As ever and PR disasters continued

[AtIusvue]

So Meghan lost her fathers number but is ringing round hospitals and will send a handwritten note, as per Sussex sources speaking through the Sun, the Telegraph and the Times.

I mean I have no idea, how it works with PR for very famous people, but surely there are scenarios they prep for?

Her dad is in his 80s, severely obese and has suffered ill health for years. You would think, there would be protocol in what to do should the worst happen.

That would include having up to date contact info. This isn’t something Meg would need to have/get involved with if she’s estranged, but surely ‘The Office of the DDOS’ would. Then engage in their set plan- whether that’s a public statement that this is a private affair or that contact has been made through the proper channels.

Whatever this is, it isn’t professional-it’s complete chaos.

I even question the private jets and the 'over the top security'. They only seem to fly privately when someone else is paying. Whereas bilionaires would have their own jet. And from what I can tell, they just have a few privately hired bodyguards like so many other 'celebrities', although they'd like people to think they have Head of State level security.

They do have an expensive house but as I said above, going by the dated decor, it seems not to have been renovated in decades. A billionaire would completely gut and redisign a home before moving in. That's if they didn't have the entire house built from scratch. Their lifestyle really isn't all that.

The very fact they didn’t rip down the Russian oligarch house and build new….which is what most rich in that area would do- it wasn’t a historic home. The fact that they haven’t decorated and put their own stamp on things or done any up to date landscaping after 5 years, shows they don’t have the finances.

We can see, here and there, that the place is starting to look run down. Even the Xmas photo…the bridge was crumbling. NYT described the kitchen as well worn.

They live by borrowing houses, private jets, getting free clothing. They try to avoid at all costs, spending their own money.

That house either needs extensive renovations or ripped down and started anew. You’re talking millions to do either. Millions for the landscaping too.

This isn’t the sort of money they have. They didn’t have 14 million to buy a plot of land effectively. They stretched themselves to buy a mansion with huge gardens, that that can’t maintain/renovate.

It also tells me that they don’t have a house manager and general maintenance permanently on site. The rich never see their homes fall apart….because it’s always someone’s job to constantly fix, repaint, polish etc. The rich effectively live in their own hotel…just without guests. I mean, it took me 3 years to get around to repainting some small chips on a desk in my house….because there’s always more important things to get on with and you end up blind to the damage. But in rich peoples homes- that’s marked down by the house manager and would be sorted by maintenance staff that week.

They live completely beyond their means. As time goes on….that house is going to cause them real problems.

What happened to the house in Portugal ?

I’m completely shocked at that statement including the children in their global philanthropy. I can’t believe this is the life Harry wanted. When Archie was born I recall him making some comment when asked about titles along the lines of “No, he won’t be brought up like that”. I thought good on you Harry, no titles for your children, taking a leaf out of Aunt Anne’s book, they can live like the Phillips children. That didn’t last long did it. How can they possibly think it appropriate to include their children like this. 🤷‍♀️

I hope I live long enough to see the epic rebellion that will surely come when the children are older. Or maybe they will suck up what they are told and feel entitled to privilege and drift around, Prince and Princess without a principality.

The very fact they didn’t rip down the Russian oligarch house and build new….which is what most rich in that area would do- it wasn’t a historic home. The fact that they haven’t decorated and put their own stamp on things or done any up to date landscaping after 5 years, shows they don’t have the finances.

That's exactly what I thought.

The super rich don't just move into someone's house and leave it as is. They have it completely gutted and redesigned to their exact preferences.They're not like us who have to prioritise the bathroom as it's mouldy and nasty, and then save up for a few years to do the kitchen.

But for the super rich, what's a few million when you've already spent tens of millions? They're basically buying the location, not the building. The Sussexes clearly don't have that sort of money.

I remember when Archie was born they had apparently chosen not to use a title for him, thinking that it was a good start and that they would try to bring him up like Anne and Edward have brought their children up. They are very foolish if they are going to miss the opportunity to allow their children to find their own way in the world.

I remember when Archie was born they had apparently chosen not to use a title for him, thinking that it was a good start

Yes - in reality they probably didn't like the title he was eligible to have at the time (Earl rather than Prince), and wanted to use his lack of title as part of the Oprah interview.

If Harry had just stuck his inheritance of £30 million and $4.5 million lump sum from Charles in a bank account (totalling $47 million) it would be earning him approx $2.5 million for doing nothing

Spot on, @Lunde, but I very much doubt that would have appealed to Meghan when faced with the glitter of all that money and its potential

It's not hard to imagine the blizzard of word salad designed to get her hands on it, and equally hard to imagine Harry resisting it given that she's now just about all he's got

@IcedPurple

They only seem to fly privately when someone else is paying.

Agreed.

Yet you get fans of M and H on here who despair about the life ahead for the Wales children and how it's abusive. I've read this repeatedly on here. Where are those posters now?

I think if they had the money this is what they aspire to

They love private jets (despite claiming to be environmentally conscious/ Harry owning Travalyst to lecture on sustainable travel) and if they could afford it I have no doubt they would buy one - especially as there seem to be a dwindling number of A+ listers prepared to lend them one for free these days.

They also seem to love the big Trump-style, presidential security motorcades - I remember Meghan using a 4 vehicle motorcade to travel a few hundred metres in NYC from a restaurant to the theatre. You don't see this very often in the royal family - usually the 40 somethings drive themselves with perhaps a couple of RPOs in the car behind for William - but equally he might take the train.

They also moved straight into the big status symbol, palace-like, McMansion in Montecito with 9 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms.... Meghan was clearly offended with her 5 bedroom + nursery house in Frogmore but did they need a Kardashian house from the start? The running costs, staffing costs and property taxes must have been extortionate.

The fact that they didn't even change the 1980s-style kitchen screams that they over-extended themselves for the status house

Will the location affect the price of getting things done ?

I would think billionaire town would have loads of megabuck interior designers etc, and not as many small contractors who nip down to Homebase for kitchen units.

That was just press speculation because of Eugenie's husband.

The poor kids, being lumbered with a charity that is effectively 'a charity' in name only, I guess they will have to learn to cream off the charity in the same way their parents do.

Its hard to believe they keep plodding from one unsavoury exploitation to another.

Yes, royal security is usually very discreet. You usually only get the big motorcades on official business, and then just the King and maybe PPoW. I don't think Harry ever had that, or very rarely. But Meghan seems to want it, however ridiculous it makes her appear.

Status seems incredibly important to her, and 'security' is a symbol of that. So too, as you suggest, is that big fugly mansion. Montecito seems to be a place for those who have 'made it' and no longer need to live close to the action, because people will come to them. However, the house seems way too big for the Sussexes and as you say, it must cost a fortune just in taxes and basic maintanence.

I suspect Meghan, growing up on the fringes of the showbiz industry in LA, always envied the Montecito set. Buying a house there was her way of showing the world that she's 'arrived'. And don't forget to call her Meghan Sussex!

But didn’t they register ‘Lilibet’s wardrobe’ or something soon after she was born so clearly intending to exploit her name for $$$$ right from the start?

Yes, and in California they are really just paying for the location.

Adele bought Sylvester Stallones home a couple of years ago. I’m sure it was lovely….he was mega rich A lister…..but she paid a fortune and then ripped it down.

Why? Because it isn’t as expensive to build a home when much of it is just timber framing. These aren’t homes built of brick and mortar.

Adele paid 58 million dollars….to rip down a house and start anew. Because that’s what rich people do. It’s the land thats worth the money, not the house. And to show you’re rich, you build a home that reflects the current style. Just like Gwyneth Paltrow did in Montecito….build new.

Their home is a very dated 90s/early 2000s Cali McMansion look. I get that she may be into that…..but that’s not how the rich over there live. They don’t live in old housing and someone else’s decor ….unless you live in a gorgeous Art Deco home or something.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13540801/amp/Adele-COMPLETELY-REBUILDS-Beverly-Hills-mansion.html

I was thinking about well known people/celebrities who do manage to keep their children’s lives private. It can certainly be done if you want to.
Nigella Lawson for instance - when they were small and she was starting out as a cookery presenter they featured in some of her episodes but as they got older that stopped. I’m sure I could google, but I don’t see anything about them, they must be grown up now. No idea where they went to school/university/what job they do now.
Same with JK Rowling’s children.

Probably these young adults are on social media in private groups or possibly using an anonymous account but they aren’t out there promoting themselves.
There are lots more I’m sure but those were the two I thought of.

If H&M cared about their children’s privacy and their own they can easily do it. I think it’s just awful utilising them in this way, and publicly announcing they are part of the family firm charity, when they are so young.

Also I’ve been watching a couple of super yacht chefs on YouTube. Those massive boats billionaires treat themselves to. I find it fascinating. The ones that are leased out cost about $1 million plus A WEEK to charter. Something one of them said was the people who own most of these boats are massively wealthy but you will never have heard of them. They like their privacy.

Still, of course those sorts of people aren’t scratching around trying to make a fortune out of selling jam. They can afford their privacy.

Archie would have been Earl of Dumbarton which apparently Meghan found offensive .,

Given that Harry was given the extra titles on the wedding day I sometimes wonder if someone was having a laugh

They must have known that the "dumb" part would be unappealing to an American bride, so why not have chosen something else?

A Scottish title is given alongside a Dukedom and the Dumbarton one has strong military links which was probably considered appropriate for Harry .

I’m Scottish and I’m genuinely offended that she found it offensive! I do wonder if that’s the truth though. You would have to be a flipping moron to single out ‘dumb’ in the name and be offended.

And Dumbarton castle if really impressive, although it's not Royal owned.

I have no doubt at all though, that if they had been given something other than Frogmore at the start, they would still be working.

Castle of Mey for example.

I too am Scottish and have relatives in Dumbarton who were mighty pissed off about the suggestion M didn’t like the title !