised for you and now they have to do all that themselves, what a pair of chumps.

It could but they’d need to play the long game and that’s not H&M’s style.
They seem to prefer to play the short ‘in the moment’ ‘reactionary’ game which usually ends badly for them in the court of public opinion.

@serenster what a great summary post!

There were points where both looked rather miserable. I think they will need to get paid to do it again.

H and M are full of ideas but that's it. There's no follow on, no expansion, no putting into actual realisation or action. It's all pie in the sky.

Surely something has to come from the jam?

Surely something has to come from the jam?

Weight gain and diabetes?😉

Didn’t see that but did wonder at the time why a couple so recently married would celebrate their wedding anniversary on a double date.

I can’t find the link now but came across it somewhere. They do seem to go out on double dates a lot, maximising networking opportunities?

It struck me as a strange thing to do on your wedding anniversary, given that for their first Meghan apparently recreated their Botswana Love Tent in the garden at Frogmore Cottage. I’m not knocking it, it’s a very romantic thing to do, but a long way from dinner for four with two people they seem only recently to have acquired.

I doubt it was a double date: it was work. The other couple was the Paramount fella (Jamaica trip, undoubtedly being lined up as a replacement for Netflix or to commission that book adaptation) and his wife (who got one of the jam jars).

Honestly, I think Harry is a pathetic man. He had so much, has made so little of it. All he has going for him is who his family is. And how desperate and bad-at-your-job does a woman have to be, to marry a man for his relatives....only to swiftly piss them all off permanently. It all went to her head.

Of course they're going to fail. They never had anything going for them to begin with.

They really do only have his family connections to use in order to make money.
I still cringe at the clip where he touts Meghan to the Disney bloke, telling him that she was available for voice over work.

I’m curious as to how it will all play out. What do people think will be happening in say ten years? Charles looks at least ten years older than he is and I suspect he may die a lot younger than his mother did. If so, William will be King . What will Harry and Meghan be doing then? His children will be in their teens and living in the US. If they are still together, what will Harry be doing with his life in his late forties? Bald and having lost what remains of his looks most likely. Not playing Polo anymore. All his British friends will most probably be history and he’ll be completely estranged from all his family, probably not even visiting the UK.

Perhaps Meghan will have found some niche to generate enough money to keep the wolf from the door. It’s just hard to imagine really.

If they split up Harry will probably be living like Thomas Markle is now. His kids visiting at weekends where he encourages them to smoke pot with him. Meghan will have found a new man who is much younger and richer than Harry, probably with dubious business connections.

They need to come up with a sustainable business plan , they can't keep on visiting other countries or writing tell all books, they seem to jump from one plan to another , just grabbing whatever opportunity comes along that will make some money. It's all a bit chaotic.

They need to come up with a sustainable business plan

They'd need to have a product or skill or expertise that people want, and they don't have anything, or it seems any business skills. The only thing they had that anyone was interested in was their royal status, and they've pretty much squeezed that dry now. I think the only thing for them to do is move somewhere cheaper and retire into private life. If they want to save face, they can say they want to focus on bringing up their children.

In ten years time, Charlotte will be nineteen and George nearly 21. No-one will be interested in H&M in their fifties with a new young generation of royals coming along.

It's a problem. What are they?.
Royals with no official role, responsibility or status. Royals for hire. They trade on status and titles, but as they are increasingly distant from actual royalty, the sheen will weat off.
It's going to be a reality show next, is my guess.

So, it’s been four and a half years now since Sussexit. In that four and a half years Harry and Meghan have been constantly publicising themselves and their activities

Well, yes. But in that four and a half years we've seen constant pushback on the attempts to prevent them from leveraging titles and status for cash which has now exploded into full on royal mirroring with awards, premieres, good causes and now faux royal tours. Pretty much a rival court and thumbing of the nose.

I haven't suggested removing titles (even though I think royal titles in and of themselves are risible baubles) because I think that would invoke an endless self pity party. I do think Pa should have considered a statement distancing himself from his darling boy's Nigerian adventure and I think if similar were to arise (as it well might) such a distancing wouldn't be ill regarded.

The public are fast losing patience with Harold's relentless foot in mouthery but there will never not be some way back into the fold for him if circumstances dictate (quiet retired life like disgraced uncle springs to mind).

C. has the winning hand here. Inexplicable why he's not playing it.

I totally agree with this but I very sure it won't happen.