As ever#4 - As usual

[Words]

New thread!

Maybe, but the way it works with PR agencies generally speaking is that if you have a retainer, you issue an invoice up front per quarter and the client has 30 / 60 / 90 days to pay it, after which they start getting chased. Six months outstanding and they're receiving some very cross letters. Anything over 9 months and that's when the agency downs tools and starts sending lawyers' letters.

To this I'd add the extra leeway Meghan must have had as a Royal and - at the time of her relationship with SS - a proud possessor of $$$ contracts with NF and Spotify. So she'll have had a certain amount of goodwill over the invoices ('let's not upset her; I'm sure she's good for the money').

If SS DID fire her then she must have been really, really, REALLY late with paying. Bad Debtors List bad. That doesn't suggest 'too entitled to pay' or 'won't pay' so much as 'can't pay'.

Palace PR pumped out loads of exaggerated flummery about her, and the UK press, excited to have a breath of fresh air entering the RF, obediently churned it out. Meghan was presented as a titan on the global stage: a well-read and highly conscious feminist, a humanitarian campaigner with a strong track record; a gifted and highly acclaimed actress. Together, she and Harry would heal the world.

Yes and if they'd stayed in the RF and done their duty this could have continued. Their job would be to go on tours, wave to excited crowds and support charities. Exactly what they seemed to want. And still want. They're trying to do this role without having a role anymore. That's why their visit to the cali fires was so jarring.
Who are they to tour other people's disaster?
They are no-one without the titles and the role they bestow.

But they thought they could recreate this role with their own pure brilliance and compassion outside the royal family.

But feted humanitarian is not a job description.

If you want to be a 'humanitarian' (you are probably a narcissist) and you can either: devote your life to working locally on the ground and give up your own desire for wealth and comfort.
Or be exceptionally rich and use this to fund yourself doing good works.

They are not capable of either.

So now she's flogging cake mix on Netflix.

GiveMeSpanakopita · Today 07:24
You know, I think I'm falling in love with these threads a bit. Everyone is so intelligent, perspicacious, funny and well-read.

You're not wrong!

When we get/used to get lots of guerrilla attacks from Sussex Squad or SS wannabees, they tended to be just the opposite of your description above.

Only it would have been awfully bad form to actually say that to them...

Lol (to use one of the 'Mark of the Beast' identifiers!)

@GiveMeSpanakopita thanks for the explanation. If it’s ‘can’t pay’ I’d observe M clearly has the funds for what she wants, couture, her £ wardrobe, beauty tweakments, hair/stylists etc. It might explain though why she’s not had the kitchen ripped out & remodelled ad someone said upthread. Cash flow.

Re: Harry I think it’s worth noting the Royals don’t have much experience of managing money compared to us mere mortals. I was surprised to read the Queen Mother had a 643k annuity per year that was overspent at least 8 times PA. When her overdraft hit press Prince Charles suggested possibly a tenth of real figure. Her bloodstock bill apparently enormous too. She just pointed at what she wanted. Two cherubs on her four poster had their outfits laundered & starched every week apparently…

@BasiliskStare . That's superb. Brava!

I thought the clip from her show was ok.

But even if this show was a success and people thought: oh she's ok actually. How does it help them make money?

I can't understand how that would translate to enough jam and cake mix sales to fund a monteceito life long term.

Maybe the best possible outcome is another contract from Netflix for more cooking/ lifestyle content? Then the brand would grow over time?

Is that a possibility?

I'm really enjoying these threads because we're managing to have wide ranging discussions about psychology, PR, data protection, RF history, family dynamics, UK vs USA culture, cake mix 😄, all without the derailment of why do you even care you bunch of haters??

The discussion should show why their narrative is fascinating to watch play out.

And brilliant posts on PR and poetry 👏

Yes, in some ways the Palace did a bad job, convincing us all that Harry was a jolly good egg and Meghan an A-list actress and deep-thinking and committed humanitarian… Without the grey men the pair were well and truly busted.

I am Miss Gullible of Gullibleshire, so was positive about the engagement interview. What made me go hmmm was watching Gogglebox, and the hairdresser fellow saying he was getting bad vibes from Meghan and that she seemed pushy and full of herself.

I am Miss Gullible of Gullibleshire 🤣

Me too. I thought: they're going to be amazing together, how lovely.

I then cried through the wedding. All the music, joy, carriage rides and crowds.

And I'm the one now saying: maybe her cooking show will be good. 🤣

I'm Miss Optimisticfool from FoolTown.

@CoffeeCantata spot on & poss not always case as Justine said M inspires next level hatred, hopefully she sees this thread & revises view.

I listened to The Rest is Entertainment; a pp was quite right - Marina Hyde had some phrases directly from MN - perhaps she is posting…

I somewhat agreed with Richard: to be fair I don’t think she’s copied everything, especially that coat of arms. It’s impossible to be 100% original with one’s (many) endeavours. But I think Marina is right in that this is the last roll of the dice. I hope it works as otherwise we’ll be assaulted with a royal tour a month (Mallorca maybe?!).

Good PR isn't really all about lies. It's about presenting the truth as well as possible. But to succeed, you need to have an underlying truth (an actual empirical truth, not a Meghan-esque 'my truth'). So to take an example, you can't present yourself as a seasoned feminist unless you have actual theory and praxis. Julie Bindel and Emma Watson are not the same. One IS a feminist, the other presents the surface only.

And KC is a case in point. Whatever anyone might think about him, he's sincere and authentic about the causes he believes in and has worked to promote them quietly and intently for decades. He's been mocked and criticised and he's come through it because the world has changed and he's now seen as a bit of a prophet. Even anti-monarchists would largely agree that Charles has tried to do good, improve people's lives through the Prince's Trust etc and promote more sustainable methods of food production.

For all his faults, he comes over as authentic and has earned respect the hard way - because he's not been afraid to be unpopular and take flak.

(Oh - and the old chestnut that keeps popping up about his valet squeezing his toothpaste is a bit unfair. He had his arm in plaster at the time. I've had to have help with this and other tasks when I had my trigger thumb! )

@Puzzledandpissedoff can't agree more. With a few tiny exceptions I just love this thread. From recipes to poetry via PR and social media strategy - heightened with a generous pinch of gossip. Brilliant.

Regarding those exceptions, thanks to those who posted in support of me on the previous thread when a poster passively aggressively accused me of racism. That post was reported and was deleted.

Anyway. I don't want to derail or poison the atmosphere on this fab thread, so let's leave it at that.

@CoffeeCantata yes, exactly. What’s ‘best’, sincere & noblest about M? There’s something admirable in the ruthless ambition, how to package up?

To add poss ‘just’ society hostess with mostess?

Just want to add to the love in for the thread. I was here for the gossip. Now I'm making Welsh cakes tonight with the kids for lunch boxes next week and Spanakopita is on the menu for next week.....maybe I should move to the food section!

Mmm, spanakopita... My stepfather is a Greek chef so whenever I go to visit I eat my own weight in filo pastry. Bougatsa, tiropita... hang on while I wipe the drool away 😂
Maybe WLM will have a Greek cuisine episode...

This is the Spanakopita recipe I used but for whatever reason, it took hours and hours! Very nice in the end. But I swore never again!

Perhaps make halve the quantity?

All it took was for the glittery curtain of royalty to be pulled aside and we see that they're just two deeply mediocre, psychologically damaged overgrown children trying desperately to make global fame and wealth 'happen' without any of the talent, money and smarts it actually takes to make that happen.

Amusingly, an email just popped up in my inbox from an industry magazine with the headline “There’s never been a worse time to be toxic and mediocre” and it made me laugh.

I have just watched the trailer on my ancient iPhone. My iPad is having its screen replaced and am lost without out it. No one has asked if I'm okay either.

I say it's a funny mixture. There are moments that could pass as authentic/genuine/well acted but the rest to me seems painfully scripted.

Just to add I have not always been the best judge of people to put it mildly , but there was something in that engagement interview that felt so off- the way she tried to dominate it for a start.

I watched it with my best friend who thought she was great so I felt really mean and put it down to cultural differences.

My opinion was pretty much cemented though after that awkward Fab Four interview.

I'm wondering the same.

Even if the show is a success in the sense of getting high viewing figures, which it might, what's next? It will be forgotten within a month, because that's just how it goes with NF. The best that she could get from it would be another series, but NF will drive a hard bargain and she won't be making huge money from it.

Same with the 'brand', if it ever materialises. It would take years to turn a profit, if ever. None of this adds up to Montecito money. They need another income stream, but it's hard to see where it can come from.

I lasted all the way up to the grandiose announcement on Sussex Royal. At that point Harry ceased to be the lovable cheeky chappie and was revealed as an entitled, whiny toff without a clue as to what the monarchy actually is.

I'm still keen on staying fair and trying not to fall for "sources " rather than what is said directly.

I agree with you about wanting to be a 'humanitarian'. It's like wanting to be a 'celebrity' or an 'influencer' - these three are not (or should not) be states in themselves, they should come as a result of actual, meaningful, content-rich that you are doing or have done.

There was a line in the Vanity Fair hatchet job that struck me hard, and has been bouncing about in my head since then. An anonymous source told VF that H&M 'desperately wanted to be seen as people who wanted the change the world'.

I find that slightly chilling, because how many removes from reality is that aim? It's not 'changing the world'. It's not even 'desire to change the world'. It's 'wanting to have the appearance of having the desire to change the world'. (And that's not even before we get onto the empty concept of 'changing the world' in the first place. From what to what? Why? How? Who gets to decide what the world currently is and what it should be? And how will they check in with any of the 7 billion people who might not want any particular change? etc).

It's bothering me because I don't think I've ever seen such a pointed demonstration of total, hollow, narcissistic vacuity.

@User14March I don't think Meghan uses a stylist or MUA anymore, she doesn't look put together enough. Last Spring was when she stopped using them, imho.

@HobnobbingAboutHobnobs Bougatsa!! YAAAAAASSSS. My fave dessert tho is portokalopita. Vegan if made correctly but you wouldn't know it. Just syrupy, orangey heaven, it's like crack to me honestly

even if this show was a success and people thought: oh she's ok actually. How does it help them make money?

I've always thought of it, not so much as a way to make money in itself, but an attempt to claw back some credibility/"star attraction" in the hope other things will follow, @StrawberryWasp

Trouble is it's not just about what's on the screen but the abilities behind it, and since they're so clearly lacking I honestly can't see any of the big players taking further risks

My fave dessert tho is portokalopita. Vegan if made correctly but you wouldn't know it. Just syrupy, orangey heaven, it's like crack to me honestly

I was only waiting for someone (probably you ) to mention this one, @GiveMeSpanakopita

The first time I was offered it I thought "Sponge cake? Boooorrrring" but let's just say it's as well I was only in Greece for a couple of weeks; had it been any longer I'd have come back the size of a house, not helped by the fact a very nearby bakery was famous for it even among locals

Unless this series was bigger than the first season of Squid Game I can’t see any way Netflix would want to be lumbered with them for any longer than necessary. The only thing this series could do is help her As Ever brand, but it would have to be without Netflix in the future.