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The royal family

As Ever #2 Whatever

1000 replies

PrettyFlyforaMaiTai · 19/02/2025 15:54

I noticed the old thread is almost full so thought we could start a new one to carry on the discussion about the rebrand and merching.

Are you an ‘As Ever’ or ‘Whatever’?

link to the old thread: www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_royal_family/5277002-as-ever

OP posts:
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25
LunaNorth · 20/02/2025 08:23

andyouwillknowusbythetrailofdead · 20/02/2025 06:46

See, I don't think she would. There's no evidence that she had any interest in acting as a craft: it was a means to an end, the end being celebrity and fame and money. Theatre wasn't glitzy enough for her.

Meeting Harry was an unbelievable coup in that regard. Unfortunately, in the beginning it involved boring things like duty and not being the centre of attention, but she's ditched the silly old royal family and she gets to be the star now.

Anyone who has watched a single episode of Suits would verify that Meghan Markle has no interest whatsoever in ‘acting as a craft,’ unless acting consists of biting one’s lip, looking good in a pencil skirt and breathing “I’m not wearing any underwear” like a jolly good feminist.

IcedPurple · 20/02/2025 08:43

RecoIIectionsMayVary · 20/02/2025 07:52

Agree @IcedPurple but even with the upcoming show, it's Meghan in a hired kitchen. The interest is more in her life that her, imo. I would be more interested if it was her Cali kitchen, I would have been really interested if it had been a royal kitchen and garden.

Yes, it's just a bland, generic rich person's California home. That seems to be Meghan's aesthetic but it's not very unique or interesting. The whole thing also seems very contrived, like something from maybe 15 years ago. Not in keeping with the current times at all.

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 20/02/2025 08:47

IcedPurple · 20/02/2025 07:45

I also think NF were expecting some sort of 'reality' type content. Or at least for the Sussexes to be in front of the camera themselves, instead of putting their names to dreary documentaries noone cares about. Sure, the initial statement gushed about 'elevating communities' but what NF really wanted was some sort of 'American royals' content.

At least the upcoming show will feature Meghan herself, so it will likely get initial interest at least. But I don't think anyone could claim that this has been a successful partnership.

I think Netflix execs are shrewder than that tbh.

The contract headline total was big and flashy, but it will have placed the production costs on Archewell, and on milestone delivery of content, potentially also on condition of performance of that content.

The only hit was their interview series.

Let's say of the fabled 100 million:

20m for the interviews, less costs, full whack for new subscribers. Let's say it hit all targets, they got that, and spent 3m on production costs.

Pearl - 2m. Oops, you've done your first cut and we don't like it, here's the milestone 250k payment.

Polo - 5m. Ok, we'll take that for 2m completed. Oops, no new subscribers though. No bonus. 1m spent on production costs.

Made up figures, but I sincerely doubt Netflix have lost on this. They're renowned for being ruthless with contract performance.

FromThePrismOfJammyTodger · 20/02/2025 09:13

IcedPurple · 19/02/2025 22:47

To get back on topic, Meghan's show was originally supposed to launch in January, over a month ago, and was only postponed a few days before the scheduled date.

Why didn't she start promoting the brand then? If it's a 'partnership' with NF, wouldn't the obvious thing be for the line to launch around the same time as the show aired?

Even now, she seems to have no actual products to sell. It's all a bit shambolic.

This is a very good point. But for the California fires, Meghan's show would have aired and she/Netflix have been promoting in conjunction products from....ARO? The brand change now (and the delay) just seems (to me) to be a cynical exercise in excusing going from handmade/local/organic to mass produced in a factory (possibly not even in the US) with a MM label slapped on it. Which is what I said all along this last year: there's no way MM can make big money from this enterprise - and she needs to make big money as it's not a side gig like those of other stars who sell gin, honey etc - without using mass production suppliers.

BritishGasbag · 20/02/2025 09:19

I wonder if her products will sell like hotcakes if she debuted them in Nigeria? She was very well received there. Might be missing a trick to not cash in on her heritage.

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 20/02/2025 09:37

To be honest, I feel like the partnership with Netflix is a very bad idea. They'll take an aggressively large cut in return for what?

Hosting her show? They're doing that anyway.
Putting the products in their stores? There are only two.
Selling her produce online maybe? But she can do that herself. She can get more clicks from headlines than Netflix can for their online store at the moment, I'd wager.

How long is she tied in for? Does she have any control over what her products are put next to? What about when that relationship ends?

It seems very last ditch to get money through the door, when really this SHOULD have been the plan all along.

They could have done Netflix, Oprah, Spotify, Spare with a bit less bitterness and hubris. Tell your story without slinging mud, satisfy people's interest, maybe get some sympathy.

For example, if they come out on Oprah and said that they found the explosion of pressure interest hard to handle, that they struggled to cope with the headlines, that this was their wish to try and live a different lifestyle whilst maintaining a love for their family, then they'd have pocketed the cash and been able to build a brand gradually in a slightly cheaper locale.

They're not producers. They're never going to be.

HobnobbingAboutHobnobs · 20/02/2025 09:39

From Harry's voice at the beginning of the launch video, it feels like we're supposed to think he filmed it. But Megan's arm is out in a phone holding position throughout the whole thing...
Does anyone else see what I mean?

RecoIIectionsMayVary · 20/02/2025 09:43

Exactly @HobnobbingAboutHobnobs it is all badly edited and planned.

I still think NF must be annoyed that all the juicy gossip came out in Spare and not on NF- NF is all about juicy gossip and scandal.

RecoIIectionsMayVary · 20/02/2025 09:46

And worse, they don't think us plebs will notice.

Thedom · 20/02/2025 09:46

....the widening gap between Meghan’s self-image and how the rest of the world sees her.

thats a dagger from the Guardian article, but so very true.

LaMarschallin · 20/02/2025 09:48

Harry's voice is completely superfluous and is only there to remind people that she's married to a Prince because that's her USP.
I'm sure she could manage to work a phone by herself - she's "whip smart", after all.

User14March · 20/02/2025 09:48

@RecoIIectionsMayVary isn’t ‘Spare 2’ out soon?

Thedom · 20/02/2025 10:07

This rebrand is being destroyed online, saw someone joking that Flamingo Estate, Harry and David, As Ever, As Ever photography, Spanish village, Emmas Kitchen, RF (Lilibet), should get together and start a class action against her for stealing names and business ideas.

RecoIIectionsMayVary · 20/02/2025 10:08

User14March · 20/02/2025 09:48

@RecoIIectionsMayVary isn’t ‘Spare 2’ out soon?

What, writing about things after the split? Can't see they have enough material for a pamphlet.

MissFenellaPrism · 20/02/2025 10:10

LaMarschallin · 20/02/2025 09:48

Harry's voice is completely superfluous and is only there to remind people that she's married to a Prince because that's her USP.
I'm sure she could manage to work a phone by herself - she's "whip smart", after all.

That's all she has. Married to a Prince. Using the titles.

jeffgoldblum · 20/02/2025 10:10

Thedom · 20/02/2025 10:07

This rebrand is being destroyed online, saw someone joking that Flamingo Estate, Harry and David, As Ever, As Ever photography, Spanish village, Emmas Kitchen, RF (Lilibet), should get together and start a class action against her for stealing names and business ideas.

Oh dear!
It probably won't happen but I think the power they both wielded while in the royal family has gone to their heads!
Pinching other people's domain and getting people fired for not having a good opinion of them, made them believe they could do and have anything they wanted obviously!

Dror · 20/02/2025 10:13

@MrsLeonFarrell one less sausage in a castle 🤣🤣🤣

MissFenellaPrism · 20/02/2025 10:14

I think you have a point, Jeff, because it is all about status and privilege. They genuinely appear to believe in some sort of social superiority. The Guardian columnist refers to this.

jeffgoldblum · 20/02/2025 10:28

archive.ph/2025.02.20-020828/www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14414755/Meghan-markle-rebranded-burger-Netflix-luxury-lifestyle-guru.html

Oh dear! , they are making mail seem to have taken the gloves off!

jeffgoldblum · 20/02/2025 10:34

Sorry autocorrect!!
The daily mail ! Not making Mail ! 🙄

LaMarschallin · 20/02/2025 10:35

"Spoon me, fork me"...?
What the fork?!

jeffgoldblum · 20/02/2025 10:39

Classy eh @LaMarschallin !🤣

MissFenellaPrism · 20/02/2025 10:40

LaMarschallin · 20/02/2025 10:35

"Spoon me, fork me"...?
What the fork?!

😱

Thedom · 20/02/2025 10:40

'Spoon me, Fork me'

Definitely not googling that to see if that is also plagiarised. 😂

It is nteresting to read she was able to use a really horrible denigrating swear word in that video, but a few short years later was unable to say the word 'B!tch'

IcedPurple · 20/02/2025 10:40

FromThePrismOfJammyTodger · 20/02/2025 09:13

This is a very good point. But for the California fires, Meghan's show would have aired and she/Netflix have been promoting in conjunction products from....ARO? The brand change now (and the delay) just seems (to me) to be a cynical exercise in excusing going from handmade/local/organic to mass produced in a factory (possibly not even in the US) with a MM label slapped on it. Which is what I said all along this last year: there's no way MM can make big money from this enterprise - and she needs to make big money as it's not a side gig like those of other stars who sell gin, honey etc - without using mass production suppliers.

But for the California fires, Meghan's show would have aired and she/Netflix have been promoting in conjunction products from....ARO?

I'm starting to wonder if the fires were just an excuse?

Maybe the delayed launch was more to do with this mess of a brand launch?

Might that also be the reason for her hasty exit mid Invictus Games?

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