Opinions may Vary . A genuine question about why Meghan and Harry seem to attract such differing views.

[BasiliskStare]

I post this more in hope than experience but I would be really interested in a proper discussion about those who are fans or supporters of them , those who aren't and indeed ( of which there are many ) , those who are indifferent.

So - I'll start. There was an interesting post on another thread which said M&H come over as David and Goliath , standing up against "the Institution" - my paraphrase.

No spitting , no fighting , mind the furniture 😂

I'm forever blowing bubbles?! What fun 😊

Then don't you think you'd have been very ill-informed about protocol, expectations and family traditions? I feel that anyone with any sense marrying into a family with a vastly different cultural heritage would show enough common sense and respect to check.

Subject: general use of gifs.

I always find GIFs are used when there is nothing anyone can say!

Response: general use of gifs in my subjective opinion:

I always think they are a great visual response to something particularly stupid.

Reason another poster sent you a gif: not my concern.

No interest in half curtseys, or full curtseys being a half nod or full nod of the head then!

I didn't know that. I'd be doing a half curtsey if I met the Pope then!

Yeah maybe. I wouldn't think to check, I'd expect my boyfriend to inform me if there were something I needed to do. As apparently Harry did, just not without much warning.

I'd still probably have thought he was joking initially and had to get him to confirm it. And whether we are talking full ballet curtsey or a little bob one. And even if I did then do it I'd be having very big second thoughts about the whole thing I was getting into.

The whole piss-taking expansive one she demonstrated in the Netflix series was a very silly overreaction and as cringy in its own way as Catherine's continual bobbing.

But who are you to decide what a family should do? I don't particularly like greeting people with cheek kisses, but DH's family do this, and I love them dearly, so I kiss them on the cheek.

DH gets up when other people enter a room - I don't think that's servile, I think it's what he's been brought up to do and he doesn't see that ad servile either.

I think there would have been press interest and some constraints on careers and possible pressure to do public engagements as senior royals- I think with time some of that would have lessened. Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh -married further down succsion line and still got targeted by the press and had a long time to win back public approval.

There's been suggestion some of it was him - not keeping in touch rumours of cheating - but I agree it will always have been easier to blame his situation than to publicly blame him especially when he had good palace PR team behind him.

I don't think Meghan wanted to carry on acting - I think she'd got some success behind her and wanted a husband and kids at that point in her life. I think they both had reasons to rush to altar both still wearing their best faces as it were.

Yes-that’s what I meant. It’s unlikely she would have learned about bob type curtsys at dance class-but she would have learned to do a court curtsey.

No not really!
I already knew that and find it odd that someone who thinks curtseys to show respect to a head of state is not something they would want to do , bothered to look it up.

Here is a little information for you , the mock medieval quasi bow Meghan did is not an actual curtsey!
and as I have already told you , she has done a proper one on suits !
it’s on YouTube for prosperity!

She thought she was coming over as cute and kinda kooky didn’t she?

She just seemed shockingly ignorant and shallow to me. It was really embarrassing.

The curtsy like many other incidents, the lip balm, the bigger bedroom, siblings ignoring each other at school are all conversations that with the right people surrounding you can be moved past. Harry and Meghan don't seem to do that for each other. They both have the same personality trait, I have it too and over react, over think and less so now but take things personally that others do not even register. They make the mountains out of molehills. I remember laugh reading at the support for why Meghan and Harry were in the right for the lip gloss. Mean girl Kate for being bewildered that someone would want to share, even though she shared. It was present on the Netflix documentary. But worse it is further enabled by support. The incidents are trivial but the retelling is what ignites the incident. Sadly I think Catherine was Harry's devils advocate and calmed him down.

I, like so many, always had a soft spot for Harry. Unfortunately, I think it's now clear that in reality, he was always a bit of a twat. And not very bright. The men in suits at the palace were just doing a bloody brilliant job of propping up his image.

Then along came Meghan and they could no longer keep that tight hold on him. She fed his delusions and the more unpleasant aspects of his personality. She's smarter than him but both are woefully lacking in self awareness. They also firmly believe they're better and smarter than everyone else so can lie, cheat and generally pull the wool over everyone's eyes.

They absolutely believe their own bullshit narrative (even though it seems to shift constantly) and think we should too. When we don't, they scream racism, bullying, yada yada.

They are a pair of nasty, self obsessed bullies who think they're far more special than they are. I'm sad for Harry (even though he's a dickhead) because I think he'd have been much happier if he'd married someone sweet, kind and genuinely in love with him as a person rather than Prince Harry, xth in line to the throne.

Catherine is showing respect to the Head of State. I fail to see what is cringy about showing respect.

I assume those who wouldn't curtsey would also refuse to salute if in the armed forces.

I agree - and these days it's not that difficult to do some initial background research, though you would expect your other half to guide you in the specifics.

It's only courteous.

I was interested in it as I was discussing it on a thread, that's all, nothing odd. I look up lots of things when I am talking about them, just to make sure I don't post false facts.

It’s been said before many times here but the cognitive dissonance still fascinates me…

If you like the Prince and Princess stuff, all the titles, jewels, castles, expenses paid, glamorous travel etc, why on earth would you imagine that you’d get away with just behaving like a regular, chilled out California girl all the time? It’s a two-way street like most things in life!

I’m sure Meghan sees herself as sophisticated and streetwise but really - she’s as daft as a 10 year old about so many things.

I do think saluting is different- because there is an element of reciprocity. Personally, I wouldn’t show any more respect to a member of the RF than I would to anyone else. I would prefer to shake hands, but I can understand why they might not want to do that, so I might just nod.

It isn’t compulsory outside of the RF. We can curtsey, give a bow of the head, shake hands instead. But it is obviously protocol within the RF/the Royal Court. Not that they do it every time they see each other, as I explained a few pages ago. They do it once a day if they see each other and that’s it. So if they were having lunch together they wouldn’t curtsey when meeting up then do it again if they went to the lavatory and returned to whatever room they were all in.

And as for Kate always curtseying - she’s not, and that’s explained in the same post a few pages ago also.

Do try and keep up.

You don't know the half of it 😂

This cognitive dissonance does spread, the absurdity of the royal family is why I have a soft spot for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex does not compute, one of whom sends personal notes to friends "to remind them of my love" (in the tune of king George) signed HRH in a rebublican country. I find following protocols of public service less cringe than addressing friends with titles.

Oh, I thought Catherine was playing jack in the box to distract Louis.

It’s been a while since I took ballet classes, but we were taught both a curtsey (a quick bob) and a grande reverence (involving spreading your arms out to the side before elegantly bringing one wrist to your chest as you kneel down) and when to use each. So, a curtsey at the end of class to say thank you to the pianist, a grande reverence to the audience say thank you for the applause following a performance.

Since pretty much all ballet classes follow the same classical technique I presume Meghan’s followed the same, and she would have learned both.

I think it’s sad that people seem to think that good manners are to be sneered at or are “quaint”. Showing respect to others is important. It shows that we value them. Chapeau to your DH 🎩

Yes!
its all about respect and good manners, apparently a foreign concept to some!