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The royal family

PR Disasters Part X

1000 replies

AtIusvue · 29/04/2026 13:09

For all Meg and Harry PR shenanigans

OP posts:
Thread gallery
43
SixSevenShutUp · 05/05/2026 15:59

I think she's missed her chance. Magazines aren't going to pay for a view of a kid that isn't particularly interesting. The baby photos might have attracted a price but a seven year old is not going to have the cute factor.

HoldMyWine · 05/05/2026 16:00

Yes that ship has sailed.

StrawberryWasp · 05/05/2026 16:04

Yeh I don't see how the kids faces can generate income?

Clicks yes, but not income.

BasiliskStare · 05/05/2026 16:31

AtIusvue · 05/05/2026 15:27

Most years, I don’t think it was a big deal Meg not going to the MET gala but this year….after the Paris fashion show PR nonsense, her launching on a fashion platform to sell clothing…when it seems like she’s pivoting again, this time towards fashion, then it’s glaring that she wasn’t there- especially when Serena and Venus could have put in a good word for her.

I do agree with this . However , it does a little come over like Serena will do so much but no more. I think Venus is a different matter, and she was the co chair

https://pagesix.com/2024/07/15/entertainment/why-fans-think-venus-williams-snubbed-prince-harry-at-espy-awards-2024/

A split photo of Prince Harry on stage and Venus Williams on stage and a small photo of Meghan Markle clapping

Why fans think Venus Williams snubbed Prince Harry at ESPY Awards 2024

Fans shared their opinions on whether or not the tennis legend was snubbing the royal at the 2024 ESPYs last week.

https://pagesix.com/2024/07/15/entertainment/why-fans-think-venus-williams-snubbed-prince-harry-at-espy-awards-2024/

LaurenBacal · 05/05/2026 17:13

HoldMyWine · 05/05/2026 12:22

I think Serena looked very gladiatorial. I preferred the grey mini dress though she wore the day before.

Both are absolutely awful. She also looks drugged. She never looks very focused or present.

Treylime · 05/05/2026 17:21

I think the not showing the kids faces thing has put them into a bind because they can't take the kids anywhere they could be photographed ie sports games/film premieres/first communion of family friends/watching Invictus. If they hadnt have used them constantly on Social media to flog the brand while also hiding their faces, they could have been seen at events occasionally in a natural way.

BasiliskStare · 05/05/2026 17:29

I don't know if this has been posted. It would seem H&M are joke worthy in the US. (I don't live there so not sure how much is my perception) . However , there ws always a saying I knew , which was , "be nice to people on the way up , because you don't know if you'll need them on the way down". That I know sounds a bit cynical. My granny used to say "Dukes don't swear at dustmen " Nothing against dustmen I think it was the alliteration which counted. But both are , just be nice to people , don't hold yourself aloft , wear your privelidge lightly. & I think neither H nor M do this and , in my view it's an unattractive trait.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15791231/Meghan-Markle-habit-falling-Hollywoods-power-brokers-SNLs-terrorist-takedown-Met-Gala-absence-proof-duchess-burning-bridges-US-experts-say.html

Met Gala absence is proof Meghan is 'burning bridges in US'

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams believes the Duchess of Sussex has developed a 'disastrous habit of falling out with Hollywood's top power brokers'.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15791231/Meghan-Markle-habit-falling-Hollywoods-power-brokers-SNLs-terrorist-takedown-Met-Gala-absence-proof-duchess-burning-bridges-US-experts-say.html

Lifestooshort71 · 05/05/2026 17:38

Treylime · 05/05/2026 17:21

I think the not showing the kids faces thing has put them into a bind because they can't take the kids anywhere they could be photographed ie sports games/film premieres/first communion of family friends/watching Invictus. If they hadnt have used them constantly on Social media to flog the brand while also hiding their faces, they could have been seen at events occasionally in a natural way.

Archie's equivalent of 'Spare' will be an interesting read - how will he document his childhood?

Starryfifty · 05/05/2026 17:39

Treylime · 05/05/2026 17:21

I think the not showing the kids faces thing has put them into a bind because they can't take the kids anywhere they could be photographed ie sports games/film premieres/first communion of family friends/watching Invictus. If they hadnt have used them constantly on Social media to flog the brand while also hiding their faces, they could have been seen at events occasionally in a natural way.

The kids are definitely going to be merched. Especially the little girl. Meg did say she would like her to be part of the "business "

Benio · 05/05/2026 17:51

How much longer do we give As Ever? Is it still not shipping globally? Will it be allowed to run up huge debts to creditors?

Once MM realises that she is unable to make money in retail, she has no media opportunities etc what will she do?

It’s interesting that she feels she is always the one obligated to ‘be a success’ and bring home the bacon - PH doesn’t seem bothered to pursue any commercial interests or seek any ‘career’ success.

LaurenBacal · 05/05/2026 17:57

Benio · 05/05/2026 17:51

How much longer do we give As Ever? Is it still not shipping globally? Will it be allowed to run up huge debts to creditors?

Once MM realises that she is unable to make money in retail, she has no media opportunities etc what will she do?

It’s interesting that she feels she is always the one obligated to ‘be a success’ and bring home the bacon - PH doesn’t seem bothered to pursue any commercial interests or seek any ‘career’ success.

He's just born to be a humanitarian and that's enough.

Benio · 05/05/2026 18:00

canklesmctacotits · 05/05/2026 14:59

Re education: I'm pretty sure Meghan is going to make sure Lilibet goes to the LA girls' private school that she didn't get into, and will be THAT mom who makes sure hers is the most sought after playdate and party etc. She'll avenge her own snubs and inferiorities through her daughter.

Gwyneth Paltrow went to a school in Manhattan that my own DD regularly competes against in one of her extra-curriculars. It's a girls' private school unlike any UK girls' private school I know of. The closest equivalent would be St Pauls, I guess, but the small size of the school, immense wealth, super-tiny and exclusive social circles and zero even lip-service paid to a broad and diverse student pool really has no comparator in the UK. Maybe Eton, for boys, but Eton isn't as universally revered amongst the types of families that would consider it as this school is. This school (and there are one or two for boys, and a couple of next-tier ones for girls) is off the charts for exclusivity, which is cultivated by faculty, staff, parents and, most distastefully of all, the girls. They live and breathe it, it's their raison d'etre. It's actually pretty gross to see in action. I can well and truly believe that GP is the original nepo baby mean girl as some parts of the press (which haven't been scrubbed by her PR) would have you believe. Apple doesn't seem to have fallen far from the tree, just grafted onto the SoCal scene.

That world and Apple Martin's path in LA is what MM will want for her DD. Hell will freeze over before she gives up having "arrived" (via her daughter) in the world she couldn't penetrate as a child herself, in favour of Marlborough or Wellington or wherever Charlotte is/will be at school. Such a school would also serve no purpose for MM. That world isn't relevant to Meghan or her aspirations for her daughter. And it's all about her, as we know. For all her global recognition and fame/infamy, Meghan Markle is actually extremely narrow-minded and uncomfortable outside the tiny world of monied Southern California, and a small group of ever-changing people in it (probably because she needs to be top dog at all times, difficult to do in a big arena).

The American and British school systems are also poles apart. Neither Harry nor Meghan strike me as having high academic aspirations for their children, and your DC have to have a fair level of aptitude to transition between the two. Mostly, though, the idea of sending your children off to school a 14hr+ journey away from LA, when you have perfectly decent and indeed coveted schools right there, where the world's uber-celebrities send their children with more in-built securidee infrastructure than you could shake a stick at, and where you can keep control over their every day social lives, is preposterous. If you're familiar with both worlds, it's obvious that school in the UK for Lilibet (other than maybe a year abroad to give her royal-adjacent kudos) just wouldn't happen. Especially not when her mom's on record talking about handing As Ever over to her as a thriving business!

Note nothing about Archie here because, frankly, the poor boy barely gets a look in as far as him mom goes and she's the only one posting on SM about her DC.

The sad fact is that MM is small fry in any of these school communities. I suspect she will be snubbed and excluded yet again. I can’t seeing anyone wanting to be associated with her social failure and joke status - as well as her proven untrustworthy loose lips.

She no doubt will be sharp elbowing her way through the PTA but I would expect doors slammed shut socially as she is not aspirational and has nothing to offer the other parents in this elite transactional and cautious world - in fact she represents a risk.

Mylovelygreendress · 05/05/2026 18:12

Can you imagine her attending a PTA ? She would need to be announced then accompanied by security staff !

Mylovelygreendress · 05/05/2026 18:14

Benio · 05/05/2026 17:51

How much longer do we give As Ever? Is it still not shipping globally? Will it be allowed to run up huge debts to creditors?

Once MM realises that she is unable to make money in retail, she has no media opportunities etc what will she do?

It’s interesting that she feels she is always the one obligated to ‘be a success’ and bring home the bacon - PH doesn’t seem bothered to pursue any commercial interests or seek any ‘career’ success.

I had a quick look at As ever . She doesn’t even have a million followers and doesn’t seem to post much plus the range is rather uninspiring.
I give it another 6 months .
I wonder how her clothes thing is going ?

Starryfifty · 05/05/2026 18:16

Benio · 05/05/2026 17:51

How much longer do we give As Ever? Is it still not shipping globally? Will it be allowed to run up huge debts to creditors?

Once MM realises that she is unable to make money in retail, she has no media opportunities etc what will she do?

It’s interesting that she feels she is always the one obligated to ‘be a success’ and bring home the bacon - PH doesn’t seem bothered to pursue any commercial interests or seek any ‘career’ success.

Harry is doing what he was born to do. Whatever that is. He still hasn't explained

PrinceHarrysBaldPatch · 05/05/2026 18:20

Starryfifty · 05/05/2026 18:16

Harry is doing what he was born to do. Whatever that is. He still hasn't explained

In Harry's defence, he was never expected to compete in the marketplace or be ambitious. He was just expected to do what he was told without whinging loudly enough for anyone to hear.
He never dreamt of being a billionaire. He was perfectly happy pottering along with zero responsibilities and everyone being nice to him.

BasiliskStare · 05/05/2026 18:25

As Ever doesn't seem to be going well. As well as signing up to One Off Meghan has also invested in the company. I was minded to look this up and the last fund raising round was $4m. I suspect she has invested in various currently small companies hoping that one will make good and it will get her $ms . However , start up , private companies are a risk and often get you car changing not life changing amounts. I think the Female founder trope is one of her more obvious PR disasters given how As Ever seems to be going ( giving away stock in NF meetings I think I read.) She seems to think if she says something enough it is true.

canklesmctacotits · 05/05/2026 18:31

Benio · 05/05/2026 18:00

The sad fact is that MM is small fry in any of these school communities. I suspect she will be snubbed and excluded yet again. I can’t seeing anyone wanting to be associated with her social failure and joke status - as well as her proven untrustworthy loose lips.

She no doubt will be sharp elbowing her way through the PTA but I would expect doors slammed shut socially as she is not aspirational and has nothing to offer the other parents in this elite transactional and cautious world - in fact she represents a risk.

Well, the child is Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, and she is the granddaughter of King Charles III. That alone will open doors for a while still.

Oh the parents will want to have her over for playdates because they'll be nosy and wouldn't want to be the only ones not to have met her. They will want to talk amongst themselves about her - not question.

(Shame we're already talking about the child in the context of her parents and not on her own merit...).

Jellybelly80 · 05/05/2026 18:37

@canklesmctacotits and zero even lip-service paid to a broad and diverse student pool

So all of the pupils are white?

Rhaidimiddim · 05/05/2026 18:51

AprilMizzel · 05/05/2026 15:12

Dan wasn’t impressed but when he mentioned it to Tom Sykes on his show Tom just laughed about it, for some reason some people think it’s amusing when a Prince smacks a person on their backside when they are at work

I think if it had been a woman the reaction would have been worse these days.

However only because since I think 70s woman had said this isn't on. Prior to that you may well have got the dimissive laugh and non reaction.

It's quitesurprising how much bad behavior gets ignored- it was clearly done due to power imbalance put the young man in his place.

Also agree that Archie is an afterthought and she will have no grand ambitions for him, unlike Lili.

I wonder if it's Archie age - as kids get older they have more of their own voice and some parents really struggle with that. Perhaps Lili at 4 is more complient at the moment.

It's odd because when either talk about the kids it's like they have no clue who they are or indeed any kid that age - like they are props rather than actual children with their own persoanalities. Hopefully that's them just being odd in interviews - but it does IMO stand out as odd.

Just an aside. We watched the Kevin Costner "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves" (1991) a few nights ago. At one point Robin casually smacks Maid Marion on the butt as he is leaving. Itvwas played as a comedy moment.

canklesmctacotits · 05/05/2026 18:59

Jellybelly80 · 05/05/2026 18:37

@canklesmctacotits and zero even lip-service paid to a broad and diverse student pool

So all of the pupils are white?

No. Diversity isn't just about race, and it's a mistake to think that all or almost all wealth is held in "white" families in New York. Very much not the case. Race is a factor, but there are many other social and economic and geographical factors taken into account.

AtIusvue · 05/05/2026 19:09

It was just the other day in the People article, that Meg sources stated that As ever was at the ‘test and learn’ stage.

How can they possibly still be at the test and learn, 12 months from launch?

Well, when she first launched- the jam was $9 and it was single items. She went on Emma Gredes podcast and stated that she had in mind a 15 year old saving their money to buy small items. It was all about saving the jars and putting your pens in them. So wholesome.

Then autumn 25 the price went up to $12. Then we started to see bundles pop up before Xmas (when NF left) and now it seems to be everything is advertised as part of a bundle. You have to scroll to the bottom to see the items individually. Now you bundles $$$s completely out of the price range of the very people she had claimed she had went into business for. So she’s completely changed a to different demographic, prepared to spend $$$s. But the problem is these people don’t want to buy Megs white labels goods.

I think her ‘learns’ is that she wasn’t selling enough per person to make it profitable. So she’s having to bundle items together and draw people in with Limited edition tie ins. But the price point is way too high for her fan base.

She also launched the business at first- as cupboard staples …something you would buy and buy again. But clearly people weren’t, so she’s doubled down on the gifting aspect. People were buying as a one off and if youre only buying one pot of jam, it wasn’t going to cut it to make any money. So now it’s pricey bundles aimed as horrifically old fashioned/trad wife adjacent ‘hostess’s gifts.

This is the other problem she now has. Gifts need to be available until the last min and shipped fast. They also need to be advertised waaay in advance.

She’s currently-

  • advertising in extremely short windows and pretty much missed Easter completely. No unique Easter products
  • St vals had no unique products, just the same chocolate that was supposed to have sold out and been designed as a Xmas Stocking filler
  • Her Mother’s Day As ever bundle, the last date for guaranteed delivery was over a week ago and Mother’s Day in the US isn’t until Sunday! Giving people no chance to purchase.
  • Pursuing limited edition collabs to shift stock but it’s getting tiring as she has no new products. She hasn’t expanded her line of goods since November.
  • Still not in stores. No pop ups, no flag ship store.
  • She updates As ever insta seldom. Not enough to engage her followers. I’m not sure she even responds to her fan base anymore. She did at first when she launched.

For someone who classes themselves as a female founder. She has no clue how many hours she needs to put in.

She says she has breakfast and lunch with Harry everyday. That she does picks ups and drop off etc. You cant do that if you’re running a business. People setting up a start up, don’t have time to waste. She should be out on the socials, trying to drum up business but all she does is put out stock images on her insta every few weeks, some which are over a year old! She’s phoning it in.

I think she’s just winding down her stock, using collabs to drive attention back to the site every so often until all the stock is gone. We won’t see new As ever products added to the line up. I say she will just slowly walk away, not mention As ever anymore etc. like what happened to Archewell. Saying something like she’s focusing sharing this special time with her kids etc. Like it was all a fever dream and Harry will state she never actually said she wanted to do this forever etc it’s the fault of the press saying so.

OP posts:
IcedPurple · 05/05/2026 19:09

Mylovelygreendress · 05/05/2026 18:14

I had a quick look at As ever . She doesn’t even have a million followers and doesn’t seem to post much plus the range is rather uninspiring.
I give it another 6 months .
I wonder how her clothes thing is going ?

I'm actually somewhat surprised that she hasn't wound up 'As Ever' already. Especially given her habit of dropping everything when it doesn't produce instant results.

The products are so generic and random that I really find it hard to imagine who the market would be. I very much doubt she's making big money from it. In fact, I suspect she's probably losing money.

As for the 'clothes thing' I doubt that is a great success either. You can't just wear a few items on a 'tour' on the other side of the world and expect to be a fashion leader that way. You need to develop a 'signature style, and constantly get yourself photographed in new outfits. Attending major fashion events such as the Met Ball would also help, but maybe best not mention that!

Not2identifying · 05/05/2026 19:12

I completely agree with @canklesmctacotits's post about their schooling. 😊

For all that we credit Meghan with being the only one who cares about bringing in money, I think Harry's Better Up(?) gig is bringing in more than As Ever. That's already lasted longer than I thought it would.

Interesting post from a PP about H & M painting themselves into a corner with the hiding their faces thing because that must be really restricting. I hope the nannies take them out as there would be much less chance of them being recognised but that must be strange for the parents to not be there when their kids see more of the world outside their home.

Starryfifty · 05/05/2026 19:25

Is Harry still Chief Impact Officer (WTF?) of better up ?? He could involve himself more in that company but the issue is, he has no work ethic. The 2 of them having breakfast and lunch together ffs. Hard working families just cannot manage this.

issue with him is, he knows he has Pa's money to fall back on. He's thick as a plank but he's young, fit and healthy. There's plenty of work he could do but he just won't. As Kinsey S pointed out, what grown man goes to Surf camp 🙄🙄

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