C5 Documentary: Harry and Meghan, Rise and Fall

[IsoldeWagner]

Anyone watching this? It's on My5. I thought the first episode was interesting. I was reminded of how popular they were and how much support they got.

What do you think of people having to refer to Meghan as M’am. I’ve heard it with my own ears. Don’t you think that’s rather grandiose for a private celebrity?

It is in British English, but less so in American English when calling people (especially people older than yourself) Sir or Ma'am is much more common - just normal polite address

So much for call me Harry..

Then why her instruction to non-Americans to be referred to as m’am? Officials at Invictus were told this. I’ve heard her bodyguard call her this. She’s a D list former actress who no longer works for the RF. She is grandiose.

If I am in America serving staff call me ma'am. It is polite.

If you meet the Queen you are told how to address her. My gran was Mrs Nadeed, not her first name. Lots of people do this.
I mean I don't care personally, but some people really do care about this kind of thing.

Lol, Meggsy is not the Queen!

In her mind she is …

That’s because they don’t know your name. It’s the same in most countries, including the UK (so Madame in France, madam in the UK etc). Not quite the same as meeting someone and telling them to call you ma’am. And what happened to “just call me Harry”?

Why should only certain Royal Family members and my gran get to tell people what they prefer to be called?

Do you tell the serving staff to address you as ma'am?. That's entitled and rude.

I don't think this is much about the very polite and charming customs in some parts of the US around calling people Ma'am and Sir automatically.

ETA as posted too soon, I can't imagine how that went down at Invictus.

Which royal family members? Calling the Queen ma’am is a convention. The late or current Queen wouldn’t tell people how to address them, that would be the aides doing the telling. So Meghan saying it herself does seem literally entitled. As for you gran, if she introduced herself as. Mrs Nadeed, she is saying that is her name, which is perfectly fine. Ma’am is a honorific that you don’t usually bestow on yourself

@smilesy before you meet the Queen you re given a briefing of how to address her and how to act around her. So the Queen does not tell you to call her ma;am, her staff do.

Watch the US reality police shows. They call everyone over a certain age Sir or Ma'am.
I do find it jarring that so many British people think their way to be polite is the only way. As if other cultures do not have conventions around politeness. It is a form of colonialism.

Well, it's a bit different to the Queen isn't it? Isn't Meghan supposed to be an
egalitarian Democrat supporting feminist champion of the underdog and the rights of women (allegedly) not a venerable hereditary monarch.

"Linked not ranked" only seems to go so far, it seems.

That is exactly what I just said in my post above. The point being that it is convention to address the monarch as sir or ma’am. The aides tell you this to stop you putting your foot in it. Not at all the same as Meghan telling people directly to call her ma’am

typo

Late to the party but I've finally just watched the documentary & I didn't realise they'd been together for 18 months before the engagement. That seems a long time not meet family members. Did Harry meet Doria before the engagement/wedding??

I get it @smilesy and agree. If a polite American or eg a waiter wants to call me ma'am in deference to my great age (old enough to be Meghans Mum) I will smile and think what lovely manners. I don't go around insisting on being called ma'am and would expect to be laughed at if I did.

I don't see the difference. But then I do not think someone having the title of Queen allows them to dictate what others call them more than a private citizen.
If you thought neither the Queen or Meghan had the right to ask someone to call them ma'am I could respect your opinion.

So down to earth, woman of the people, hugger extraordinaire Meghan, tells people, who all know her name is Meghan, to call her ma'am, and that's not Meghan thinking she's royalty and a cut above?

Pull the other one.......

The Queen didn’t ask people to call her ‘ma’am”. That is the received convention, tradition, call it what you will. It is in deference to her role. Not her personally. Meghan asked people to call her ma’am when she is not a working member of the RF so it is meaningless. But I’ve said all this as have others 😊

The staff ask people to call her ma'am.
Meghan presumably asked people to call her ma'am as that is the received convention in large parts of the US.

Calling the Queen “Ma’am” is respecting the office that the Queen held as UK Head of State. In the same way calling Joe Biden “Mr President” respects his office.

I don’t believe Meghan has an office.

@Serenster People call the President usually by their name. I have seen interviewers call the President Mr Biden, Joe Biden, Mr President. There are no strict rules around how you refer to a President.
The Queen, who only has the position because of an accident of birth, or in the current case marriage, seems to be the only person that you think has a right to say how she wants other people to refer to her.