PR disasters continued. Thread 6

[AtIusvue]

For all PR disasters of Meg and Papa Sussex

It's the "one year to go" thing in July which Harry (and possibly Meghan + kids) are rumoured to be coming to the UK for.

I think that Invictus/Harry might be getting a bit panicked about the finances for the Birmingham games not to mention the political issues and Harry has decided to "sell" his royal contacts to potential investors but inviting himself to Sandringham where there will no doubt be a leaked "father and son" moment captured by paps.....

Ooh, that response is a big departure for the RF. Is this the new communications director choosing a harder line?

I hope so, it will mean that finally Harry is getting the slap down he so deserves, maybe he will finally shut up denigrating his family if he is getting a taste of his own medicine.

Well previously there was a service at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2024 - I had thought it was a pre-event thing but AI tells me it was 10 year commemoration event. He had support from the Spencers.
No idea what form this year’s pre-event event will take or if the Spencers will dutifully show support in the absence of any RF support. 🤷‍♀️

A "one year to go" thing? What even is that? Kind of like a "Save The Date" card, but with... music? fireworks? the Markles waving at people? Hello, we're going to be having a sporting event here in 365 days, so don't go anywhere!

Obviously it's designed to keep the Invictus Games in the public eye, and drum up sponsorship. But it just seems like such a non-event. Do they have anything like this for the actual Olympic Games or Paralympic Games?

I'm starting to feel like I have Invictus fatigue before it even starts.

The cynic in me suggests it’s also a good way for MM to scrounge some lovely ‘freebie’ clothes whilst draping herself over the man she doesn’t love

It’s scheduled for 10th July in Birmingham no tickets sold yet nor venue confirmed. I am remembering the count down to the Canada games and all the lovely snowy, sunny, scenic location shots provided for MM fashion photos.

Birmingham in mid July …. Should be ‘humming’ as the year long bin strike is still not resolved - many areas infested with large rat population and blighted by fly-tipping….interesting sponsorship ideas - Rentokil / pest control.

Does anyone know why Birmingham was chosen?

Why on earth would the multi-nation Invictus Games be having a grand CofE cathedral service? Isn’t that a bit, erm … ‘Empire 2.0’?

Whether he has the wit or not, he'd do well to remember the days in Canada, when he was absent and Meghan appeared to have set up a woodland pap walk with Splash agency

This was the very one who he sued over pictures taken of their place in the Cotswolds, so perhaps not an obvious choice for his wife - though for all I know Harry might have believed that she knew nothing about it

Washington DC pulled out (sensibly).

Johnny Mercer (former Conservative MP) had already decided to promote Birmingham UK and got a ‘package’ organised from the then government he was then part of. But the money was little more than ‘seed money’. It won’t touch the sides.

It supposed to be cost-neutral to the Council but it won’t be.

I think Birmingham needs to cancel - just as Australia pulled out of the Commonwealth games a couple of years ago because of costs. The CWG are going ahead in Glasgow as a much smaller/scaled back event.

This could be the way forward for IG - either cancel due to ongoing conflicts or scale back to a small event that could be held over a weekend.

I think IG is not really big enough to support the scale of the events. In reality no one is going to go and watch these games apart from the families of the athletes.
It's a nice idea but I really can't see how it can be successfully funded?

And Birmingham recently had a big controversy when they banned Israeli football fans from coming to an Aston Villa game. Israeli athletes are not going to be welcomed in Birmingham.

the whole thing is being set up for problems.

Interestingly, Invictus Germany seems to have branched out to do its own thing following Dusseldorf in 2023.

It will hold its own version of the Games in summer 2026 (also did so in 2024).

Invictus Germany Sports Festival 2026

I wonder if other countries will end up going down that route? And if so, will they move closer to each nation's Paralympics team, and focus on that rather than the biennial Invictus Games?

Absolutely! It’s absolute farce anyway, hardly any of it seems to get on the tv, I really only recall seeing H&M Hogg the limelight and throw shade at the real stars… plus Brum is skint

Worth noting that QC turns 80 in July 2027 and various events are planned which might detract from Invictus.

I think there was a lot of backlash in Germany about the event morphing into the "Harry & Meghan Show" - especially Meghan's antics in the skimpy shorts where she "marched" to lead the actual military competitors and then flashed her inner thighs on a golf cart - many found it really disrespectful.

There are also rumours about the US under Trump pulling funding to put into the original US Warrior Games that Harry copied - I'm not sure if they did this or not.

I think their pretentions of making IG like an alternative Paralympics were just totally delusional. In 2024 Invictus hired Scott Moore who was going to put IG broadcasting on the level of the Olympics - they seriously thought they were going to make millions from broadcasting rights! It is unknown what salary Moore was paid but some estimates were as high as $1.5 million.

IG is just not a big enough to support the pretentions of cities taking on debts to host them or as a mass spectator/TV event - it might be better to hold a scaled back version at military facilities

I only realised this year (after the discussions around the Ukrainian skeleton athlete / Russian athletes performing under their own flag at the Paralympics) that the Olympics and Paralympics were 2 separate organisations.

Paralympics clearly works best when it's very closely linked to the Olympics. I don't see that there's realistically funding (or desire) for yet another large international event.

That is indeed interesting, Bluegreygreen, but I see they're still calling it Invictus and presume they'll need some kind of permission to do that?

If they were disappointed at H&M's previous antics I'd have thought they'd want to break the link, and besides are they going to turn up if it's still seen to be under the Invictus banner?

I had seen it mentioned elsewhere @Puzzledandpissedoff so had a browse on the Invictus Germany website.

The 2024 event was licensed by Invictus Games. Eight nations took part (including a UK team).
There are some pictures on their website here Sports Festival 2024 .
I don't see any of the Sussexes - and I haven't heard or read any comment from Harry about Germany 2026.

In addition, a German MP demanded to see the financial accounts for the event. They showed 24% of the budget going on "support: e.g. accommodations, side events, logistics, safeguarding".

Thanks, bluegreygreen

Interesting again about the licensing; I hadn't picked up on that, but unsurprisingly it does sound as if they needed permission to use the name, and that poses more questions about what Harry's actual input is (if any)

Maybe, like Sentebale, he doesn't feel this particular event reflects well on him any more so has moved away?

That is worth a 😂. Thank you for giving me a giggle.

….and Harry is still pretending he doesn’t get involved with journalists? 😂

https://archive.ph/2AIPI

The Times:

‘They appear to show the Mail on Sunday reporter calling the prince “Mr Mischief” and “H Bomb” and referring to their “fun weekend of naughtiness”. Harry appeared to call the journalist “sugar” and “Griff” and wrote: “Miss our movie snuggles!!”’

My my.

Maybe H's denial about having journalists in his social circle are a case of 'well he would say that, wouldn't he?'

Although if Griffiths did keep the morning sickness news private then it seems journalists don't necessarily equal leaks... and therefore perhaps non-journalists don't necessarily mean no-one will leak...

Well well well, so it’s not only his wife who lies to the British Courts!