Times article today

[MrsLeonFarrell]

This is a blatant being request for an archive link for The Times article about Catherine and Meghan called an insiders view.

Can anyone help?

This is just Tom Quinn's new book, 'Yes Ma'am', being trailed. If you google it you might find a few excerpts or comments, but I doubt that it's ground-breaking.

https://archive.ph/Bso3u#selection-1859.45-1889.378

See if this works.

I had no idea, thanks for giving the context. If it's just a book being trailed then the timing is less interesting.

To archive all you have to do is take the link of the times piece and pop it into an archive search engine

I use this site

https://archive.ph

you put the article in the search engine

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/royal-family-william-kate-harry-meghan-courtiers-servants-zjvdkbkkd

and it will come up

https://archive.ph/9EZV4

Thank you! I was wondering how people did that.

The hugging part again pisses me off, why are the huggers seen as affectionate and warm instead of the space invaders that they are. I hate with a passion being hugged by strangers, not really that keen with friends. Generally a person should be able to tell if the recipient wants a hug, it shouldn't be presumed. I'm like a penguin with my arms flapping at the side praying for the person to let go.

Thank you!

I had to laugh at the staff comparing Harry to the Prince Regent in Blackadder 🤣 I can totally see that. He seems nice and easy going but he’s dim witted and a bit clueless.

There’s also a time and a place for hugs - close family member who you haven’t seen for a while is one thing but the article says Meghan was trying to hug William every time she bumped into him.

This article also claims Charles flinched when Meghan came in for a hug but if you’ve ever seen him interact with Zara in a non formal setting you’ll see she hugs and kisses him a lot and he seems to love it.

People need to get over themselves. This absolute shit was over 5 years ago. It’s bullying by the gutter press and it’s being allowed.

so true.
so what if she is a hugger.

I thought it was an interesting article, it seemed more even handed than the usual stuff. I suspect the book will be less about Meghan or Catherine and far more about those born royal.

I can see both sides of the hugging thing. If you are used to hugging people it becomes a reflex but, as someone who only hugs specific people, I can see that it would be jarring for a non hugger to interact with someone who always hugs.

Having said that I thought the far more interesting parts were the ones that dealt with how being brought up with staff affects how you interact in general. That's an insight into a world that i guess most of us aren't used to but which isn't confined to the Royal family. I also found that parts of it about the insular nature of senior courtiers and the power they wield reflected what Valentine Low wrote in his book.

MM complained about her hugging being an issue for the RF in her Netflix documentary in 2023/24. Harry also talked about this in Spare, released late 2023. This absolute shit was kept live by them in their money making vehicles, and attempts to poke at the RF for being uptight.

When would the Meghan bullying stop? it's sickening!

Yes, she needs to stop bullying her staff.

so because it’s rumoured that she bullied. It’s fine for her to be bullied!!!

Who is bullying her? Go and ask the people who are doing it. Last time I checked, the author of this book that the Times is serialising was very sympathetic/complimentary towards her.

Twenty years ago I worked with a hugger. She also prided herself on always speaking her mind - no filter. I'm not a hugger. I'm also from an ethnic background that she associated with hugging. It was a really chaotic environment. I started shopping my resume and ultimately moved to another office. It's amazing how much work you can do when you are not being criticized non-stop. I'm now very suspicious of huggers.

I am a hugger but I agree. Janet Street Porter hates being hugged and I hate it when guests go onto the programme she presents and think they will be the one to be accepted and force her into a hug. I really wish she'd just say NO.

It’s just a cultural thing. I also hate hugging and doing the weird European kissing cheek thing. I have family who live in Europe and I have to tell them I hate doing it. They don’t get offended and always remember it makes me feel uncomfortable so avoid doing it. I don’t think it’s a big deal so long as they made her aware that they didn’t enjoy hugging. But i would find it offensive if she kept hugging/space invader when it’s clear the other person found it uncomfortable.

The article isn't bullying Meghan. It's a fairly interesting description of culture clashes when royals and courtiers meet those from outside the family.

I think it's interesting and more even handed than some. The thing that struck me though was Meghan being very friendly, even over friendly with staff but at the same time "telling rather than asking" when she wanted something done, as they were being paid. Bit of a dichotomy and bound to be an issue in any workplace I would imagine, let alone an unusual one like KP.

I can honestly say the Americans I know are some of the politest and most considerate people I've ever met, even when being straightforward, so really don't think it's an "American thing".

Still think Harry has much to answer for in not preparing her for what to expect and what was expected.

It does show that Catherine’s strategy of quietly learning the mechanisms of the RF, not making enemies and slowly building relationships/gaining respect was actually very shrewd. Over all this time no one seems to find a bad word said about her.

Yes. Isn’t this what Scobie said in his book. He mockingly called her Katie Keen and ‘coachable’ as though it were a bad thing. Yet in hindsight it looks like Catherine’s strategy was the smarter of the two in terms of integrating into the royal household.

There's that manic pixie girl trope again. She's a free spirit, no-one can tame her, but she changes everyone around her for the better with her ditsy charm. Her nemesis is the buttoned up, dried up, goody two shoes conformist. The leading male will leave the latter for the former.