As Never the second release ...

[onehorserace]

Wine, apricot spread and honey. I think we've had all the suggestions for names already ?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14832085/amp/Meghan-Markle-new-products-rose-wine-apricot-spread.html

What do companies do with the data they’ve obtained?

When I worked at an independent school, the admissions registrar told me this:

Bursaries were available to students whose parents could not otherwise pay the fees, but it was scrupulously means-tested, so parents had to supply all kinds of financial information. There were some cases where parents were vastly wealthy - overseas bank accounts etc (sorry - I'm pig-ignorant about finance!) and when it was put to them that they could easily afford the fees, they would say 'Oh, but we didn't want to touch that money - we're saving that for the children!'.

I bet Harry's the same. He might have millions, but....surely people don't actually expect him to spend them on boring old fees and security staff wages etc? That would be horrid.

Also - he might have millions but he's living in a world where people need hundreds of millions to maintain the sort of lifestyle he and Meghan have chosen.

I hope Meghan and Harry are never, ever, given a centimetre of an olive branch by Catherine, William or their kids. I do hope the other people who also suffered at the hands of Meghan will eventually be released from their NDA's.

Me too. Yes, Meghan spouts stuff about women finding their voice...but oddly is not keen on giving that right to her staff.

I do hope people will speak up eventually and put paid to her lying and hypocrisy. But whatever is said, you can bet there'll still be people who turn a blind eye because they are so invested in Meghan's 'curated' image.

indeed, They both said, very sincerely and earnestly, on Oprah they would never name who the racist was, because it would be too damaging to them. When they eventually released the names, it didn't impact Catherine or Charles popularity at all, nor the respect people hold for them, most people believed they were either lying outright, or embellishing massively.

They have no credibility anymore, and I don't think they will ever rebuild it, so anything they do say will just be more gossip fodder and ridiculed as most of what they come out with is.

What WOULD be interesting is if the RF allowed one of the close members of the family, Zara, for instance, to write about that time and all that happened from the RF pespective, or for Samantha Cohen to be allowed to write her memoirs without the NDA restrictions. Those would definitely be best sellers, possibly eclipsing Harry's book.

Sell it on.

That came across in the Oprah interview, @CoffeeCantata , when he was whining about money and his Dad cutting him off. He said that he didn't want to use the inheritance from Diana (£30m?) because that was for the children. He was so pathetic and petulant, I thought, this man has absolutely no idea..

They said they’d never name the imaginary racist but I came across a clip of them on Oprah the other day and it suggested that when Oprah asked who the racist was the cameras panned to Oprah and it was quite obvious from where she was looking that the name of the racist had been mouthed to her off camera.

Extending a hand of friendship by attending Invictus 27 would be BRILLIANT PR for W&M. They immediately look forgiving, wise and statesmanlike; all the things you want in a future King.

It would gain headlines around the world for sure but it certainly wouldn’t be brilliant PR for William and Kate, it would make them look weak, pathetic and guilty not statesmanlike at all, it would be the most unwise thing they would ever do, what idiot opens the door to the chicken coup to let the foxes in? I’m incredulous that @GiveMeSpanakopita you would draw that conclusion, also William and Kate would loose the goodwill of the people who have supported them from Harry and Meghan’s vicious onslaught against the Royal family and the UK itself, William isn’t an idiot he will know this.

They sell the email addresses to companies to use for e-marketing.

Thank you. I’ve often wondered where companies got my email address from.

Viewing 'As Ever' as a money making venture to support their lifestyle makes no sense. I think 'As Ever' is a device to keep Meghan in the news and puff up her image as a successful businesswoman, and they will really be living off the proceeds from 'Spare', and whatever they've got from other sources/inheritance, which have probably been invested and are managed by financial advisers.

Are they still planning to have some products in the Netflix shops? I’m curious as to how that would work with their seasonal ‘drops’.

I agree with comments about Meghan playing at being a businesswoman. I think I’d actually have more respect for her if she went on QVC, at least then you’d know that it was all being properly organised and stocked and run like an actual business, rather than some rich housewife’s hobby.

IMHO, the issue with H is not a PR issue. The issue with H is that he is an international political headache and a security risk. I think once you start an analysis from that standpoint, estrangement is the only option for the RF no matter how each member actually feels.

Bearing in mind the briefing of the impending invitation landed on W's birthday. The day before, M decided to announce her wine to launch on W's mom's birthday...the same woman who was killed by a drunk driver.

Imagine the scenario. H sits next to Dad. H rushes to TV cameras. H could say a) Dad supports contentious issue of the day [X], b) Dad's health is in state [Y] or c) Dad told H that C's health issue is [Z]. Why would the Palace entertain this scenario?

There is zero upside for the RF as estrangement is baked into poll numbers. H&M's numbers have collapsed in the UK. By sharp contrast, the RF is polling very well in the UK led by the juggernaut duo of W&C. Even Camilla, who was once dubbed "the most hated woman in England", is outpolling Starmer!

Being in a room with Harry is a liability for the royal family. No amount of keeping to pleasantries will cover the unknown risk of fantasy recollections. Harry's on and off demands that the royal family take the blame, Meghan was at it a week ago, it's never stopped a reconciliation will only put the blame game on hold, or we have Harry playing royal in the UK and meghan giving digs in the US with access to the households timetable for optimum news releases.

And when you consider that the allegation was the result of Harry relaying a conversation to Meghan (the idiot!) at which she' hadn't been present, it's just hideous.

I do not believe that either Catherine or KC would be so utterly stupid as to make any remark that could be construed as racist to Harry about his wife and child - it's just beyond belief. But whatever was said - can you imagine being so stupid, and such a stirrer, as to report it back to Meghan? Meghan! Who was probably waiting for just such an opportunity to play the victim card. She must have been delighted. If he genuinely thought it was offensive, he should have had it out with them there and then, and certainly not told Meghan - why would you, unless you were either an idiot or a massive trouble-maker?

"I think 'As Ever' is a device to keep Meghan in the news"

This is/was the crux of it.,

However they must now be realising no one is interested in her business, the podcast failed, the netflix series failed, the AsEver rebrand has failed, people are only interested in her kids. The views on her instagram posts prove that, the ones about As Ever only get a fraction of the views or interest as the ones her kids get and they only have that interest because Harry is a British Royal.

Edited to add, the interest is also because Meghan is promoting and generating the interest in the kids, with her sneak peeks of them at home and on holiday.

This is what I suspect based on the actions of all parties in public life.

IMHO, it is highly probable that KC3 would have advised his son H of potential issues that KC3's future DGC would face from the media and used Catherine as an example as CNN published an article discussing George's skin tone, eye colour, etc. before G was born!

There is a reason why Scobie used the titles in infamous Dutch translation and switched to names mentioned in KC3's letter. The "then" Princess of Wales was Camilla. But many people to this date don't realise that Camilla was the POW from marriage to KC3 to his accession to the throne. Given Camilla's tense relationship with H, I can see why she would have kept silent as KC3 spoke to H.

I assume that KC3 wrote a letter in good faith to explain that H must have misunderstood their conversation and he was looking out for his DGC based on media precedent of speculating on baby's features, never thinking that his letter would be weaponised to attack Catherine.

Reconciliation: the only benefit to the RF would be for Charles - there are plenty of British nationals who believe that they would never let anything stand in the way of a relationship with their child/grandchild and judge Charles for that. But the risks for Charles are enormous (Harry's proven lack of discretion). It's only been weeks since Harry announced a government conspiracy to make him 'less safe' and the King is apparently wilfully either participating or not getting out the way (endorsing it basically).

Harry is an idiot and I think he wants a reconciliation and he's still angry and he doesn't realise that those are contradictory positions. I think he has a fantasy of the RF apologising to him and then everything would be hunky dory (he's forgetting that the last thing M wants is reconciliation). But his anger means that he's very inconsistent. I could definitely see that appearing with senior RF members at Invictus would benefit his profile and garner a ton of attention, much of it positive for H and the charity. I agree with a PP, Sophie, Edward and/or Anne will attend. I think Beatrice and Eugenie might well attend too. I wonder if Charles, William and/or Kate might meet with athletes prior to the competition (without H).

Another big 'party' that would like reconciliation: the British media. H & M have generated far more headlines, access to so-called 'private lives' and juicy stories than they would have done if H & M simply kept their heads down and got on with the job quietly. Regardless of how critical the headlines are, any media that benefits from clicks, etc, has got to absolutely love the gift that keeps on giving. Reconciliation would generate a load more coverage and comment in a way that 'grey rock' does not and it'll be interesting to see if any of the British media attempt to put pressure on the RF to bring about a reconciliation of some kind.

William and Kate: I don't think they've got anything to gain. The biggest benefit to having H & M back would be if they could be full-time working royals because it would give George, Charlotte and Louis longer to live privately before they're needed for engagements. There's zero indication that H & M could ever be part- or full-time working royals again (and I don't think M would want to anyway) so therefore W & K can't have the biggest benefit to H & M's existence (in a parallel universe where they are team players). So, no, I don't see any way forward for the two brothers to be close in the future, or even really on much more than distant speaking terms. My guess is that they send presents to the kids on their birthdays/Christmas (and I think that probably happens in both directions) but that's it.

The most realistic conversation of the children's looks would be the exact same one Harry had with Stephen Colbert. Had that conversation been back stage it could be easy for Harry imply that it was Colbert who was questioning the colouring of his children and Colbert on the receiving end like Charles and Catherine. Harry is very good at removing himself from any scenario.

I thought no one had ever said who it was who made THE comments?

Omid Scobie published the names 'Charles and the Princess of Wales' in the Dutch edition of 'Endgame'. He tried to be coy and say that the only version he's standing behind is the English language version which contains no names but the general theory is that the Dutch edition purposely contained the names to generate hype (which it did). It seems to me that the names were in an early version and were removed later (except from the in the Dutch version').

@GiveMeSpanakopita Your theory about keeping your enemies close, so they're pissing outside the tent, I think that that might have been one of the five options that was discussed at the Sandringham summit. I think that perhaps in exchange for financial support, H & M would have been expected to rein in some of their commercial activity (no talking about the RF, for example) and that latter felt it was too restrictive to their 'freedom'.

I think it's too late to attempt that option now. It's been half a decade of throwing toys out of the pram and the toothpaste can't go back in the tube now (to mix my metaphors!).

Also if H+M were involved again with the RF there would be nonstop speculation about all the relationships - every photo from every event would be pored over for dirty looks and other slights, who sat next to who, who bagsied which designer etc. Good news for lip readers and body language experts but not for the rest of us, and certainly not for the RF. They would be permanently trapped in the Sussex melodrama then, with all the press coverage through that lens, as Meghan might say. I’m sure it would make Harry feel important and he’d love to be the centre of attention. But I think the others think that they have more important things to be doing, and they might prefer to try and focus press attention away from family drama and towards the causes and charities they are working with.

is it ethically and morally logical to enter into a rapprochement with an organisation they've accused of being racist, colonialist, bullying, and suicidality inducing?

I'm not sure there's been a huge deal of logic about much of the Sussexes' actions over the last few years.

I can see how, in theory, a rapprochement could look good for the RF - being the 'bigger person' etc. However, it seems to me that there are too many downsides. Apart from not being able to trust Harry as far as they can throw him (how often can you really use the phrase 'Recollections may vary' - once was perfect?) there are all the outstanding questions about Sentebale, African Parks and Archewell, not to mention how complicit he has been in Meghan's bullying of staff. None of these are things that the RF really need to be dealing with.

Having said that, I have thought over the past few months, like @TheAutumnCrow, that there has been a flavour of softening towards Harry, and wouldn't be at all surprised at a 'mental health visit' scenario.

I also think it would be extremely unfair to sacrifice George, Charlotte and Louis privacy in exchange for Charles to have some peace. We already know the children are not off limits for Harry.