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.

Yes, but I mean how would this happen? Where will the officers appear from? Either they are tasked to him permanently and have to cool their heels while he is out of the country or else officers are pulled from their usual roles, probably have leave cancelled last minute etc to jump to H's sudden appearance. Hence my quip that they just wait at the airport to see if he arrives.

How would that work though?

Much of the work of security teams involves sitting in front of a computer, planning routes, checking out the entrances and exits of venues, that sort of thing. All of that needs to be done in advance. But if the Dook isn't required to give notice of his visits, how can security at that level be arranged? He lives 8 time zones away from Britain. Should specialist police protection officers just be hanging around waiting for the call to say Harry is on the way from Montecito?

As for your other point, I believe it's fairly common for the police to liaise with elite security firms, so that would be nothing new. Obviously high level intelligence would not be shared and if you need to ask 'why not?' then perhaps you ought to think things through a little.

Snap!

I said on another thread that what Harry wants just isn't possible given that he lives on the other side of the world.

Do people think highly trained, in demand specialist protection officers are ten a penny? That they have nothing better to do than hang around on the off chance that Harry might deign to pay a vist to 'triggering' London?

Yup, in fact, the Met are honest about the fact that they don't have as many trained armed response officers as they would ideally want for their usual tasks.

Yes. If, say, Macron had to fly over for an emergency summit in London then of course security could be arranged at the last minute.

But the idea of elite protection officers being on permanent standby in case the exiled 5th in line wants to give a paid speech is ridiculous.

I call bullshit. No way Meghan is personally calling around hospitals. Where he lives there are few hospitals. Problem solved in two seconds. It’s all for publicity and trying to look good.

I believe the review of Harry’s secoority is to be carried out with no ministerial involvement, so that won’t please him.

It’s a routine matter.

The 28 day notice is per employment law. If staff leave has to be cancelled the employee is entitled to 2 weeks notice minimum. Usual 2 weeks annual leave means 28 days.

The minions don't matter to H obviously 🙄

Harry does little to help himself. He was offered secure apartments at St James and Buckingham Palace for his visits where he would be in a secure location where other members of the Royal Family have residences and offices. But he refused as he "preferred" to stay at Soho House or other hotels, which would really bump up the security cost to provide around the clock, armed security in a hotel or club.

There was also an issue (sorry can't remember where I read it in 2020 but it was when they were in Canada) that Harry, at the time, was demanding 3 security teams on the basis that he, Meghan and Archie were often in different locations.

I'm glad this is the reason. It's bad enough getting leave cancelled for a riot or something actually serious, but a spoilt Prince wanting to track down "friends" while he jaunts about town, nah. That's not a good look.

I can’t tell if your post was ironic. Government sourced intelligence (which might implicate other principals) shared with a random paid-for security team?

Plus they don't need to share intelligence. If they had knowledge of a specific threat they would provide armed security for Harry. What he wants is permanent arrangement because he feels under threat but a feeling doesn't justify the cost. The judge in his case said that his sense of grievance wasn't a legal argument, neither is his paranoia an argument for providing the security he wants.

Thank goodness we don't make security decisions with political input, i can see that going downhill extremely fast

Archie was only a few months old so why would they often be in 3 different locations ? Am I missing something?

Whatever H & M do or don't do about Thomas Markle, it's going to look bad and/or be very difficult, I think. They have no good options.

And as someone with a problematic parent, I can kind of sympathise with that situation. On the other hand, they have managed to balls up so many unproblematic situations that my sympathy for them in this one is naturally limited.

Put he doesn't want to be subjected to inferior treatment. He needs superior treatment (insert Hyacinth Bucket voice). So why not? He is as you put it, the Dook!

Yes. The 24/7 Nannies on a roster to care for two children whilst their parents are in Colombia, Nigeria, Jamaica, at PFW, out for lunch, being a founder, briefing estate agents, briefing the Daily Mail, working with Back Grid, being a grifter etc etc

From what I remember when Harry and Meghan were in the US and UK finalising their exit from the Royal family and their media deals (often separately), Archie was left in Canada with the nanny.

And if they share intelligence with his security team, and that intelligence - if interesting enough to the general.public - finds its way into Page Six the next day?

They just can’t do anything with grace and dignity- there’s always victim moment shoehorned in and an attack on someone.

So she’s sent a letter to her father…while claiming that it was really difficult for Megs as there was a DM reporter at Markle snr’s bedside. Well, that would have been solved Meg, if you were at his bedside instead ffs

She somehow managed to get the letter through with ‘trusted contacts’ ….you mean the press that you use to put out your PR Meg?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy47089ql14o

‘On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the duchess said: "Given that a Daily Mail reporter has remained at her father's bedside throughout, broadcasting each interaction and breaching clear ethical boundaries, it has been exceedingly difficult for the Duchess to contact her father privately, despite her efforts over the past several days.
"With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands."‘

Sounds like Meghan Markle’s shenanigans when TLQE2 was on her deathbed - leaking info (often inaccurate and wholly inappropriate) via her foghorn Omid S to tweet to the world.

I don’t know how she has the nerve to still have herself referred to as ‘the Duchess’…
Capital D no less!!

So "private" that she announces to the press that she's sent a letter? 🙄

They also have the temerity to say every interaction has been broadcast…..so they then broadcast that a letter has been delivered, through their contacts and they know that Markle snr has it.

So they are literally doing the same thing that they are accusing others of!

This has to be the worst of the worst PR team ever