With Love, Meghan

[Atlasvue]

Just setting up a thread for the release of the new cooking show, 15th January 2025

Reviews so far of the trailer, some very funny:

https://amp.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/jan/03/meghan-markle-netflix-show- Lefty paper not impressed. Trad wife.

https://www.standard.co.uk/going-out/foodanddrink/cook-meghan-markle-with-love-netflix-b1202861.html - Great read. Very very funny

https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1995903/meghan-markle-netflix-series-cooking- Domestic bliss doesn’t sit with years of grievances.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2025/01/03/with-love-meghan-netflix-trailer-cringe-moments/ - Great read. Very very funny

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/with-love-meghan-markle-netflix-barefoot-contessa-martha-stewart-b1202748.html - Meghan fan who has their doubts about a dated tv format.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14248119/amp/Now-Meghan-trad-wife-feminist-Duchess-rebranded-housewife-influencer-new-Netflix-cookery-vision-domestic-bliss.html - Feminist to Trad wife.

Will update with anymore reviews

Fair enough about the practical advice, if that is the norm for US celebrities.

It sounds strange, as I don't think the norm for UK celebrities - maybe a link to an official website alongside the 'thoughts and prayers' type post.

But maybe the public officials dealing with the emergency want to harness the media reach of celebrities. Or it's just one of those things that come across differently in different cultures.

Because my first thought - given they are private individuals - is 'are you doing any of this?'

I accept being advised/asked to act by people with a responsibility for the public/community response to an emergency. It is their job to harness and steer the community response. But when done by private individuals it comes across as being lectured, and 'do as I say, not what I do'.

I think it is a cultural difference because, from what I've seen on Instagram this morning, lots of celebrities are doing the same thing with the same list.

They’ve got form for this. Didn’t they say they would continue to collaborate with the Queen or something, when they first announced they were stepping back as working royals?

Lots of other celebrities are sharing the same information but they aren't doing so in the form of an official statement from their office. It's the pomposity of it that rankles.

Quite!

It's definitely the pomposity and the stupid titles.

Who knew the Telegraph could be so witty. It’s beyond marvellous

Absolutely, it's all about injecting themselves into things with the most PR possible and the least effort - and money. This World Kitchen sheiks of the usual bullshit of finding out who is helping and piggy backing it ... I'd suspect their people called his people and offered help - but how?! That organisation has the resources and experience - will Meghan send exquisitely wrapped and packaged jam and tomato ladybirds ?

I think they would get far less negative comment if they dropped using the titles for everything. In particular I wish Meghan wasn't using her title on Instagram. It positions her awkwardly between royal and celebrity and, if nothing else, I think their path since 2020 has shown that you really can't be both in the public sphere. Obviously they would remain part of the Royal family privately but their public persona would be less confused and less open to criticism. .

Without the titles they would just be part of the celebrity pack trying to share sources of information on Instagram. Which is a good thing to do.

I'm going to spare a thought for all the low paid workers - celebrities have lost their homes, but what about the cleaning maids, gardeners and pool boys? Nannies will be OK as children still need to be cared for. I assume some housekeepers are live in so they've lost their homes too. The others presumably live in a poorer part of town so hopefully their homes are not affected but there won't be any gardening work for quite a while. I bet many of them are self employed or zero hours.
I never know how Americans manage when there are weather disasters like tornados etc or fires. What if you work in a hospital, which will probably be busy. How do people keep going not knowing if their house is being blown down or going up in flames?

Anyway good luck to all those people losing jobs and homes.

Without wishing to derail, what you’re now saying is different. If your point is that you don’t care for people making an unnecessary drama out of their pregnancy, then we’re in agreement. And that is where the criticism of Meghan stemmed from.

As you were.

They are taking in loved ones...
I presume that is Doria then? Do they have any other loved ones?

If they are taking in friends that is great. But the grandiose announcing of it does them no favours.

Re: the other celebs making similar announcements. Do those celebrities live high-carbon-footprint lives and use private jets? I suspect a lot do.

Celebrities of the Met Gala mad-dress variety are already indulged in 'la la land' and given a lot of leeway (too much in my opinion) for being vacuous, pretentious and self-aggrandising. Those Hollywood mega-dollars bring a lot of hypocrisy along for the ride. Hide the drug-addled reality; promote the pointless tree plantings in the wrong places.

But Harry still sees himself as a public figure. So yes, he is judged somewhat differently, especially as he himself has framed the statement as 'officially' 'From The Office Of ... [add titles] ...' and added in Archewell, his money vehicle, and mentioned 'mental health', his money mechanism (eg Better Up, and his tying it in to Invictus).

Plus, Harry just isn't popular right now, looking at polls. The pomposity (real or perceived) won't be helping.

One celebrity I’ve noticed making an announcement is Jamie Lee Curtis (a US actress who does not use her British aristocratic title (from her husband) whilst in US)

It’s straightforward - that she’s donating $1million

The information they released is being widely shared by nearly every US celebrity i follow on Instagram. It's coming from a central point because it's the same list in every post, just re formatted.

Did these people release sepia toned 'statements' from their 'office'?

Or must make a 'thinking of all affected' post on social media?

It's the pomposity and pretentiousness of using their British peerage titles and pretending that they have an 'office' that grates.

Other celebrities aren’t issuing press releases to let the world know they’ve made a statement either.

Which is why I think they should stop using the Royal titles because there is greater criticism with a quasi royal announcement. The list is great and releasing it is helpful, just as it is when all the other celebrities release it.

👏 these low paid workers and the baristas and shop and restaurant staff of the downtown areas destroyed are the ones who will really suffer long term from this. The house owners have lost everything but most will get a rental in another upmarket area and then rebuild their dream home with the insurance money. That's upheaval yes but no scrambling to find another job. So many Americans live pay check to pay check.

But they have donated clothes and made a donation….and told the Telegraph about it

I don’t think it was the Telegraph they told - look at the wording, they ‘understand’ that the Sussexes have made various actions

It’s Town and Country magazine (the earliest linked article) who ‘can confirm’ it. No further sourcing, so it’s either straight invention or directly from the couple.

You’re assuming that their insurance hasn’t been cancelled

www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/fires-california-palisades-fire-homeowners-insurance-state-farm-fair-losses/

Many rich in the area will be making huge donations, there’s no way they will do the same!

Only just noticed the obvious spelling mistake.

Obviously not "heating", can't remember what I was going to say, but meant ballsing up. 🙄

Probably because the Harkles made sure T&C got their story though -because they wrote it for them ... it's all disingenuous acts to raise their profile off the back of other people's hardships and losses - they do that for all sorts including death of other people's children, British Legion, Invictus Games, etc ... and it's all about me me me, and what can we lever financially or PR wise out of this disaster we've strapped ourselves to
Their whole world and every facet they have is all about gain from others hardships or hard work .... grifters to their soul because they're unable to offer anything themselves

As I said, I have no issues with the overall content of their statement.

My criticism is the pompous "From the Office of"... and the gratuitous use of titles.

She has an IG account now. They could have posted the same content with a simple "from Harry & Meghan". That's relatable and authentic.

Yes. I said above that this is why I think they need to stop using the titles at all. They are in such a no win situation trying to be both royal and celebrities at the same time

Which appeal/ charity/support have they donated cash to and how much? It could be helpful to know the trusted organisation, support, charity they have supported.