The Guardian: Prince Harry at 40

[TallerSally]

Somewhat more even-keeled coverage of Prince Harry at 40 from Caroline Davies at The Guardian.

Arguably understated quite a few of Harry's recent achievements, eg Spare being the 2023 Nr 1 UK bestseller, or the phenomenal growth of Harry's Invictus Games which will now have 25 countries participating in Whistler/Vancouver February 2025. Little or no mention of the numerous awards Harry has won, eg most recently his ESPY Pat Tilman Award for Service and being named a Living Legend of Aviation, etc.

Anyway, nice to see an attempt at painting a more balanced, perhaps less hysterically rabidly negative picture...

Enjoy!

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/sep/14/prince-harry-at-40-the-difference-a-decade-has-made-to-the-dukes-life

... interesting to see how coverage of Harry's NYC trip is now being mostly blanked by the British media... a clear sign that it's a huge success! Shhhhhhhh.... can't admit that now, can we?

Don't be silly!

It's on (or has recently been on) the main pages of the largest British broadcasters and in the papers. But you're right that the puff pieces aren't being repeated, and the UK "no smart phones in schools" is being reported with greater prominence right now. I haven't seen anything on this visit making the "most read" tab, which suggests that people aren't clicking on it.

(BTW - lack of coverage really isn't a sign of success)

The papers will publish anything that gets clicks. If articles about Harry in New York were getting clicks, and good read-through statistics, there’d be much more coverage.

Here in NYC, we are more concerned with city and federal politics.

(BTW - lack of coverage really isn't a sign of success)

... alongside other distinctive and invaluable insights, such as "BTW - planet Earth is round, not flat"

👏

Anything Harry is doing with the Clinton Foundation will involve money exchanging hands. Let's not kid ourselves he is there because anyone thinks he's a valuable voice of expertise.

The Daily Beast has interviewed some more ex staff members. One calling her a "demon".

https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-employees-of-demon-meghan-markle-share-their-truth-on-her-psycho-moments

I find it bizarre how a mid 40s, divorcee actress who has spent years flogging her wares as an actress, acting out blow jobs in cars and many a sordid sex scene (which I'm not judging her for) - still tries to play the wide-eyed ingenue.

And to round off the day, we all knew this, but here’s the latest on Prince Harry’s Nr.1 bestselling autobiography called… (all together now)… SPARE!!!

(Rather poorly written) article on publisher Penguin Random House’s latest financials:

“The success of Prince Harry’s best-selling memoir Spare helped drive sales at book publishing giant Random House, it has been revealed.”

Tomorrow I believe Harry will be heading to the UK, which we are told is his true home, with his true family (well, the only one that should matter to him), and the place he’s been pining to return to since forever, seeing as he’s so idle and bored sh*tless giving speeches and hanging around with Z-listers chez Kevin Costner, Tyler Perry and at the Clinton Global Initiative…

And now even his book is a recognised success. Poor Harry! 😂

https://www.cityam.com/prince-harrys-best-selling-memoir-spare-drives-sales-at-book-publishing-giant/

Of course it sold well, royal gossip is a perennial money maker. It doesn't make the seller credible as an international humanitarian/ philanthropist

He’s acting in NYC like a man who knows he’s a busted flush.

And that very bitter-sounding line he spat out - ‘my screen-lock is my kids; what’s yours?’ - with such a glare at the audience: what’s that all about?? Why so superior and angry with his audience? He’s hardly the only parent to have a photo of their child/ren on their phone. And who is he to judge people who don’t, for privacy or other reasons?

What is he seriously suggesting some of that audience have as their lock-screens? I heard embarrassed laughter there and I’m not surprised.

I have a picture of DD as my screen lock.on my phone, but have one of the dog on my smart watch. Is that acceptable?!

I haven't changed my phone's lockscreen from the factory setting. Am I parenting wrong?

I am going to tell my teens that someone who used to be a Royal, says I could be failing both of them and they are failing me by not wanting me to have a photo of them on my lock screen.

Thank you Harry, I bow down to your wisdom and sage advise, even if parents the world over are parenting their kids through all sorts of trauma, challenges and god knows what, who would have guessed not having a photo of your kids on your phone lock screen is something to be condemned.

A fricking lock screen, jeez, give me a break Harry, you really are a big dope !!

You're the one who said

interesting to see how coverage of Harry's NYC trip is now being mostly blanked by the British media... a clear sign that it's a huge success!

Enjoy your flat earth

It really is so ludicrous. Harry really seems to think he has original ideas that others don't have. I don't know if it's him or his speechwriters. It's embarrassing.

I agree - threy are always the last on the band wagon with a few flaky cringe soundbites but limited actions of substance or traction.

Its a travesty to the many advocates and stakeholders who have been campaigning for over a decade having endured their own personal tragedies.

This is the moment, in case anyone hasn't seen it (from the Independent website).

I find it weird, creepy and offensive that he chooses to hector a 'tame' audience with that tone and that odd performative para-mime with his phone as a prop, pacing and swallowing and looking like he needs a large brandy and a line.

He's a generation out of touch on mental illness, a generation behind with the pandora's box of the internet and children's access, and woefully out of touch and exploitative on the subject of self-harms, suicidal ideation and suicide prevention.

He (and M) seem to want to be gurus, almost messianic figures, preaching and 'showing up' while people dance in the street, get to their knees and thank them for their service, whoop and applaud their 'philanthropy', admire their childhood precocities and wisdoms, and hang on their every word. I think, with the revelations about the sussex squad, that Hollywood is finally starting to see it as a cult of nutters.

Continuing along the theme of even-keeled coverage of Harry is this new piece by Jack Royston, chief Royal Correspondent at Newsweek, who I have to say have been more even-keeled than usual recently.

Here's what he had to say about Archewell former and current staff taking a public stand against the Hollywood Reporter Bonkers Hatchet Job And Mostly A Load Of Rehashed and Fabricated BS article on Meghan.

"Several staff members spoke out to Us Weekly to present a different account of Meghan as a boss.
Most were ex-employees referenced in The Hollywood Reporter as examples of the way Meghan and Prince Harry were said to "churn" through staff. However, their current head of communications Ashley Hansen was also among them.
Josh Kettler was hired as chief of staff this year but left by mutual consent in August after only a few months and told Us he was "warmly welcomed" by the couple.
"They are dedicated and hardworking. It was impressive to witness," he added.
Ben Browning, their former head of content, left shortly after the release of their Netflix documentary, which dropped in December 2022.
He said his experience "was positive and supportive," adding, "we all continue to be friends. The narratives we've seen suggesting the contrary are untrue."
Catherine St-Laurent, a former chief of staff from the early days of Archewell, said she "remained close" to the couple and added: "The time I spent working with Prince Harry and Meghan was incredibly meaningful to me."
Meanwhile Mandana Dayani, the former president and chief operating officer, said: "Some of my favorite memories were during our weekly meetings in their Montecito home, where Meghan always served the most incredible lunches, snacks and her latest beautiful concoction."

and so on..

https://www.newsweek.com/meghan-markle-staff-fightback-bullying-1958960

After watching that , it seems to me that he's cosplaying Gordon Ramsey!!!
Same tone and style !
Sorry can't unsee it now.

It's excruciating. Meghan referring to Harry as "this one". They bandy around phrases that were briefly trendy with influencers 10 years ago. I'm still trying to figure out who their target audience is?

This one, again by Jack Royston, is good for more than a few laughs:

"Footage of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry being cheered by crowds in England has gone viral after Prince William's trip to Scotland caught the attention of anti-monarchy campaigners."

I watched the footage, no idea if it was an accurate representation as is always the issue with footage online, but if accurate it certainly was embarrassing (for Prince William)...

"William was mocked in a series of posts on X by anti-monarchy campaigners, one of whom wrote: "William weaves his way through the crowds of well wishers in Aberdeen."
And a Harry and Meghan fan wrote: "Prince William is met by a huge crowd of 5 people in Aberdeen today. His security team fought hard to keep all 5 people away, somehow they managed to do so."

https://www.newsweek.com/prince-harry-meghan-markle-crowds-viral-prince-william-1957642

This article is not in Newsweek.

It's in the US Weekly. No where near as reputable. And it really damning with faint praise.

Also, how on earth could they know they were the ex-staff "referenced" by HR? HR has not revealed its sources, beyond saying that at least one is senior and current.

No one has addressed the actual HR allegations. 3 staff members saying fairly positive things about her is not a rebuttal. Nor is someone describing their time there as "meaningful" necessarily praise.

This is another PR fail. It's a kind of response, but in an outlet well below HR in the food chain, and it doesn't come to grips with what the HR said.

we all continue to be friends. The narratives we've seen suggesting the contrary are untrue leaves me wondering what narratives he means (I don't remember anyone commenting on whether he remained friends). And whether he is or isn't, that's not an answer to the 12 accounts from those who say they were bullied.

... and this one I'm going to be following, Simexit! The exit of Simon Case, "Slimeball in Chief", from his role at the head of the UK civil service, where he spent many years as the enabler of Boris Johnson and his acolytes during Brexit and Covid, and years as Prince William's right hand man during Megxit (or whatever).

Simon, dear friends, is widely thought to be "The Fly" in Spare (grab your bed/desk-side copies and check!)...

So, bring on Simexit!

https://www.newsweek.com/prince-william-aide-government-leaks-harry-meghan-bullying-1957739

But William was going to a reception to do with his Homewards initiative. He wasn’t there to greet crowds so it’s unlikely that many people would have been expecting him. This all happened a week ago. And the footage of the Sussexes is from when they were still working royals. Opinions have changed somewhat since then. On top of all this, the article quotes the Sussex Squad. Would seem to be a tad biased 😂