PR Disasters part 11

[HoldMyWine]

The ongoing dramas from Montecito courtesy of H&M.

I can’t see another thread but I made the same mistake last time …

To me it reads like someone asked ChatGPT to write in the style of the Queen's Christmas message. If you read it on your head in a 'my husband and I ' voice it's quite realistic.

Impossible to imagine mumbling grievance guy writing it.

Yes, I can see this. She could take on the role of Harry's new caretaker. Especially since she was a bit older, with a fair amount of experience of the world, and trained in presentation skills and speaking in front of an audience. And no shortage of confidence in herself. I can absolutely see why the RF might have agreed to the "hit the ground running" idea, especially since I'm sure both Harry and Meghan would have been massively (and publicly) offended if they hadn't.

Not Harry, he wouldn't have had to say a word.

But current affairs commentators the world over would have seen a mixed-race woman being denied a prominent public role in the RF and come to the racist conclusion themselves.

We don't need to speculate about miscarriage because Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wrote an article for the New York Post on the subject - she clearly wanted it in the public domain.

But there's no rule which says that married in royal wives have to get a very high profile role straight off. In fact, it's the exception. Sophie continued in her PR job after marriage for some time. Kate didn't become a 'full time' working royal for years.

Any competent "current affairs commentator" would have considered it perfectly reasonable that a newly married, pregnant American woman with no experience of royal life be eased gently into her new role.

The costs have been trending upwards in recent years with a huge cost increase betweem 2022 and 2023

1st IG -2014 - IG London - difficult to trace but £500K from government, £500K from Royal foundation plus unknown sponsorship from Jaguar Landrover 400 competitors

2022 IG in the Hague - 25 million euros (or almost $30million) - 500 competitors

2023 IG Dusseldorf - 40 million euros (47 million) - 550 competitors - 24% of budget spent on luxury accommodation, travel, security and VIP services relating to Harry and Meghan's appearances (possibly other VIP)

2025 - IG Vancouver 63.2 million Canadian dollars (46-47 million usd) - of which approx 50% from public funding $15 million government/$15million regional government - 534 competitors

William also worked a 50% contract with East Anglia Air Ambulance as a helicopter pilot between March 2025 and July 2017 - but donated his salary to the charity.

It's a bit like discussing if Archie has specific needs?

Probably all the sprinkles have been well stamped on and ground into the carpet….

Compared to H's AI generated puff piece. How did he even get that into Time ??

Any time they were advised to slow down (William) have Meghan continue her acting career (Queen), curtail the spending (Charles), reduce the public exposure (palace advisors) the two of them (mostly Harry) reacted with indignation and outrage.

At the same time Meghan seems to have hated or had full disdain for the traditions, customs, clothes, accommodations at home and abroad, her in laws and her staff.

They are a complete tangled ball of contradictions. Must have been exhausting behind the scenes.

I suspect many were relieved when they left.

Yes, forgot about that, @Lunde

I greatly suspect that the pair of them thought they knew it all, were going to ‘modernise’ the monarchy and show everyone how w it should be done - didn’t they pretty much say so?
I can’t imagine Meghan listening to anyone, she certainly didn’t accept the help offered.

According to Harry , Meghan carried out the role better than all the other Royals .
Sad deluded man.

That’s Harry in his Meghan is Mummy Diana fantasy. Diana was so popular that she made all the other royals jealous, so of course history is repeating itself.

I greatly suspect that the pair of them thought they knew it all, were going to ‘modernise’ the monarchy and show everyone how w it should be done - didn’t they pretty much say so?

That may be a cultural issue at least from Meghan.

There apparently someone did some cultural reference research for different countries and one area on matrix looked at is tradition vs innvovation - I came across it after watching a you tube video about why so many US firms fail in Europe and UK.

Apparently US values new things more than tradition - is why their bussiness want to rush changes in - UK we are mid range we value tradition but also innovation -somewhere like Germany is much more on tradition side.

So going on about how you are going to modernise - would be seen as normal and good thing as part of general US culture - whereas for us in UK it's like 1000 year old institution that evolves all the time and it's ours and outsiders coming in and commenting on stuff they clearly don't understand is mildly offensive and annoying.

That's interesting - presumably US firms also do extremely badly in Japan?

I find the psychology aspect fascinating too. I think part of the problem is not just that Meghan is American, but that she was celebrity American - coming straight from a world where you can hustle and perform your way to the star role, and where your PR/publicist fights for you like a mama bear with the press.

American publicists have stables of stars on their books and they have a lot of power when gatekeeping access to their celebrities. So you want the chance to get a sit down with George Clooney next week, then you’ll do me this favor of a puff piece with <new TV cable star> this week.

Or you get hold of an unflattering video of Keira Knightly - lose it and she’ll do an exclusive fashion shoot for you.

I think Meghan and her American publicists could not understand why the palace didn’t try to similarly strong arm the press in a similar way.

I’m sure that all Harry’s whining about being thrown under the bus in defense of William comes from Meghan and the PR team assuring him that’s what happened.

In what way did they think they were going to “modernise” the monarchy? I would love to know their grand plans! I mean seriously! Their idea of “modernisation” is to use it for their own personal financial gains, they think the monarchy is to serve themselves not to serve the people, they also would “modernise” by declaring how people should vote and voicing their political opinions at every opportunity and thinking they actually run the country, all at the same time as having everyone literally tugging their forelocks and doffing their caps……… I’m sure an absolute monarchy would be their ideal.

You don’t need to wonder they wrote a whole manifesto on a website for us.

Well yes, but I’m sure that would have been just for starters.

Don't know - it was looking at Europe only.

However there are US firms that do well sometimes in parts of Europe or whole and it's usually because they take on board the differences and adapt.

Quick google seems to say yep they do badly in Japan but so do many other foreign firms - it's a hard market to break into apparently.

I do agree wordler - I think celebrity American made it even harder bridge cross - old money in older part of US that lack of undersatnding may not have been as steep.

Saw an american you tuber who lives in UK - many do these days - and she was struggling to understand RF - she said it's in everyday life - money, stamps -post boxes yet doesn't seem to register and she keeps talking to Brits expecting them to have stong views about King or RF and we don't. We might if something happens and we get pressed but mostly shurgs then subject change.
.

I’m not sure it’s a us thing personally, there are many US posters on sm who thought it was just as offensive as we did! , it’s not the same as modernism of a company! , it’s would be like a Brit married to the president deciding to modernise their constitution and tradition.

Wasn’t one of their “policies” that William and Harry could job share the Kingship and the Duchy………😂