PR Disasters Part X

[AtIusvue]

For all Meg and Harry PR shenanigans

To be fair to Eugenie, I don't think they were planning on announcing until the Daily Mail ran the article making it obvious. They've left it very late otherwise.

Lauren Sanchez is apparently de facto in charge of the Met Gala now, with Jeff Bezos - as lead donors and honorary co-chairs. Reportedly, Lauren tried to court Meghan as a friend back in the day, but Meghan knocked her back because she thought she was tacky. Then there was the debacle at the Bezos's house over Kris Jenner's 70th birthday party and the hoohah over photos of H&M. The gossip is that Lauren hates her and Meghan is NFI. Having said that, a number of stars are boycotting the gala due to Bezos's involvement (over alleged breaches of Amazon employees' rights).

All very odd when just a few weeks ago the splash was that the York daughters were to be 'banned' from Ascot.

I'm C of E and godmother to 2 Catholic nephews

Tbf, Eugenie did announce it on her own instagram account, using the same photo, at around the same time or just before the Royal Family account posted their announcement 🤷‍♀️

IMHO, there has been coordinated concern-trolling around Charlotte's birthday attacking her photo, videos, anniversary family pic, her parents (even going back to the Christmas walk meltdown by Sussex Squad fans).

The hypocrisy of H&M shrieking about the evils of being trolled / cyber-bullying while remaining silent as their SS fans cyber-bully their 11-year-old niece and her family, reinforces the narrative that the Sussexes are toxic which has taken hold in the USA. The convenient communion photos won't move the dial...their incessant People PR announcements are simply ignored as the US audience has moved on...as evidenced by the abysmal cooking show ratings.

Even Saturday Night Live a solidly left comedy platform that was squarely backing H&M during Megxit now routinely has Sussex-bashing jokes. It is a downward reputational spiral for the pair...and their PR seems to be asleep at the wheel.

Meghan Markle branded a 'terrorist' as she's torn apart on SNL over King's US visit

One thing that has always stood out to me about Beyoncé, in the rare interviews she gives, is her sweetness and impeccable manners. For that reason, I find it hard to imagine her asking for an invite for anyone outside of her immediate family circle. I understand that she’s Beyoncé and could likely ask for almost anything and have it granted, but I just can’t see her wielding that kind of influence in the way I could imagine J.Lo doing. So i can't see her asking for Meghan, even if they were close which I doubt they are.

Serena is probably the person most likely to get her an invite, however she already cohosted back in 2019 and I don't know if its usual for someone to co host more than once.

The hypocrisy of H&M shrieking about the evils of being trolled / cyber-bullying while remaining silent as their SS fans cyber-bully their 11-year-old niece and her family, reinforces the narrative that the Sussexes are toxic which has taken hold in the USA. The convenient communion photos won't move the dial...their incessant People PR announcements are simply ignored as the US audience has moved on...as evidenced by the abysmal cooking show ratings

You're right of course, @My2cents1975, but I'm not convinced there's anything which would move that dial now. IME Americans have little time for this sort of failure, and since moving on is the usual way H&M are over

And for someone who generally avoids commenting on appearances I just get so sick of Meghan's so obviously acted expressions. There's nothing attractive about Harry's truculent scowls, but at least they're real

Given that Meghan didn’t get invited to the Met Gala even before everything went wrong, I’d be very surprised if she were invited this year. Especially not after she managed to make the Balenciaga show, Kris Jenner’s birthday and the Netflix party for Carey Mulligan all about her. The only organisations that need her now are those so desperate for publicity that any publicity will do, and the Met Gala is certainly not one of those. Plus Anna Wintour, Lauren Sanchez and Venus Williams all reportedly despise her, she is not involved in fashion, is not rich or influential, very rarely wears couture and often looks a right mess. Why would they?

Ok fair enough, a few people have said this.
It surprises me though, because we're Catholic and were told to choose Catholic God parents.

The Holy Communion story suggests that M has old college friends who we know nothing about, who she is very close to and very loyal too.
It's possible.
And possible they were at her wedding as anonymous guests.
That they were quietly at her baby shower.
That they visit them in monteicito and she doesn't put it on insta.

But it just feels a bit odd/ unlikely.

Surely she'd use any female friendship as an opportunity to demonstrate what a warm generous amazing person she is? Wouldn't we get examples of barefoot hugging and grasping, and of gifts sent with elaborate written notes?

If M has old close friends that she quietly maintains even though they are of no use to elevating herself then... I'd have to reassess my opinion of her 🤣

This. Don't think creased and poorly fitting outfits cut it at the Met Gala.

Maybe she has a whole network of very close and longstanding friends but they were all busy washing their hair on her wedding day. Or this is very cynical but honestly Meghan is so shallow and concerned with appearances that my first thought was maybe they don’t have the right look to be photographed with her 🤔

Maybe they are (gasp) overweight 😱
Or they could be tall with perfect model looks and proportions of course 😬

Or maybe she never sees them but went to this event because it was a useful way of shitting on Charlotte’s birthday and/or a good excuse not to be at the Met Gala - just so busy showing her loyalty to old friends that she had to turn down the invitation yet again. We must wait and see if any clapback clarification is forthcoming.

MM thought she was above the likes of the Kardashians and Lauren Sanchez but now finds that they're running things and she's not considered their level.

It's such a come down.

When she was at the Netflix party for Carey Mulligan I thought why aren't they embarrassed to be there? Everyone else is there because of their success. Either top actors or entertainment type moguls. Her and Harry are only there because he's the king of England's youngest son, and she married him. They have no personal successes in any area to justify them running with that set.
It should feel so embarrassing, to be there when everyone knows your lifestyle show bombed, was ridiculed, and dropped.

The Kardashians are immensely successful and powerful.
Lauren Sanchez married one of the most powerful men in the world.

Meghan married a baldy whiney minor prince with his few million.

Without the RF access they're just nobodies.

IMHO, there has been coordinated concern-trolling around Charlotte's birthday attacking her photo, videos, anniversary family pic, her parents (even going back to the Christmas walk meltdown by Sussex Squad fans).

Agree @My2cents1975.

What made it particularly obvious was the corresponding lack of said trolling around Louis' birthday, which had exactly the same amount of publicity from the Wales family.

Don't you think she'd like to have a fat plain friend? She could show how she's so amazing that her compassion even extends ordinary fat people 😂

It would be like Amanda's friendship with Anne in Amandaland 😁

I suppose she could have had her old friends at her wedding and we'd not have known who they were?

I too think this was just a coincidence and that Meghan didn’t arrange for news of her presence/travel/security to be leaked. However, this is exactly the sort of intrusion into her private life that she and Harry said (but which I don’t think for a second she meant) they were leaving the UK to escape.

The irony that she got it in the US, inside a church of all places! Consequences, consequences.

What’s interesting is that she took a member of her security team with her on this (I’m going say) private trip. Maybe a three hour flight, over an hour to/from the airport, pretty sure she wouldn’t have coughed up for private. At least 24 hours on the clock and obviously then someone left behind to provide security for the children and Harry (unless they just didn’t leave the house and took a gamble there would be no emergency). This little snapshot suggests the rumours of their annual security bill probably aren’t too far off the mark. And interesting that she herself felt the need for security. I have always thought this was Harry’s paranoia, that she was more relaxed about the actual risk and just wanted the status symbol of a motorcade and heavies to make her look important enough to protect. Accepting this was a truly private event, maybe she too is paranoid.

Very true. It makes you wonder what is in store for her when she grows up.

She isn't paranoid. Nobody paranoid about their 'security' would frequently leave their children on another continent. Her "security team" is an accessory for her. Kind of a contemporary version of how in bygone days upper class ladies used to be trailed by attendants who had nothing much to do other than demonstrate how my lady was so very important. That's how Meghan sees 'security'.

And while she may not have proactively arranged for news of her presence to be 'leaked', I doubt she's bothered by it. Hence the 'People' magazine puff piece, complete with details about how incredibly down to earth she is. That's classic Meghan. How often does 'People' feature articles about a minor celeb attending a church service?

Not true. I am godmother to my niece. The priest said it was ok as long as one godparent was Catholic.

It’s quite telling that the church service was on Saturday, the photo allegedly “leaked” straight away by a third party who just happens to be a high profile journalist, and People were on the ball with the “down to earth” type quotes in order to publish a puff piece by Sunday.

We know what the Sussex Squad are up to. It’s all about the “rightful” successor to Diana for them. These poor girls are going to be pitted against one another by these idiots, until their leader tells them to stop.

Exactly.

Like I say, how often do People run stories about 'celebrities' attending church services? I'm sure much bigger stars than Meghan manage to attend such events without it making the pages of People magazine. Not to mention that said magazine has a history of publishing Sussex puff pieces, and are unlikely to publish a 'story' about Meghan attending an ostensibly private event without her approval.

Yes, it’s interesting that a private church ceremony of an unremarkable event for kids made it through the many celeb stories of the moment, what with the King’sTrust Gala last week and the Met Gala tonight. And you would have thought a high profile TV/political journalist would have the privacy of her own child and other people’s in mind, rather than inviting readers to guess who Meghan’s friend and godchild are. However, she opened up an opportunity for People. Who in turn have allowed Meghan to show she’s far too busy being “authentic” and “showing up” to be concerned with silly celeb galas. No doubt she’s had to rush home to make Archie a balloon arch for his birthday tomorrow.

Meghan could have messaged the person who took the photo and politely asked her to delete it. Since the person is supposedly a journalist and it was an event with many children present, I'm sure she'd have agreed.

Yes, absolutely! After all the fuss of the Kris Jenner party and the Beast party photos - so funny she let this one slide!