PR Disasters Part X

[AtIusvue]

For all Meg and Harry PR shenanigans

Does nobody else find it a bit strange that she was apparently alone in Chicago for her godson? Didn’t she famously say that she and Harry were like “salt and pepper” — where one goes, the other follows?
Obviously couples can do things separately, that is normal. But considering how much they have pushed the whole “inseparable team” image over the years, it does stand out a bit when she turns up alone for something personal like that.

I would argue that she detracts rather than adds value now .
They both should have foreseen this really

The video is so cringe. She has no natural warmth at all. Her interpersonal skills are so lacking and of course she has to throw the marriage vows nonsense in

The "naming" was in the erroneous Dutch translation, that had a different passage on the matter than the books published elsewhere in the world, including the UK. A passage that could only have been written by/supplied by Scobie, despite his trying to pass the blame onto the poor Dutch translator. I don't think anyone serious thinks this wasn't a deliberate mistake - that the Dutch print was the smallest in quantity, and a calculated risk on the cost of pulping that version was taken in exchange for being able to put the names out there as to who the alleged "royal racists" were. The Dutch translation specifically referred to Charles and the "Princess of Wales". The ambiguity about the latter name being that, at the time any such alleged remarks would have been made, the Princess of Wales was technically Camilla (although, for obvious reasons, she never used that title). However, the Sussex Squad nutters ran with Catherine being the racist, even though she did not have the Princess of Wales title at the time. Scobie is 100% responsible for this along with his publisher. Piers Morgan is just the POS who facilitated the clear aim to leak these names through the Dutch version by saying it out loud.

And that’s the problem with saying stuff that you think sounds romantic for the sake of projecting a certain image, but it’s not actually true.

But I’m talking about the Dutch version. Even in that version, Catherine wasn’t named as the person who actually made the remark. My understanding is that the allegation was that Charles made the comment, and Catherine was mentioned as being present.
Scobie knew what he was doing, of course. That whole book felt designed to damage the Waleses. So yes, the whole thing was awful and irresponsible, but the claim has been simplified into something even the Dutch version didn’t exactly say.

Ask this talk of Scobie reminded me he came his book Endgame and claimed it was the end of the monarchy. No wonder he's disappeared from public view, how embarrassingly wrong can one person be.

Don't worry.

I got an entirely innocuous post 'hidden' a while back (I think it might still be but CBA to look).

It did include a link to a national news source which I'd used before and have used since with no problems and I paraphrased it without incident shortly after so I still have no idea what the issue ever was 😆

The Scobie example is one thing, but there are so many others. Saying they hated royal tours, then going on royal-style tours. Saying they don’t work with mainstream media, only “up and coming” media, then working with the same mainstream media they criticised and sued. Saying every camera click is traumatic, then doing tours with cameras following them around. Being against social media, then putting their private life on social media.
ITV is so far up their backside it’s embarrassing.

I could go on and on. The hypocrisy is constant, but somehow they always seem to be given a pass.

I think it’s because they bring drama, and drama brings clicks. The media can make money from that, which is why some of them seem so invested in pushing the idea of them — or at least Harry — coming back into the fold. They don’t get that kind of constant drama from the Wales family.

Perhaps he decided to spend time at home with the children.

What?

Public schools are businesses, there are a multitude of reasons why they do not admit people.

It wouldn't concern the King,

Really? It was widely reported at the time that the allegation was that they had both been part of the discussion. Someone helpfully posted the page in question and a translation: “it was revealed that the King and the Princess of Wales had taken part in such conversations about Archie”.

This was in the context of Meghan’s allegations in the Oprah interview, that remarks had been made and that Archie wouldn’t be a Prince and would miss out on security because he was too brown.

OS may not have said “Catherine is a racist” but there’s not much wriggle room there, I don’t think. Meghan described the nature of the conversations to Oprah as racist, and OS named Charles and Catherine as having had them.

(Unless I have got the wrong end of the stick, which is always possible.)

I know there is an argument that he meant Camilla, because at the time of the conversation she was PoW. But imo that doesn’t stack up when Charles is referred to as the king in the same sentence. If he’d meant Charles and Camilla, it would say the Ling and Queen, or the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

No, that wasn’t how I understood it from the book. The original conversation was supposedly at the very early stage of Harry and Meghan dating, before she was even pregnant. Harry and Meghan themselves couldn’t even keep the story straight in the Oprah interview, because Meghan made it sound like it was linked to Archie not getting a title/security, while Harry later clarified it happened much earlier.

My understanding of the Scobie book was not that Catherine was accused of making the remark herself, but that she was allegedly in the room when the conversation took place. That is why, at first, the whole story was about “one royal.” Then after the Scobie/Dutch translation mess, it became “two royals” because Catherine was dragged into it as supposedly being present.

And if people are going to treat Scobie’s book as gospel, then they should also take Russell Myers’ book seriously, where Catherine apparently said she had nothing to do with it. You can’t just believe the book that suits your argument and ignore the one that doesn’t.

Not to mention, Harry himself later walked a lot of it back and denied that he and Meghan had accused the family of racism. So I think people have turned a messy, inconsistent story into “Catherine said something racist,” when that was never actually proven.

You seem to be under the misapprehension that anyone believes a word Omid Scobie has written, We don't. It is very clear that H&M conspired with him to go after Catherine, as they have done all along.

While they have to comply with the Equality Act, private schools in the UK have a wide discretion to select pupils based on academic ability, interview performance, and fit for the school. Luckily for them, being the niece and nephew of the Prince of Wales isn’t a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, so no, it wouldn’t be discriminatory.

I don’t think this is a terribly likely scenario, but in the unlikely event it was I can’t imagine a head teacher would risk their global reputation as the choice of the Prince and Princess of Wales by getting involved in any silly inter-royal turf war.

I watch far too many films 👀but might a sinister US military academy be a consideration?

And an ability to pay.

Do they ever take the kids anywhere? Surely an event like that with, with close friends would usually be a family occasion? These kids are being raised like something out of a Victorian story where they are left with the schoolmistress, never leaving their gloomy mansion while the parents are nowhere to be seen.

In the unlikely event that they did end up at the same school, there would be very little overlap, as Archie is 6 years younger than George.

Realistically the earliest he would be likely to go to such a school would be in September 2030, at 11, when George would be 17. They wouldn't be in the same circles at school or have much to do with each other.

Just to clarify, when I said that I reckon A & L will know people who know people who know G, C and L, I was imagining them frequenting the small world of elite clubs (the press will report on them so they'll be known), polo, horse racing, that sort of thing. I could see them spending some time in the UK as young adults even though they'll probably end up back in the States to settle because that will be 'home'.

I don't think they'll board in the UK at 13 because it would hurt H & M's brand* to send them away but I know some European royals (the Dutch and Spanish come to mind) sent their kids to a Welsh boarding school for education between the age of 16 - 18, doing IBs rather than A levels so maybe they'll do that.

*Hurt brand = they love talking about being good, involved parents. Difficult if the kids spend a lot of time living on another continent.

I think military school in the US is a possibility but I guess it would depend on their personalities. I don't think they'd send them to a military school if they thought the kids wouldn't be suited to it.

While I think of it, obviously part of their brand at present is the back of A & L's heads but they'll age out of that in the next few years, I'd have thought.

Very true but there's only one year age gap between Louis and Archie.

I doubt Ingriftus will be around when the time comes for Harry to retire as Patron, can’t see it lasting much beyond another decade the rate it’s going anyway.

They took them to Disneyland and posed for pictures. Not sure if they went on any rides as well. Weren't there also pictures of them trick or treating? Or was that just M? I remember she was drinking.

I keep wondering who looks after them when they aren’t there, or when they are ‘working’. I bet those staff have a tale to tell.