Sussex Whiplash

[ConstantGarden1]

Sometimes, all the different media outlets who purport to know the inner workings of all things Sussex can give me whiplash. One moment the Sussex duo are on the outs with everyone, hemorrhaging or devoid of influential friends, making no headway with Netflix, losing money, can’t afford their mortgage and claimed to no longer be relevant. Then Suits saw an upsurge in viewers - fantastic ratings on Netflix, the BBC buys Suits, Invictus is being promoted via Harry’s award and trips, he receives a heartfelt standing ovation, Meghan finishes filming a new Netflix series purportedly linked to a nascent commercial venture and a new podcast is set for next year.

‘Lonely’ Harry, as some will insist on writing, is also not something that rings true for me. He has too much charisma, energy, interests, causes and is a people person. I also cannot think of anyone who needs to say I am friends with x, y, and z on a regular basis for the benefit or not of strangers. We don’t know who they are friends with, really. Meanwhile, pundits continue to engage those interested in the couple with whatever they can attributing the information to some made up mysterious ‘sources’. I suspect their real friends are quietly keeping their own counsel. Especially, now they have seen the mutual pathological loathing that Harry and the tabloids have towards one another. Can’t say I blame them either.

Now there is this:

https://www.paleycenter.org/join-us/support-us/paleyhonors/

Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Chairman, Maureen J. Reidy, President & CEO

and

Tribute Chairs

Ariel Emanuel, Jon Feltheimer, Whoopi Goldberg, Taraji P. Henson, Matt Johnson, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Gayle King, Debra L. Lee, Mellody Hobson and George Lucas, Scott Mills, The Honorable Nicole Avant and Ted Sarandos, Kerry Washington, Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

Invite You to

Cocktail Reception 6:30 pm
Dinner & Program 7:30 pm

The Beverly Wilshire Hotel
9500 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Cocktail Attire

Considering Whoopi G had less than favourable words for the couple I’d like to have been a fly on the wall at any meetings held. No doubt ‘netizens’ will have their microscopes to the ready to give us all their ‘insights’ regarding the events of the evening. No doubt I’ll get whiplash again when all their combined fingers hit the keyboards.

I never thought William was a coward for settling his case. And when posters on here were arguing that he would have settled the case because he would not have wanted texts of his, and Kate’s etc, to be in the public domain I considered that to be a good reason. Not cowardice but privacy concerns. And perhaps pragmatism. He will one day be King and he has to get along with the media to an extent ( I think both of Diana’s sons hate the media btw). I’ve read that Charles is very pragmatic in this regard. That Charles has dinner quite regularly with the owner of the Mirror. Although there are some journalists he despises apparently. I just saw a poster on another thread respond to one of my posts, and they are of the opinion that William settled because he realizes the courts are not places for personal vendettas. I don’t disagree. I just can’t work out how you hold media to account now without taking them to court. The media organisations seem pretty much self regulated and IPSO is a bit of a toothless tiger.

William’s reasons for not pursuing it would be different from Hugh’s. Hugh was faced with pushing on and risking the situation that if he won the case (and he was pretty sure he would) the settlement offered to him beforehand would prove to be less than the judge ordered. If that happened Hugh would be up for the costs of the Murdoch’s lawyers. And as Hugh said, they are very expensive lawyers and he could not afford that outcome. So he took the safer route and settled. I don’t think Hugh is a coward either. He’s a man with lots of young kids to support now.

And I suspect the settlement was a very very substantial sum - a sum so big it was highly unlikely to be awarded by a judge.

That would not have been William’s concern - he’s got the deep pockets needed but he had other reasons obviously. I don’t believe it was a cowardice.

Whether Harry has deep enough pockets to keep pushing on with this none of us know. But I suspect if he can afford it, he will do it. Some journos seem to think so - having said Harry is what the tabloids fear most, A man with a mission and deep enough pockets to fuel that mission. Does he have enough money to reject settlement offered and risk the award being less than the settlement. therefore having to cover Murdoch’s costs?

Harry has already won the Mirror case. So, that is encouraging. And there is the Daily Mail case next, before the NGM case I think.

3 wins in a row might ignite some passion for some sort of form of Levenson 2. I don’t want to see journalists etc out of work, but I do want responsible news media. Responsible media doing what it is supposed to do and holding the other 3 estates to account. Unfortunately settlements don’t seem to have any impact in this regard.

My post wasn’t addressed to you. I was a litigation solicitor for many years, I know what a Part 36 offer is, I’ve issued enough of them.

Excellent points, all.

😂 I like his face and red hair (photoshopped, plugs, whatever).

She acts bizarre in that / smiling and tossing her hair about as if she is the main attraction!

Bizarrely

Why does she insist on wearing shorts . It’s just so desperately inappropriate. Her legs are terrible and she’s just a total embarrassment.

I really think that is a reasonable assumption regarding both Harry and Meghan. For two reasons. Firstly, when Harry was hugely popular back in the day it fed his ego (we all have one and I think some of the royals have supersized ones at times). In that rarified bubble I suspect (don’t know) that Harry basked in the glow of being that popular. Now, post the popularity decline (polling does support that decline generally and polling has improved over the years) Harry is having to adjust to a new normal. How he is coping with that in private I don’t obviously know but I suspect it has been very difficult. Hence the new publicist. I will come to some conclusions about the efficacy of that move in about a year. Secondly, regarding Meghan, I do think she arrived in the UK as a fully fledged person with ambition and ideas whilst also knowing she was marrying the most popular royal except for the late Queen. I think Meghan then made some impactful errors on others behind the scenes as well as to the fore. For example, the whole ‘banana writing’ was really rather impulsive and strange - off script for royals - and not something I could relate to. I also suspect she relied too much on her husband (rather than also cultivating good relations with the other principals) and her own belief in herself. This over reliance would, therefore, mean she would have been less than open to input from others in what was without doubt an alien cultural environment for her. She may have overestimated her abilities, I think, and took little note of where her weaknesses lay. I also think that something must have been deeply troubling at KP for her assistant JK. He would never have actually written what he did regarding her treatment of staff otherwise. Once the tabloids turned on her, inevitably, Harry’s loathing of the Daily Mail etc did nothing to help the whole sorry situation. Once you’re seen as the problem and given a bad name it sticks around.

One aspect of all of this that I really wish we’d been privy to is the investigation that was supposed to have been carried out after the ‘bullying’ claims emerged in the public arena. To have those claims levied at you is huge. If Meghan and Harry know the conclusions reached then they should release them. If they don’t know obviously they cannot. If they do, however, and they have not revealed them because they have substance then that is dishonest of them. One day I hope, either way, that light is shed on this matter.

Going forward, I hope that H and M do listen to more sage advice as it is always far safer to take baby steps towards action. Impulsivity and ‘being in your emotions’ when making decisions carries the risk of both regret and being left to repent for a very long time. The Pat Tillman Award was a wake up call for Harry (no matter the brave faces adopted by them both) and I got that the Daily Mail hit its target (Harry) from Harry on the night. I did not get that sense from Meghan though. On her feet and everyone following suit spontaneously was lovely. However, her standing up was something that was not necessary. Perhaps, it was calculated, I honestly would not know. I’d like to think it wasn’t.

For Harry, now, I think he needs to stop trying to win back the popular vote (a ship long since sailed) and spend the years ahead quietly focussed on what he believes in. One day the wind may change for him but it won’t happen for some time, if ever. He may no longer be the most popular royal after QEII but he does have a huge fan base worldwide and plenty of irons in many a fire. I hope that he can see that and take heart from it. If he learns a little humility along the way then people (and the tabloids) will also pick up on that too.

So he took the safer route and settled. I don’t think Hugh is a coward either. He’s a man with lots of young kids to support now.

Hugh Grant has been the public face of Hacked Off, he has been campaigning for years against the press, and he said he brought the claim to highlight unethical practices. it is reported there are several billionaire donors behind them, I suspect he would not have been personally out of pocket if he had taken the case the whole way, instead he agreed to a confidential out of court settlement, despite saying he would have loved to see all the allegations tested in court. He then went on a huge PR blitz to explain why he settled, I think the ‘enormous sum’ offered on the table may have coloured his principals and he did an about turn on taking the newspaper to task !

All the comments about H and M needing to take stock, listen to advice, develop some humility are in cloud pickup land. It’s never going to happen. The pair of them are completely unable to be self reflective . It’s just grab the headlines at every opportunity and to hell with everyone else. I don’t think Harry cares about how he is perceived actually. She is only interested in how the American audience see her, and then not enough to actually change her behaviour .

Nothing new to most of us who have been saying most of that for years.

Apart from the gushing.

They've fucked themselves over with their over inflated egos, their sense of entitlement, their very varied recollections and their nastiness to others. And of course their timing was shocking.

When you hurt people to puff your own pomp, it takes a lot to come back from. If ever. I struggle to find sympathy for those who deliberately hurt others with snide allegations. Or lies.

I don’t think anyone here wishes them ill. Just a quiet happy family life without the attention seeking, calculated hurtful actions, glory hunting and sly pokes at others. I can’t see that happening though because of the sense of entitlement and bitterness.

He needs to address the African Parks issue and step back from Invictus a bit to get it back to what it should be. She needs to stop feeling hard done by for picking the spare and not getting to be the new Queen And King of Hearts that Harry undoubtedly thought (told her?) they were entitled to be.

They'd be much happier for it I’m sure. Deep down.

Neither of them look happy at the moment because their pigeons are coming home to roost.

But it does serve them right.

Cloud cuckoo! No edit function for some reason!

@TheRecollectionOfTheGhostsMayVary8 that's very true, and for those reasons I just don't see a way forward. They won't be able to reflect or consider others. He needs to give up Invictus to allow it to be a proper event again, but he won't.

He’s not going to learn any humility is posts like your OP are the sort of smoke that’s being blown up his ass.

I suppose he is a little reminiscent of a kniphofia 🤷‍♀️

Why do posters keep quoting huge posts in response? it makes the thread difficult to wade through.
Use the @ icon for crying out loud

And therein lies the problem @Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar

So the folk proclaiming him ‘king’, yapping on about massive support, attacking the royal family and writing gushing posts with no basis to them have done him properly wrong.

He has believed it all and now thinks himself as Harry big bananas who can do no wrong and, if he does, his fans will just come up with more frilly shite.

Not helpful but harmful.

.

It is reasonable, yes, to assume that. Without the facts everything will come down to a belief. They can live their lives on the world stage if they wish. I have no problem with that. However, the downside will always be the tabloids. The owner of the Daily Mail has a lot to answer for and I believe that behind the scenes he is encouraging a certain agenda re H and M.

I too want them to live well. Some would prefer it if they hid under a rock somewhere. It takes big d*ck energy and balls to stay in the game of life. 😉 They have a voice and will always use it. Some will listen. Some won’t. Some care. Some don’t. Some just like a good moan at the latest couple to be put in the stocks and then pelt the Duke and Duchess ‘wannabees’ with rotten food. For some it’s entertainment and so no matter the hour, the cause, the moment, the joy, the sadness or the occasion those people will keep on attacking H and M whilst claiming they wish them no ill will at all. 🤷🏻‍♀️

How remiss that those of us spending our time to set out a considered discussion aren’t doing it in a style commensurate with your enjoyment. My deepest apologies.

@Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar

No, just shows you don’t know how to use the site. You’re welcome

A voice? What are they using it for except to blow their own trumpets endlessly? Or tear their families apart?

Some people don’t like being @ed though. It gives them loads of email alerts. I don’t think there is a specific way to use the site, just different habits. Sometimes quoting the post is useful as well if it was from a different page as often happens. It’s a bit snotty to imply people don’t know how to use the site just because they do it differently 😊

The owner of the Daily Mail has no "agenda" other than getting the clicks. The Sussexes provide them, in abundance. There really is no conspiracy theory of which they are the victims. They could easily stay out of the tabloids. It's really not that hard, they're not that important. They just fan the flames.

I find it useful to fully quote, as sometimes a thread moves on so quickly so what are excellent points may be lost until a post is quoted and then those points addressed.